Before he acted in films, Walling traveled the United States performing with stock theater companies. In 1912, he was a member of the
stock company at the
Alcazar Theatre in San Francisco, California. He appeared in 60 films between 1921 and 1932. He is known for his role as the railroad president in the 1926 film
The Great K & A Train Robbery, which starred
Tom Mix. He died on March 5, 1932, in
California, aged 59. He was married to actress Effie (
née Bond) Walling and was the father of actor and photographer
Richard Walling (also known as William Walling Jr.). ==Partial filmography==