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.
Photos
Movies (87)
Decasia: The State of Decay
2002 · Self - Cowboy (archive footage)
It's Showtime
1976 · Self (archive footage)
The Great Chase
1962
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
1961 · Self (archive footage)
Los ojos del siglo (Volumen I)
1957 · Él mismo (material de archivo)
Yesterday and Today
1953 · (archive footage)
Variety Time
1948 · Texas Tex (archive footage) (uncredited)
Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 1
1941 · Self (uncredited)
O'Malley of the Mounted
1936 · Writer
The Hollywood Gad-About
1934 · Self (uncredited)
Stars of Yesterday
1931 · Self
The House That Shadows Built
1931 · (archive footage)
Show People
1928 · Self (uncredited)
Tumbleweeds
1925 · Don Carver, Director
Hello, 'Frisco
1924 · William S. Hart
Singer Jim Mckee
1924 · 'Singer' Jim McKee, Story
Wild Bill Hickok
1923 · Wild Bill Hickok, Producer, Writer
Hollywood
1923 · William S. Hart
Travelin' On
1922 · J.B., The Stranger, Story
Three Word Brand
1921 · Three Word Brand / Governor Marsden / Ben Trego, Producer
The Whistle
1921 · Robert Evans
O'Malley of the Mounted
1921 · Sergeant O'Malley, Story
White Oak
1921 · Oak Miller, a gambling man, Story
The Testing Block
1920 · 'Sierra' Bill, Screenplay, Story
The Cradle of Courage
1920 · 'Square' Kelly, Director
Sand
1920 · Dan Kurrie, Producer
The Toll Gate
1920 · Black Deering, Story, Writer
John Petticoats
1919 · 'Hardwood' John Haynes
Wagon Tracks
1919 · Buckskin Hamilton, Producer
Square Deal Sanderson
1919 · Square Deal Sanderson, Director
The Money Corral
1919 · Lem Beason, Writer, Director, Producer
The Poppy Girl's Husband
1919 · Hairpin Harry Dutton, Producer, Director
Breed of Men
1919 · Careless Carmody
Branding Broadway
1918 · Robert Sands, Director, Producer
The Border Wireless
1918 · Steve Ransom, Director
Riddle Gawne
1918 · Jefferson 'Riddle' Gawne, Director
Shark Monroe
1918 · Shark Monroe, Director, Producer
Selfish Yates
1918 · 'Selfish' Yates, Director
A Lion of the Hills
1918
The Tiger Man
1918 · Hawk Parsons, Director
'Blue Blazes' Rawden
1918 · Blue Blazes Rawden, Director
Staking His Life
1918 · Bud Randall
Wolves of the Rail
1918 · 'Buck' Andrade, Director
The Narrow Trail
1917 · Ice Harding, Director, Story
The Silent Man
1917 · Budd Marr, Director
The Cold Deck
1917 · Jefferson "On the Level" Leigh, Director
All-Star Production of Patriotic Episodes for the Second Liberty Loan
1917
Wolf Lowry
1917 · Tom 'Wolf' Lowry, Director
The Square Deal Man
1917 · Jack O'Diamonds, Director
The Desert Man
1917 · Jim Alton, Director
The Gun Fighter
1917 · Cliff Hudspeth, Director
Truthful Tulliver
1917 · Truthful Tulliver, Director
The Devil's Double
1916 · 'Bowie' Blake, Director
The Return of Draw Egan
1916 · 'Draw' Egan aka William Blake, Director
The Dawn Maker
1916 · Joe Elk, Director
The Captive God
1916 · Chiapa
The Apostle of Vengeance
1916 · David Hudson, Director
The Primal Lure
1916 · Angus McConnell, Director
The Aryan
1916 · Steve Denton, Director
The Patriot
1916 · Bob Wiley, Director
Hell's Hinges
1916 · Blaze Tracy
Between Men
1916 · Bob White, Director
The Disciple
1915 · Jim Houston, Director
Keno Bates, Liar
1915 · Keno Bates, Director
Pinto Ben
1915 · Boss Rider, Writer, Director
Knight of the Trail
1915 · Jim Treen, Director
The Ruse
1915 · 'Bat' Peters, Director
Cash Parrish's Pal
1915 · Cash Parrish, Director
Tools of Providence
1915 · Steve Blake, Director
The Conversion of Frosty Blake
1915 · Frosty Blake, Director
The Darkening Trail
1915 · Yukon Ed, Director
Bad Buck of Santa Ynez
1915 · Bad Buck Peters, Director
The Man from Nowhere
1915 · "Buck" Farley, Director
The Taking of Luke McVane
1915 · Luke McVane, Director
On the Night Stage
1915 · Texas
The Roughneck
1915 · Dave Page, Director
The Sheriff's Streak of Yellow
1915 · Sheriff Hale, Director
The Grudge
1915 · Rio Ed, Director
Mr. 'Silent' Haskins
1915 · Lon Haskins, Director
The Scourge of the Desert
1915 · Bill Evers, Director
Grit
1915 · Rio Ed, Director
Two-Gun Hicks
1914 · Two-Gun Hicks, Director
The Bargain
1914 · Jim Stokes
Jim Cameron's Wife
1914 · Andy Stiles
His Hour of Manhood
1914 · Pete Larson
In the Sage Brush Country
1914 · Jim Brandon, Director
Ben Hur
1907 · Messala
TV shows (0)
No credits available.