Actor. He was best known for playing the character roles of reporters, coroners, drivers, radio operators, guards, waiters, detectives, doctors, G-Men, henchmen, captains, producers, sheriffs, wardens, and customers, usually in crime films, action films, or classic western films, but some were uncredited. He will be best remembered for playing the role of 'Mace Liscomb' in the classic short western film, "Oklahoma Renegades" (1940). The film which was directed by Nate Watt, which was written for the screen by Earle Snell and Doris Schroeder, and which also starred Robert Livingston, Raymond Hatton, and Duncan Renaldo, tells the story of Stony Brooke, Rusty Joslin, and Rico, known as The Three Mesquiteers, return to Oklahoma at the close of the Spanish-American War and are concerned that some of their wounded buddies have no prospects for a satisfactory future. When the government offers preferred homesteads in the newly-opened Oklahoma territory to war veterans, they send word for their pals to join them there. Once there, the veterans meet a hostile reception as the cattlemen resent the influx of "nesters" and are determined to drive them out. Mace Liscomb and his brother Orv plan not only to drive out the homesteaders but to also double-cross the cattlemen and gain exclusive titles to the rangelands for themselves. Stony and his pals eventually show the honest cattlemen that there is room for the settlers and that both are fighting a common enemy. He is also best remembered for playing the role of 'John Rawlins' in the episodes entitled, "Behind Southern Lines" (which originally aired on April 15, 1951), and "Vigilante Story" (which originally aired on March 3, 1952), of the classic western television series, "Adventures Of Wild Bill Hickok," which also starred Guy Madison, Andy Devine, and Sam Flint. He was born one of two children as William Harris Ruhl in Colfax, Washington, to Philip Joseph Ruhl (1858-1942), and his wife Marie Elizabeth Jirkibel Ruhl (1860-1946), on October 25, 1901. He made his actual film debut playing the role of the 'Shopper's Husband' in the film drama, "The Man Who Reclaimed His Head" (1934). The film which was directed by Edward Ludwig, which was written for the screen based on the work by Jean Bart, Finley Pete Dunne, and Erwin Gelsey, and which also starred Claude Rains, Joan Bennett, and Lionel Atwill, tells the story of a brilliant but impoverished writer, who is a pacifist, who goes to work for a publisher and writes anti-war editorials. When he discovers that the publisher has betrayed him and is in league with munitions manufacturers to make money off of war, he goes insane. Besides, "The Man Who Reclaimed His Head" (1934), and "Oklahoma Renegades" (1940), his many other credits include, "Rendezvous At Midnight" (1935), "It Happened In New York" (1935), "Circus Shadows" (1935), "The Daring Young Man" (1935), "3 Kids And A Queen" (1935), "Sutter's Gold" (1936), "Spendthrift" (1936), "Crash Donovan" (1936), "Easy To Take" (1936), "Flying Hostess" (1936), "You Only Live Once" (1937), "Silent Barriers" (1937), "Let Them Live" (1937), "Small Town Boy" (1937), "Something To Sing About" (1937), "Wives Under Suspicion" (1938), "Little Tough Guy" (1938), "Red Barry" (1938), "Room Service" (1938), "Tough Kid" (1938), "Scouts To The Rescue" (1939), "Pirates Of The Skies" (1939), "Star Reporter" (1939), "Code Of The Streets" (1939), "They Asked For It" (1939), "I Stole A Million" (1939), "Sabotage" (1939), "The Big Guy" (1939), "Charlie McCarthy, Detective" (1939), "Black Friday" (1940), "It's A Date" (1940), "Gaucho Serenade" (1940), "Diamond Frontier" (1940), "Texas Terros" (1940), "The Phantom Submarine" (1940), "The Green Hornet Strikes Again!" (1940), "San Francisco Docks" (1940), "Nice Girl?" (1941), "Mr. Dynamite" (1941), "Double Date" (1941), "Criminals Within" (1941), "Hold That Ghost" (1941), "No Greater Sin" (1941), "Badlands Of Dakota" (1941), "Gauchos Of El Dorado" (1941), "Appointment For Love" (1941), "Paris Calling" (1941), "Road Agent" (1941), "Bedtime Story" (1941), "Treat 'Em Rough" (1942), "North To The Klondike" (1942), "Call Out The Marines" (1942), "Jail House Blues" (1942), "Mr. Wise Guy" (1942), "Unseen Enemy" (1942), "Juke Box Jenny" (1942), "A Gentleman After Dark" (1942), "Saboteur" (1942), "Mystery Of Marie Roget" (1942), "My Favorite Spy" (1942), "Invisible Agent" (1942), "The Devil With Hitler" (1942), "The Mummy's Tomb" (1942), "Behind The Eight Ball" (1942), "Pittsburgh" (1942), "The Ape Man" (1943), "Rhythm Of The Islands' (1943), "Days Of Old Cheyenne" (1943), "Mister Big" (1943), "Hit The Ice" (1943), "We've Never Been Licked" (1943), "Frontier Badmen" (1943), "So's Your Uncle" (1943), "The Mad Ghoul" (1943), "None Shall Escape" (1944), "The Great Alaskan Mystery" (1944), "Roger Touhy, Gangster" (1944), "Raiders Of Ghost City" (1944), "Bowery Champs" (1944), "Adventures Of Kitty O'Day" (1945), "The Shanghai Cobra" (1945), "Mildred Pierce" (1945), "The Royal Mounted Rides Again" (1945), "Live Wires" (1946), "Dark Alibi" (1946), "Behind The Mask" (1946), "In Fast Company" (1946), "Don't Gamble With Strangers" (1946), "Bowery Bombshell" (1946), "Below The Deadline" (1946), "The Killers" (1946), "Little Miss Big" (1946), "Decoy" (1946), "The Brute Man" (1946), "Mr. Hex" (1946), "Ginger" (1946), "Unexpected Guest" (1947), "Violence" (1947), "Hard Boiled Mahoney" (1947), "The Law Comes To Gunsight" (1947), "The Hat Box Mystery" (1947), "Kilroy Was Here" (1947), "Life With Father" (1947), "Prairie Express" (1947), "Louisiana' (1947), "Always Together" (1947), "Song Of The Drifter" (1948), "Rocky" (1948), "Song Of My Heart" (1948), "Angels' Alley" (1948), "All My Sons" (1948), "Who Killed 'Doc' Robbin?" (1948), "Frontier Agent" (1948), "I Wouldn't Be In Your Shoes" (1948), "Wallflower" (1948), "Jinx Money" (1948), "Shanghai Chest" (1948), "Cowboy Cavalier" (1948), "Embraceable You" (1948), "Joe Palooka In Winner Take All" (1948), "Smuggler's Cove" (1948), "Incident" (1948), "Belle Starr's Daughter" (1948), "Parole, Inc." (1948), "Trouble Makers" (1948), "Shadows Of The West" (1949), "Bad Boy" (1949), "South Of St. Louis" (1949), "Impact" (1949), "The Lawton Story" (1949), "Alimony" (1949), "Hold That Baby!" (1949), "Brand Of Fear" (1949), "Haunted Trails' (1949), "Western Renegades" (1949), "Unmasked" (1950), "Side Street" (1950), "Code Of The Silver Sage" (1950), "The Great Jewel Robber" (1950), "Triple Trouble" (1950), "California Passage" (1950), "Bowery Battalion" (1951), "The Company She Keeps" (1951), "Yukon Manhunt" (1951), "Pals Of The Golden West" (1951), "The Greatest Show On Earth" (1952), and "Because Of You" (1952). Besides, the role of 'John Rawlins' in the episodes entitled, "Behind Southern Lines" (which originally aired on April 15, 1951), and "Vigilante Story" (which originally aired on March 3, 1952), of the classic western television series, "Adventures Of Wild Bill Hickok," which also starred Guy Madison, Andy Devine, and Sam Flint, his many other television credits include, "The Silver Theatre," "The Lone Ranger," and 'Fireside Theatre." His last film role was playing a 'Civilian' in the biographical action film drama, "Above And Beyond" (1952). The film which was directed and written by Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, which was also written for the screen by Beirne Lay Jr., and which also starred Robert Taylor, Eleanor Parker, and James Whitmore, tells the true story of Colonel Paul Tibbets who piloted the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in World War 2. The film was nominated for or won several honors including being nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Writing, Motion Picture Story for Beirne Lay Jr. and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture for Hugo Friedhofer, and being nominated by the Directors Guild of America for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures for Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, all in 1954. He retired from acting shortly thereafter. During his acting career, he also used the name Bill Ruhl, William H. Ruhl, Wm. H. Ruhl, and William Rupel. He passed away from complications related to a perforated ulcer in Hollywood, California, on March 12, 1956, at the age of 54, and he was buried in Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood, California. He was married to actress Louise Miller "Lu" Ruhl (1901-1941), in Los Angeles, California, on March 31, 1923, until her death on May 2, 1941, at the age of 39. She is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. The couple had no children together.