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)
The Utah Kid
as Marshal H.R. Higgins
(1944)
Westward Bound
as Hoot Gibson
(1944)
Trigger Law
as Hoot Gibson
(1944)
Outlaw Trail
as Hoot
(1943)
The Law Rides Again
as U.S. Marshal Hoot Gibson
(1943)
Wild Horse Stampede
as Marshal Hoot Gibson
(1943)
Death Valley Rangers
as Hoot Gibson
(1943)
Blazing Guns
as Marshal Hoot Gibson
(1937)
The Painted Stallion
as Walter Jamison
(1936)
Lucky Terror
as Lucky 'The Lucky Terror' Carson
(1936)
Cavalcade of the West
as Clint Knox
(1936)
The Last Outlaw
as Al Goss
(1936)
The Riding Avenger
as Buck 'The Morning Glory Kid' Bonner
(1936)
Feud of the West
as 'Whitey' Revel
(1936)
Frontier Justice
as Brent Halston
(1935)
Powdersmoke Range
as Stony Brooke
(1935)
Rainbow's End
as Neil Gibson Jr.
(1935)
Sunset Range
as Reasonin' Bates
(1935)
Swifty
as Swifty
(1933)
The Fighting Parson
as Steve Hartley
(1933)
The Dude Bandit
as 'Ace' Cooper posing as Tex
(1932)
A Man's Land
as Tex Mason
(1932)
The Cowboy Counsellor
as Dan Alton
(1932)
The Boiling Point
as Jimmy Duncan
(1932)
The Spirit of the West
as Johnny Ringo - Posing as Ben Bailey
(1932)
The Local Bad Man
as Jim Bonner
(1931)
We're switching to Hollywood
as Self (uncredited)
(1931)
Clearing the Range
as Curt 'El Capitan' Fremont
(1931)
Wild Horse
as Jim Wright
(1931)
The Gay Buckaroo
as Clint Hale
(1931)
The Hard Hombre
as William Penn 'Peaceful' Patton
(1930)
The Mounted Stranger
as Pete Ainslee aka The Ridin' Kid
(1930)
Trailing Trouble
as Ed King
(1930)
Trigger Tricks
as Texas Ranger Tim Brennan
(1930)
The Concentratin' Kid
as Bill Evans -Concentratin' Kid
(1930)
Spurs
as Bob Merril
(1930)
Roaring Ranch
as Jim Dailey
(1929)
The Winged Horseman
as Skyball Smith
(1929)
Points West
as Cole Lawson Jr.
(1929)
The Lariat Kid
as Tom Richards
(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
(1929)
King of the Rodeo
as Chip Jr. - Montana Kid
(1929)
Courtin' Wildcats
as Clarence Butts
(1928)
The Rawhide Kid
as Dennis O'Hara
(1928)
The Flyin' Cowboy
as Bill Hammond
(1928)
The Danger Rider
as Hal 'Tucson Joe' Doyle
(1928)
Clearing the Trail
as Pete Watson
(1928)
The Wild West Show
as Rodeo Bill
(1928)
A Trick of Hearts
as Benjamin Franklin Tully
(1928)
(1927)
Galloping Fury
as Billy Halen
(1927)
Painted Ponies
as Bucky Simms
(1927)
The Prairie King
as Andy Barden
(1927)
The Silent Rider
as Jerry Alton
(1927)
Hey! Hey! Cowboy
as Jimmie Roberts
(1927)
The Denver Dude
as Rodeo Randall
(1927)
Life in Hollywood No. 3
as Self
(1927)
A Hero on Horseback
as Billy Garford
(1926)
The Man in the Saddle
as Jeff Morgan Jr.
(1926)
Chip of the Flying U
as Chip Bennett
(1926)
The Flaming Frontier
as Bob Langdon
(1926)
The Buckaroo Kid
as Ed Harley
(1926)
The Phantom Bullet
as 'Click' Farlane
(1926)
The Texas Streak
as Chad Pennington
(1926)
Arizona Sweepstakes
as Coot Cadigan
(1925)
The Calgary Stampede
as Dan Malloy
(1925)
The Saddle Hawk
as Ben Johnson
(1925)
The Hurricane Kid
as The Hurricane Kid
(1925)
Let 'er Buck
as Bob Carson
(1925)
Spook Ranch
as Bill Bangs
(1925)
Taming the West
as John Carleton
(1924)
40-Horse Hawkins
as Luke Hawkins
(1924)
Broadway or Bust
as Dave Hollis
(1924)
Hook and Ladder
as Ace Cooper
(1924)
The Sawdust Trail
as Clarence Elwood Butts
(1924)
Hit and Run
as 'Swat' Anderson
(1924)
Hello, 'Frisco
as Hoot Gibson
(1924)
Ride for Your Life
as Bud Watkins
(1924)
The Ridin' Kid from Powder River
as Bud Watkins
(1923)
Shootin' for Love
as Duke Travis
(1923)
Out of Luck
as Sam Pertune
(1923)
Single Handed
as Hector MacKnight
(1923)
The Thrill Chaser
as Omar K. Jenkins
(1923)
The Ramblin' Kid
as The Ramblin' Kid
(1923)
Blinky
as Geoffrey Arbuthnot 'Blinky' Islip
(1923)
Double Dealing
as Ben Slowbell
(1923)
Kindled Courage
as Andy Walker
(1923)
Dead Game
as 'Katy' Didd
(1923)
The Gentleman from America
as Dennis O'Shane
(1922)
Trimmed
as Dale Garland
(1922)
The Bear Cat
as The Singin' Kid
(1922)
Headin' West
as Bill Perkins
(1922)
The Lone Hand
as Laramie Lad
(1922)
The Loaded Door
as Bert Lyons
(1922)
Ridin' Wild
as Cyril Henderson (as Edward 'Hoot' Gibson)
(1922)
Step on It!
as Vic Collins
(1922)
The Galloping Kid
as 'Simplex' Cox
(1921)
The Fire Eater
as Bob Corey
(1921)
Red Courage
as Pinto Peters
(1921)
(1921)
(1921)
(1921)
Action
as Sandy Brouke
(1921)
(1921)
(1921)
(1921)
(1921)
The Driftin' Kid
as The Driftin' Kid
(1921)
Who Was the Man?
as The Texas Ranger
(1921)
Sure Fire
as Jeff Bransford
(1921)
The Cactus Kid
as Dick Harris
(1921)
(1921)
(1921)
(1921)
(1921)
(1921)
(1920)
(1920)
'in Wrong' Wright
as 'In Wrong' Wright
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
The Man With The Punch
as The Stranger
(1920)
The Big Catch
as Billy Reeves - the Foreman of the Ranch
(1920)
The Two-Fisted Lover
as Scot McHale
(1920)
Double Danger
as Jim Marvin / Jerry Marvin (Twin Brothers)
(1920)
Fight It Out
as Sandy Adams
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
Cinders
as Bing Davidson
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
Tipped Off
as Billy Steele
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
Superstition
as Dave Bodie
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
Roarin' Dan
as Roarin' Dan
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
(1920)
The Jay Bird
as Tom Jackson
(1920)
(1920)
(1919)
Gun Law
as Bart 'Smoke Gublen' Stevens
(1919)
By Indian Post
as Chub -Jode's Helpful Cowboy Friend
(1919)
(1919)
(1919)
(1919)
The Crow
as Tim McKenzie - the Crow
(1919)
(1919)
The Double Hold-Up
as The Broncho Kid
(1919)
The Lone Hand
as Jeffrey Halley
(1919)
The Rustlers
as The Deputy
(1919)
(1919)
The Gun Packer
as Gang Leader
(1919)
(1919)
The Jack of Hearts
as The Prairie Dog
(1919)
The Trail of the Holdup Man
as Bob Watson
(1919)
(1919)
The Tell-Tale Wire
as Steve Larmon
(1919)
The Fighting Brothers
as Lonnie Larkin
(1918)
(1918)
Play Straight or Fight
as Dick Rankin
(1918)
The Midnight Flyer
as Danny Morgan
(1918)
The Woman in the Web
as Vassily - Ivan's Brother
(1918)
(1918)
The Branded Man
as Sheriff
(1917)
Straight Shooting
as Danny Morgan
(1917)
Cheyenne's Pal
as Cowboy
(1917)
The Wrong Man
as Chip's Pal
(1917)
A Marked Man
as Undetermined Role
(1917)
The Soul Herder
as Chuck Rafferty
(1917)
The Golden Bullet
as 'Red' Johnson
(1917)
(1917)
The Secret Man
as Chuck Fadden
(1917)
The Hazards of Helen
as Messenger / Etzer
(1917)
A 44-Calibre Mystery
as Joe
(1916)
(1916)
The Governor's Special
as 2nd Nash Henchman (as Ed Gibson)
(1916)
The Passing of Hell's Crown
as The Cowboy
(1916)
Stampede in the Night
as Jack Harding
(1916)
The Mysterious Cipher
as Blanding
(1916)
The Capture of Red Stanley
as Stanley's Henchman
(1916)
A Knight of the Range
as Bob Graham
(1916)
(1915)
The Man from Texas
as Deputy (uncredited)
(1915)
(1915)
The Hazards of Helen Ep26: The Wild Engine
as Messenger on Motorcycle
(1915)
Buckshot John
as Medicine Show Crowd Member (uncredited)
(1915)
The Death Train
as Etzer - Doyle's Pal
(1915)
In Danger's Path
as Train Crew (uncredited)
(1915)
The Ring of Destiny
as Jack
(1915)
The Pay Train
as Orturo
(1914)
The Man from the East
as Butler
(1914)
Shotgun Jones
as Tom Lattier - the Son
(1914)
(1914)
(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