In films from 1909 to 1948, American actor Lee Shumway played leads in such silent actioners as Brawn of the North (1922). Shumway's best-known role of the 1920s was "The Unknown," the last-minute problem solver in the 1926 adaptation of The Bat. Reduced to minor roles in the talkies, he spent the years 1936 to 1939 as a Columbia contract player. During this period, Lee Shumway could most often be seen playing detectives or athletic coaches.