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