Elmo Roy Davidson, also known as E. Roy or Roy Davidson, was born in Missouri in 1889. After moving to Texas with his family, he moved to California around 1910. Davidson began working as a film scenario writer in the mid-1920s, and was well-established for his work in special effects within a decade. In addition to early work on Howard Hughes' air drama, Hell's Angels as the films "miniature director", Davidson contributed to forty-five films between 1930 and 1949. E. Roy Davidson died in 1962.