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