Hoot Gibson
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1892-08-05
Day of Death
1962-08-23 (70 years old)
Place of Birth
Tekamah, Nebraska, USA
Hoot Gibson
Biography
Hoot Gibson was a colorful figure, a light-hearted, fun-loving personality on screen and off. Hoot’s cheerful westerns included a significant amount of comedy. His mild, peaceful character rarely carried a gun. As an expert horseman, Hoot was always impressive on a galloping horse. Gibson’s film career began in 1910 with a few films for the Biograph Company interspersed among rodeo competitions. In 1914 he was a stuntman for the serial The Hazards of Helen, doubling the serial’s star Helen Holmes. His stunts included fights on trains and transfers from a train to a horse. He had supporting roles in numerous Western short films, including playing the villain in A Knight of the Range (1916) opposite popular western star Harry Carey. He appeared in three of the Westerns made by Carey and director John Ford in 1917: Straight Shooting, The Secret Man, and A Marked Man. Hoot’s starring career at Universal Studios was launched in two films directed by Ford, Action (1921) and Sure Fire (1921). In these films, Hoot plays a wandering cowboy who rescues the pretty young co-star from outlaws.
Hoot became a popular western star for Universal. Film titles such as Ridin’ Wild (1922), Thrill Chaser (1923), Hit and Run (1924), Hurricane Kid (1925), and Galloping Fury (1927) guaranteed Hoot’s fans five reels of action and fun. Hoot’s easygoing approach gave his films a lighthearted tone. A deft comedian, he featured as much comedy as drama.
As talkies arrived, Hoot continued as a Western star, but with lower budget producers such as M.H. Hoffman Inc. (distributed on a state rights basis by Allied Pictures Corporation) and Walker Futter Productions (Diversion Pictures). In 1935, Hoot co-starred with Harry Carey in Powdersmoke Range, advertised by RKO as the "Barnum and Bailey of Westerns" (whatever that means). The cast list of this "all star" (B western stars) film included Bob Steele, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, Tom Tyler, William Farnum, and other Westerners from the silent era. In 1937 at Republic, he made a serial, The Painted Stallion, in support of new cowboy star Ray Corrigan.
An aging Hoot retained his fine horsemanship and comic flair, but fan interest had moved to the new singing cowboys, especially Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. Hoot’s Westerns had lost their appeal. In the late thirties, out of movies, Hoot toured with circuses and appeared at rodeos and fairs.
In 1943, after seven years off the screen, Hoot returned in the Trail Blazer series at Monogram Studios. In these Westerns, Marshall Hoot Gibson, initially co-starred with Ken Maynard and later with Bob Steele and Chief Thundercloud, upholds the law and captures outlaws and crooked businessmen threatening the lives and property of innocent citizens. Hoot made eleven Trail Blazer films; the last was Trigger Law (1944). John Ford brought Hoot back for a cameo role in The Horse Soldiers (1959). His last screen appearance was as a sheriff’s deputy in Ocean’s Eleven (1960), another cameo.
Known For
Acting
(1976)
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
as (archive footage)
(1960)
Ocean's Eleven
as Roadblock Deputy (uncredited)
(1959)
The Horse Soldiers
as Sgt. Brown
(1953)
The Marshal's Daughter
as Marshal Ben Dawson
(1946)
Flight to Nowhere
as Sheriff Bradley
(1944)
Sonora Stagecoach
as Hoot Gibson
(1944)
Arizona Whirlwind
as Hoot Gibson
(1944)
Marked Trails
as Hoot Parkford
(1944)
Outlaw Trail
as Hoot
(1944)
Westward Bound
as Hoot Gibson
(1944)
The Utah Kid
as Marshal H.R. Higgins
(1944)
Trigger Law
as Hoot Gibson
(1943)
Death Valley Rangers
as Hoot Gibson
(1943)
The Law Rides Again
as U.S. Marshal Hoot Gibson
(1943)
Blazing Guns
as Marshal Hoot Gibson
(1943)
Wild Horse Stampede
as Marshal Hoot Gibson
(1937)
The Painted Stallion
as Walter Jamison
(1936)
Cavalcade of the West
as Clint Knox
(1936)
Feud of the West
as 'Whitey' Revel
(1936)
Frontier Justice
as Brent Halston
(1936)
The Last Outlaw
as Al Goss
(1936)
The Riding Avenger
as Buck 'The Morning Glory Kid' Bonner
(1936)
Lucky Terror
as Lucky 'The Lucky Terror' Carson
(1935)
Powdersmoke Range
as Stony Brooke
(1935)
Sunset Range
as Reasonin' Bates
(1935)
Swifty
as Swifty
(1935)
Rainbow's End
as Neil Gibson Jr.
(1933)
The Dude Bandit
as 'Ace' Cooper posing as Tex
(1933)
The Fighting Parson
as Steve Hartley
(1932)
The Boiling Point
as Jimmy Duncan
(1932)
A Man's Land
as Tex Mason
(1932)
The Local Bad Man
as Jim Bonner
(1932)
The Cowboy Counsellor
as Dan Alton
(1932)
The Spirit of the West
as Johnny Ringo - Posing as Ben Bailey
(1931)
Clearing the Range
as Curt 'El Capitan' Fremont
(1931)
Wild Horse
as Jim Wright
(1931)
The Hard Hombre
as William Penn 'Peaceful' Patton
(1931)
We're switching to Hollywood
as Self (uncredited)
(1931)
The Gay Buckaroo
as Clint Hale
(1930)
Spurs
as Bob Merril
(1930)
The Concentratin' Kid
as Bill Evans -Concentratin' Kid
(1930)
Trailing Trouble
as Ed King
(1930)
The Mounted Stranger
as Pete Ainslee aka The Ridin' Kid
(1930)
Roaring Ranch
as Jim Dailey
(1930)
Trigger Tricks
as Texas Ranger Tim Brennan
(1929)
The Lariat Kid
as Tom Richards
(1929)
King of the Rodeo
as Chip Jr. - Montana Kid
(1929)
Points West
as Cole Lawson Jr.
(1929)
Courtin' Wildcats
as Clarence Butts
(1929)
The Winged Horseman
as Skyball Smith
(1929)
Smilin' Guns
as Jack Purvin
(1929)
Burning the Wind
as Richard Gordon Jr
(1929)
The Long, Long Trail
as The Ramblin' Kid
(1929)
Riding for Fame
as Scratch 'Em Hank Scott
(1928)
The Danger Rider
as Hal 'Tucson Joe' Doyle
(1928)
The Wild West Show
as Rodeo Bill
(1928)
(1928)
The Rawhide Kid
as Dennis O'Hara
(1928)
Clearing the Trail
as Pete Watson
(1928)
A Trick of Hearts
as Benjamin Franklin Tully
(1928)
The Flyin' Cowboy
as Bill Hammond
(1927)
Hey! Hey! Cowboy
as Jimmie Roberts
(1927)
Life in Hollywood No. 3
as Self
(1927)
Painted Ponies
as Bucky Simms
(1927)
A Hero on Horseback
as Billy Garford
(1927)
The Denver Dude
as Rodeo Randall
(1927)
The Silent Rider
as Jerry Alton
(1927)
Galloping Fury
as Billy Halen
(1927)
The Prairie King
as Andy Barden
(1926)
Chip of the Flying U
as Chip Bennett
(1926)
Arizona Sweepstakes
as Coot Cadigan
(1926)
The Man in the Saddle
as Jeff Morgan Jr.
(1926)
The Flaming Frontier
as Bob Langdon
(1926)
The Texas Streak
as Chad Pennington
(1926)
The Buckaroo Kid
as Ed Harley
(1926)
The Phantom Bullet
as 'Click' Farlane
(1925)
The Calgary Stampede
as Dan Malloy
(1925)
The Hurricane Kid
as The Hurricane Kid
(1925)
Spook Ranch
as Bill Bangs
(1925)
The Saddle Hawk
as Ben Johnson
(1925)
Let 'er Buck
as Bob Carson
(1925)
Taming the West
as John Carleton
(1924)
Broadway or Bust
as Dave Hollis
(1924)
The Ridin' Kid from Powder River
as Bud Watkins
(1924)
Hello, 'Frisco
as Hoot Gibson
(1924)
Hit and Run
as 'Swat' Anderson
(1924)
40-Horse Hawkins
as Luke Hawkins
(1924)
Ride for Your Life
as Bud Watkins
(1924)
Hook and Ladder
as Ace Cooper
(1924)
The Sawdust Trail
as Clarence Elwood Butts
(1923)
Shootin' for Love
as Duke Travis
(1923)
Single Handed
as Hector MacKnight
(1923)
The Thrill Chaser
as Omar K. Jenkins
(1923)
Double Dealing
as Ben Slowbell
(1923)
The Gentleman from America
as Dennis O'Shane
(1923)
Kindled Courage
as Andy Walker
(1923)
Out of Luck
as Sam Pertune
(1923)
The Ramblin' Kid
as The Ramblin' Kid
(1923)
Dead Game
as 'Katy' Didd
(1923)
Blinky
as Geoffrey Arbuthnot 'Blinky' Islip
(1922)
Headin' West
as Bill Perkins
(1922)
The Lone Hand
as Laramie Lad
(1922)
Trimmed
as Dale Garland
(1922)
The Galloping Kid
as 'Simplex' Cox
(1922)
The Bear Cat
as The Singin' Kid
(1922)
Ridin' Wild
as Cyril Henderson (as Edward 'Hoot' Gibson)
(1922)
Step on It!
as Vic Collins
(1922)
The Loaded Door
as Bert Lyons
(1921)
(1921)
The Driftin' Kid
as The Driftin' Kid
(1921)
Who Was the Man?
as The Texas Ranger
(1921)
Action
as Sandy Brouke
(1921)
(1921)
(1921)
Sure Fire
as Jeff Bransford
(1921)
The Cactus Kid
as Dick Harris
(1921)
(1921)
(1921)
(1921)
(1921)
(1921)
(1921)
(1921)
(1921)
Red Courage
as Pinto Peters
(1921)
(1921)
(1921)
The Fire Eater
as Bob Corey
(1920)
Tipped Off
as Billy Steele
(1920)
Fight It Out
as Sandy Adams
(1920)
(1920)
The Two-Fisted Lover
as Scot McHale
(1920)
(1920)
Superstition
as Dave Bodie
(1920)
(1920)
The Big Catch
as Billy Reeves - the Foreman of the Ranch
(1920)
The Man With The Punch
as The Stranger
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
'in Wrong' Wright
as 'In Wrong' Wright
(1920)
(1920)
Roarin' Dan
as Roarin' Dan
(1920)
(1920)
The Jay Bird
as Tom Jackson
(1920)
Double Danger
as Jim Marvin / Jerry Marvin (Twin Brothers)
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
Cinders
as Bing Davidson
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
(1919)
By Indian Post
as Chub -Jode's Helpful Cowboy Friend
(1919)
The Jack of Hearts
as The Prairie Dog
(1919)
The Double Hold-Up
as The Broncho Kid
(1919)
(1919)
The Gun Packer
as Gang Leader
(1919)
(1919)
The Tell-Tale Wire
as Steve Larmon
(1919)
Gun Law
as Bart 'Smoke Gublen' Stevens
(1919)
(1919)
(1919)
The Fighting Brothers
as Lonnie Larkin
(1919)
The Crow
as Tim McKenzie - the Crow
(1919)
The Trail of the Holdup Man
as Bob Watson
(1919)
The Rustlers
as The Deputy
(1919)
(1919)
(1919)
The Lone Hand
as Jeffrey Halley
(1919)
(1918)
The Woman in the Web
as Vassily - Ivan's Brother
(1918)
(1918)
(1918)
Play Straight or Fight
as Dick Rankin
(1918)
The Midnight Flyer
as Danny Morgan
(1918)
The Branded Man
as Sheriff
(1917)
A Marked Man
as Undetermined Role
(1917)
The Secret Man
as Chuck Fadden
(1917)
Straight Shooting
as Danny Morgan
(1917)
The Hazards of Helen
as Messenger / Etzer
(1917)
(1917)
The Wrong Man
as Chip's Pal
(1917)
The Soul Herder
as Chuck Rafferty
(1917)
Cheyenne's Pal
as Cowboy
(1917)
The Golden Bullet
as 'Red' Johnson
(1917)
A 44-Calibre Mystery
as Joe
(1916)
(1916)
The Passing of Hell's Crown
as The Cowboy
(1916)
A Knight of the Range
as Bob Graham
(1916)
The Governor's Special
as 2nd Nash Henchman (as Ed Gibson)
(1916)
The Capture of Red Stanley
as Stanley's Henchman
(1916)
Stampede in the Night
as Jack Harding
(1916)
The Mysterious Cipher
as Blanding
(1916)
(1915)
(1915)
Buckshot John
as Medicine Show Crowd Member (uncredited)
(1915)
The Death Train
as Etzer - Doyle's Pal
(1915)
The Man from Texas
as Deputy (uncredited)
(1915)
The Pay Train
as Orturo
(1915)
The Ring of Destiny
as Jack
(1915)
The Hazards of Helen Ep26: The Wild Engine
as Messenger on Motorcycle
(1915)
In Danger's Path
as Train Crew (uncredited)
(1914)
(1914)
(1914)
Shotgun Jones
as Tom Lattier - the Son
(1914)
The Man from the East
as Butler
(1913)
(1913)
(1912)
(1912)
A Four-Footed Hero
as Broncho Rider (uncredited)
(1911)
(1910)
Crew
(1929)
Riding for Fame
Story
(1929)
The Long, Long Trail
Producer
(1926)
The Shoot 'Em Up Kid
Director
(1923)
The Thrill Chaser
Producer
(1921)
The Fightin' Fury
Director
(1921)
Out o' Luck
Director
(1921)
Double Crossers
Story
(1920)
The Fightin' Terror
Director
(1920)
The Shootin' Kid
Director
(1920)
The Smilin' Kid
Director
(1920)
The Champion Liar
Director
(1920)
The Shootin' Fool
Director
(1917)
The Hazards of Helen
Stunt Double
(1914)
The Squaw Man
Stunts