William S. Hart
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.
Acted in
It's Showtime
1976
as Self (archive footage)
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
1961
as Self (archive footage)
Yesterday and Today
1953
as (archive footage)
Variety Time
1948
as Texas Tex (archive footage) (uncredited)
Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 1
1941
as Himself
The Hollywood Gad-About
1934
as Self (uncredited)
Stars of Yesterday
1931
as Self
The House That Shadows Built
1931
as (archive footage)
Show People
1928
as Self (uncredited)
Tumbleweeds
1925
as Don Carver
Hello, 'Frisco
1924
as William S. Hart
Singer Jim Mckee
1924
as 'Singer' Jim McKee
Wild Bill Hickok
1923
as Wild Bill Hickok
Hollywood
1923
as William S. Hart
Travelin' On
1922
as J.B., The Stranger
Three Word Brand
1921
as Three Word Brand / Governor Marsden / Ben Trego
The Whistle
1921
as Robert Evans
O'Malley of the Mounted
1921
as Sergeant O'Malley
White Oak
1921
as Oak Miller, a gambling man
The Testing Block
1920
as 'Sierra' Bill
The Cradle of Courage
1920
as 'Square' Kelly
Sand
1920
as Dan Kurrie
The Toll Gate
1920
as Black Deering
John Petticoats
1919
as 'Hardwood' John Haynes
Wagon Tracks
1919
as Buckskin Hamilton
Square Deal Sanderson
1919
as Square Deal Sanderson
The Money Corral
1919
as Lem Beason
The Poppy Girl's Husband
1919
as Hairpin Harry Dutton
Breed of Men
1919
as Careless Carmody
Branding Broadway
1918
as Robert Sands
The Border Wireless
1918
as Steve Ransom
Riddle Gawne
1918
as Jefferson 'Riddle' Gawne
Shark Monroe
1918
as Shark Monroe
Selfish Yates
1918
as 'Selfish' Yates
A Lion of the Hills
1918
The Tiger Man
1918
as Hawk Parsons
'Blue Blazes' Rawden
1918
as Blue Blazes Rawden
Staking His Life
1918
as Bud Randall
Wolves of the Rail
1918
as 'Buck' Andrade
The Narrow Trail
1917
as Ice Harding
The Silent Man
1917
as Budd Marr
The Cold Deck
1917
as Jefferson "On the Level" Leigh
All-Star Production of Patriotic Episodes for the Second Liberty Loan
1917
Wolf Lowry
1917
as Tom 'Wolf' Lowry
The Square Deal Man
1917
as Jack O'Diamonds
The Desert Man
1917
as Jim Alton
The Gun Fighter
1917
as Cliff Hudspeth
Truthful Tulliver
1917
as Truthful Tulliver
The Devil's Double
1916
as 'Bowie' Blake
The Return of Draw Egan
1916
as 'Draw' Egan aka William Blake
The Dawn Maker
1916
as Joe Elk
The Captive God
1916
as Chiapa
The Apostle of Vengeance
1916
as David Hudson
The Primal Lure
1916
as Angus McConnell
The Aryan
1916
as Steve Denton
The Patriot
1916
as Bob Wiley
Hell's Hinges
1916
as Blaze Tracy
Between Men
1916
as Bob White
The Disciple
1915
as Jim Houston
Keno Bates, Liar
1915
as Keno Bates
Pinto Ben
1915
as Boss Rider
Knight of the Trail
1915
as Jim Treen
The Ruse
1915
as 'Bat' Peters
Cash Parrish's Pal
1915
as Cash Parrish
Tools of Providence
1915
as Steve Blake
The Conversion of Frosty Blake
1915
as Frosty Blake
The Darkening Trail
1915
as Yukon Ed
Bad Buck of Santa Ynez
1915
as Bad Buck Peters
The Man from Nowhere
1915
as "Buck" Farley
The Taking of Luke McVane
1915
as Luke McVane
On the Night Stage
1915
as Texas
The Roughneck
1915
as Dave Page
The Sheriff's Streak of Yellow
1915
as Sheriff Hale
The Grudge
1915
as Rio Ed
Mr. 'Silent' Haskins
1915
as Lon Haskins
The Scourge of the Desert
1915
as Bill Evers
Grit
1915
Two-Gun Hicks
1914
as Two-Gun Hicks
The Bargain
1914
as Jim Stokes
Jim Cameron's Wife
1914
as Andy Stiles
His Hour of Manhood
1914
as Pete Larson
In the Sage Brush Country
1914
as Jim Brandon