A descendant, he claimed, of famed Revolutionary War hero General "Mad Anthony" Wayne, burly Roger Williams had graduated from the Denver School of Mines and done a tour of duty in the army during World War I prior to making his screen debut with the Zelig Polyscope Company in 1917. Williams, who functioned as a bit player, technical advisor, and production assistant during the silent era, came to more prominence after the advent of sound. Usually scruffy-looking, the actor appeared in scores of B-Westerns in the 1930s -- according to chronicler Les Adams he performed in a total of 88 Westerns and 12 serials -- almost always playing henchmen.