William S. Hart
Acting
Biography
The first Western superstar, the taciturn Hart actually was a successful Shakespearean actor who played Messala in “Ben-Hur” on Broadway in 1899 before riding the range in movies. A longtime fan of the Old West, Hart was friends with Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson. His film career began in 1914. After two supporting roles he gained fame as the lead in the feature-length western “The Bargain” shot on location at the Grand Canyon. Hart strove to make his westerns realistic with detailed attention played to costumes and props. Though Hart could be cast as a villain, he imbued all of his characters with honor and integrity. After making western shorts for producer Thomas Ince, he went to Famous Players-Lasky, which merged with Paramount Pictures in 1917. At Paramount he made such gritty feature westerns as “Square Deal Sanderson” and “The Toll Gate.” His star began to fade in the early 1920s when audiences grew tired of his moralistic Western tales. Not helping his career was his 1923 divorce from his wife, Winifred, who accused him of having two children by another woman. He made one last film, 1925’s “Tumbleweeds, which he financed himself. In 1939, the film was reissued this time with a prologue featuring a 75-year-old Hart shot on location at his ranch in Newhall talking about the West and his days in films. He died in 1946 at age 81. His home and ranch were turned into William S. Hart Park in Newhall.
Born: December 6, 1864
Place of Birth: Newburgh, New York, USA
Known For
Filmography
as Self (archive footage)
as Self (archive footage)
as (archive footage)
as Texas Tex (archive footage) (uncredited)
as Himself
as Self (uncredited)
as Self
as (archive footage)
as Self (uncredited)
as Don Carver
as 'Singer' Jim McKee
as Wild Bill Hickok
as William S. Hart
as J.B., The Stranger
as Three Word Brand / Governor Marsden / Ben Trego
as Robert Evans
as Sergeant O'Malley
as Oak Miller, a gambling man
as 'Sierra' Bill
as 'Square' Kelly
as Dan Kurrie
as Black Deering
as 'Hardwood' John Haynes
as Buckskin Hamilton
as Square Deal Sanderson
as Lem Beason
as Hairpin Harry Dutton
as Careless Carmody
as Robert Sands
as Steve Ransom
as Jefferson 'Riddle' Gawne
as Shark Monroe
as 'Selfish' Yates
as Hawk Parsons
as Blue Blazes Rawden
as 'Buck' Andrade
as Ice Harding
as Budd Marr
as Jefferson "On the Level" Leigh
as Tom 'Wolf' Lowry
as Jack O'Diamonds
as Jim Alton
as Cliff Hudspeth
as Truthful Tulliver
as 'Bowie' Blake
as 'Draw' Egan aka William Blake
as Joe Elk
as Chiapa
as David Hudson
as Angus McConnell
as Steve Denton
as Bob Wiley
as Blaze Tracy
as Bob White
as Jim Houston
as Keno Bates
as Jim Treen
as 'Bat' Peters
as Cash Parrish
as Steve Blake
as Frosty Blake
as Yukon Ed
as Bad Buck Peters
as "Buck" Farley
as Luke McVane
as Texas
as Dave Page
as Sheriff Hale
as Rio Ed
as Lon Haskins
as Two-Gun Hicks
as Jim Stokes
as Jim Brandon