Complex sentence: William Desmond Taylor (born William Cunningham Deane-Tanner, 26 April 1872--1 February 1922) was an Irish-born American actor, successful film director of silent movies and a popular figure in the growing Hollywood film colony of the 1910s and early 1920s.
Split into simpler sentences: William Desmond Taylor (26 April 1872--1 February 1922) was an Irish-born American director and actor. He was a popular figure in the growing Hollywood motion picture colony of the 1910s and early 1920s.