Who's he? vs What is he? when the answer is "He is an English footballer." [duplicate]

One thing not addressed at the proposed duplicate question: There could be times that "Who" is really asking for an explanation of an individual's significance, not just their signifier. When the Lone Ranger rides through and the townspeople ask "Who was that masked man," they're really looking for more than "John Reid." When Inigo Montoya inquires of the Man In Black, "Who are you," the name "Wesley" would mean nothing to him. His question is a placeholder for "What kind of backstory explains the individual I'm faced with?"

Consider this conversation:

"Who's the guy in this picture?"
"That's Graham Taylor."
"Who the heck is Graham Taylor?"
"He's an English footballer."

You might argue that the second "who" question was really a "what" question. You might argue that it's the question the first speaker really intended from the start; you could imagine a more prescient second speaker answering a "who" question with a "what" answer.

To put a finer point on it, you could argue that "Who" is about identity. If a person's occupation, mission, or characteristics become integral to their identity, then you can reasonably answer "who" with such information rather than a name.

"Who was that masked man?"
"He's a Texas Ranger who devoted his life to frontier justice, and for some reason values his anonymity."
"Thanks, that's what I was really asking!"