author
Bayard Veiller
1869–1943
A hit-making dramatist of Broadway and early Hollywood, he specialized in tense crime stories and courtroom suspense. Best known for "Within the Law" and "The Trial of Mary Dugan," he helped shape popular American melodrama in the early 20th century.
2 Audiobooks
Within the Law: From the Play of Bayard Veiller
by Marvin Dana, Bayard Veiller
The Thirteenth Chair: A Play in Three Acts
by Bayard Veiller
About the author
Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1869, Bayard Veiller built a career as an American playwright, screenwriter, producer, and director. He became widely known for fast-moving, high-stakes stories centered on crime, justice, and moral pressure, themes that made his work popular on stage and in film.
His breakthrough came in the theater, where plays including The Primrose Path, Within the Law, The Thirteenth Chair, and The Trial of Mary Dugan drew attention for their strong plotting and suspense. Several of these works were later adapted for the screen, helping him bridge Broadway and the growing film industry.
Veiller also wrote for Hollywood during the silent and early sound eras, with credits spanning the 1910s through the 1940s. He died in New York City in 1943, leaving behind a body of work that reflects the public appetite for mystery, scandal, and courtroom drama in his time.