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William Hopper (January 26, 1915 – March 6, 1970) was an American actor. He is probably best...

William Hopper (January 26, 1915 – March 6, 1970) was an American actor. He is probably best-remembered for playing Paul Drake on TV's Perry Mason. Hopper was born William DeWolf Hopper, Jr. in New York, New York, the only child of actor/matinee idol DeWolf Hopper (1858–1935) and actress/gossip columnist Hedda Hopper (née "Elda Furry") (1885–1966). His debut motion picture appearance was as a baby in his father's 1916 silent movie Sunshine Dad. His mother divorced his elderly father in 1924, and she and Billy eventually moved to Hollywood. He began his acting career as a teenager, working in summer stock in Ogunquit, Maine. He went from there to Broadway, where he appeared in two plays, Order Please and Romeo and Juliet (both 1934). In 1936, he played the small role as a photographer in the movie The King Steps Out starring Grace Moore and Franchot Tone at Columbia. In 1937 he portrayed the leading man in two films, Public Wedding with Jane Wyman and Over the Goal (both 1937). He also enjoyed significant roles alongside Ann Sheridan in The Footloose Heiress (1937) and Mystery House (1938). After that he had roles that included playing a sergeant in the Western Stagecoach (1939)