William S. Hart
Acting • Born 1864-12-06 – Died 1946-06-23
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.
Filmography
84 credits
Hollywood
Movie • 1923
William S. Hart
Yesterday and Today
Movie • 1953
(archive footage)
His Hour of Manhood
Movie • 1914
Pete Larson
Jim Cameron's Wife
Movie • 1914
Andy Stiles
The Roughneck
Movie • 1915
Dave Page
Pinto Ben
Movie • 1915
Boss Rider
Two-Gun Hicks
Movie • 1914
Two-Gun Hicks
The Scourge of the Desert
Movie • 1915
Bill Evers
Mr. 'Silent' Haskins
Movie • 1915
Lon Haskins
The Grudge
Movie • 1915
Rio Ed
The Conversion of Frosty Blake
Movie • 1915
Frosty Blake
Cash Parrish's Pal
Movie • 1915
Cash Parrish
Grit
Movie • 1915
The Devil's Double
Movie • 1916
'Bowie' Blake
A Lion of the Hills
Movie • 1918
The Border Wireless
Movie • 1918
Steve Ransom
Staking His Life
Movie • 1918
Bud Randall
Stars of Yesterday
Movie • 1931
Self
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
Movie • 1961
Self (archive footage)
Hell's Hinges
Movie • 1916
Blaze Tracy
Tumbleweeds
Movie • 1925
Don Carver
The Narrow Trail
Movie • 1917
Ice Harding
The Return of Draw Egan
Movie • 1916
'Draw' Egan aka William Blake
Sand
Movie • 1920
Dan Kurrie
The Whistle
Movie • 1921
Robert Evans
The Toll Gate
Movie • 1920
Black Deering
Wagon Tracks
Movie • 1919
Buckskin Hamilton
The Bargain
Movie • 1914
Jim Stokes
The Cold Deck
Movie • 1917
Jefferson "On the Level" Leigh
Keno Bates, Liar
Movie • 1915
Keno Bates
The Ruse
Movie • 1915
'Bat' Peters
The Cradle of Courage
Movie • 1920
'Square' Kelly
Travelin' On
Movie • 1922
J.B., The Stranger
The Taking of Luke McVane
Movie • 1915
Luke McVane
The Silent Man
Movie • 1917
Budd Marr
Shark Monroe
Movie • 1918
Shark Monroe
Between Men
Movie • 1916
Bob White
Knight of the Trail
Movie • 1915
Jim Treen
On the Night Stage
Movie • 1915
Texas
The Dawn Maker
Movie • 1916
Joe Elk
The Darkening Trail
Movie • 1915
Yukon Ed
Three Word Brand
Movie • 1921
Three Word Brand / Governor Marsden / Ben Trego
'Blue Blazes' Rawden
Movie • 1918
Blue Blazes Rawden
White Oak
Movie • 1921
Oak Miller, a gambling man
The Gun Fighter
Movie • 1917
Cliff Hudspeth
Wild Bill Hickok
Movie • 1923
Wild Bill Hickok
The Captive God
Movie • 1916
Chiapa
The Disciple
Movie • 1915
Jim Houston
All-Star Production of Patriotic Episodes for the Second Liberty Loan
Movie • 1917
Bad Buck of Santa Ynez
Movie • 1915
Bad Buck Peters
Tools of Providence
Movie • 1915
Steve Blake
Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 1
Movie • 1941
Self (uncredited)
Variety Time
Movie • 1948
Texas Tex (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Square Deal Man
Movie • 1917
Jack O'Diamonds
The Sheriff's Streak of Yellow
Movie • 1915
Sheriff Hale
The Aryan
Movie • 1916
Steve Denton
Show People
Movie • 1928
Self (uncredited)
Branding Broadway
Movie • 1918
Robert Sands
The Desert Man
Movie • 1917
Jim Alton
The Testing Block
Movie • 1920
'Sierra' Bill
The Hollywood Gad-About
Movie • 1934
Self (uncredited)
Hello, 'Frisco
Movie • 1924
William S. Hart
Wolves of the Rail
Movie • 1918
'Buck' Andrade
The Tiger Man
Movie • 1918
Hawk Parsons
Selfish Yates
Movie • 1918
'Selfish' Yates
Breed of Men
Movie • 1919
Careless Carmody
Riddle Gawne
Movie • 1918
Jefferson 'Riddle' Gawne
O'Malley of the Mounted
Movie • 1921
Sergeant O'Malley
Truthful Tulliver
Movie • 1917
Truthful Tulliver
John Petticoats
Movie • 1919
'Hardwood' John Haynes
Singer Jim Mckee
Movie • 1924
'Singer' Jim McKee
Wolf Lowry
Movie • 1917
Tom 'Wolf' Lowry
Square Deal Sanderson
Movie • 1919
Square Deal Sanderson
The House That Shadows Built
Movie • 1931
(archive footage)
The Man from Nowhere
Movie • 1915
"Buck" Farley
It's Showtime
Movie • 1976
Self (archive footage)
In the Sage Brush Country
Movie • 1914
Jim Brandon
The Patriot
Movie • 1916
Bob Wiley
The Poppy Girl's Husband
Movie • 1919
Hairpin Harry Dutton
The Money Corral
Movie • 1919
Lem Beason
The Apostle of Vengeance
Movie • 1916
David Hudson
The Primal Lure
Movie • 1916
Angus McConnell
The Great Chase
Movie • 1962
Ben Hur
Movie • 1907
Messala