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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 …
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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.
Biography expanded
BODY OF WORK
William S. Hart's Filmography
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Decasia: The State of Decay
as Self - Cowboy (archive footage)
It's Showtime
as Self (archive footage)
The Great Chase
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
as Self (archive footage)
Yesterday and Today
as (archive footage)
Variety Time
as Texas Tex (archive footage) (uncredited)
Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 1
as Self (uncredited)
The Hollywood Gad-About
as Self (uncredited)
Stars of Yesterday
as Self
The House That Shadows Built
as (archive footage)
Show People
as Self (uncredited)
Tumbleweeds
as Don Carver
No Poster
Hello, 'Frisco
as William S. Hart
Singer Jim Mckee
as 'Singer' Jim McKee
Wild Bill Hickok
as Wild Bill Hickok
Hollywood
as William S. Hart
Travelin' On
as J.B., The Stranger
Three Word Brand
as Three Word Brand / Governor Marsden / Ben Trego
The Whistle
as Robert Evans
O'Malley of the Mounted
as Sergeant O'Malley
White Oak
as Oak Miller, a gambling man
The Testing Block
as 'Sierra' Bill
The Cradle of Courage
as 'Square' Kelly
Sand
as Dan Kurrie
The Toll Gate
as Black Deering
John Petticoats
as 'Hardwood' John Haynes
Wagon Tracks
as Buckskin Hamilton
Square Deal Sanderson
as Square Deal Sanderson
The Money Corral
as Lem Beason
The Poppy Girl's Husband
as Hairpin Harry Dutton
Breed of Men
as Careless Carmody
Branding Broadway
as Robert Sands
The Border Wireless
as Steve Ransom
Riddle Gawne
as Jefferson 'Riddle' Gawne
Shark Monroe
as Shark Monroe
Selfish Yates
as 'Selfish' Yates
A Lion of the Hills
The Tiger Man
as Hawk Parsons
'Blue Blazes' Rawden
as Blue Blazes Rawden
Wolves of the Rail
as 'Buck' Andrade
No Poster
Staking His Life
as Bud Randall
The Narrow Trail
as Ice Harding
The Silent Man
as Budd Marr
The Cold Deck
as Jefferson "On the Level" Leigh
All-Star Production of Patriotic Episodes for the Second Liberty Loan
Wolf Lowry
as Tom 'Wolf' Lowry
The Square Deal Man
as Jack O'Diamonds
The Desert Man
as Jim Alton
The Gun Fighter
as Cliff Hudspeth
Truthful Tulliver
as Truthful Tulliver
The Devil's Double
as 'Bowie' Blake
The Return of Draw Egan
as 'Draw' Egan aka William Blake
The Dawn Maker
as Joe Elk
The Captive God
as Chiapa
The Apostle of Vengeance
as David Hudson
The Primal Lure
as Angus McConnell
The Aryan
as Steve Denton
The Patriot
as Bob Wiley
Hell's Hinges
as Blaze Tracy
Between Men
as Bob White
The Disciple
as Jim Houston
Keno Bates, Liar
as Keno Bates
No Poster
Pinto Ben
as Boss Rider
Knight of the Trail
as Jim Treen
The Ruse
as 'Bat' Peters
Cash Parrish's Pal
as Cash Parrish
Tools of Providence
as Steve Blake
The Conversion of Frosty Blake
as Frosty Blake
The Darkening Trail
as Yukon Ed
Bad Buck of Santa Ynez
as Bad Buck Peters
The Man from Nowhere
as "Buck" Farley
The Taking of Luke McVane
as Luke McVane
On the Night Stage
as Texas
The Roughneck
as Dave Page
The Sheriff's Streak of Yellow
as Sheriff Hale
The Grudge
as Rio Ed
Mr. 'Silent' Haskins
as Lon Haskins
No Poster
The Scourge of the Desert
as Bill Evers
No Poster
Grit
as Rio Ed
Two-Gun Hicks
as Two-Gun Hicks
The Bargain
as Jim Stokes
No Poster
Jim Cameron's Wife
as Andy Stiles
No Poster
His Hour of Manhood
as Pete Larson
In the Sage Brush Country
as Jim Brandon
Ben Hur
as Messala