William Harrigan

William Harrigan (March 27, 1894 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor born in New York City whose career spanned Broadway, film, and vaudeville. He was the son of actor Edward Harrigan and the grandson of composer David Braham, and his family had maintained an unbroken presence on the stage since 1660. His sister Nedda Harrigan's marriage to director and playwright Joshua Logan made Harrigan Logan's brother-in-law. Harrigan attended New York Military Academy and served as a captain in the 307th Infantry Regiment of the 77th Division during World War I.

His connection to the stage began in childhood, when at age five he joined his father in a production of Reilly and the 400 at the Garrick Theater. His Broadway debut followed in Old Lavender in 1906, and he also toured with his father in a company performing the same production. Early in his career he appeared in New York theater productions including Bought and Paid For and Springtime, and in 1915 he toured Australia as part of a company led by Charles Millward. In 1927 he performed Irish ballads in vaudeville at the Palace Theater, and in 1929 he served as leading man for summer stock at Denver's Elitch Theatre.

Harrigan's Broadway career, which extended from 1906 to 1957, included appearances in All Rights Reserved, The Dark, Pick-up Girl, and Keeper of the Keys, the last of which was a 1933 Broadway adaptation of a novel in which he played detective Charlie Chan. Among his most prominent stage work was creating the role of the captain in Mister Roberts, the Broadway hit co-written and directed by his brother-in-law Joshua Logan. Harrigan held the role throughout the production's three-year run of 1,158 performances and returned for the 1956 revival.

His film debut came in 1917, and he went on to appear in Hollywood productions during the 1930s and 1940s, including Born Reckless, Cabaret, The Invisible Man, and Nix on Dames. In his personal life, Harrigan was married to and divorced from Dorothy Langdon and Louise Groody. At the time of his death he was married to Grace Culbert. He died on February 1, 1966, in New York City at the age of 71, following surgery at St. Luke's Hospital.