William S. Hart
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1864-12-06
Day of Death
1946-06-23 (81 years old)
Place of Birth
Newburgh, New York, USA
William S. Hart
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.
Acting
(1976)
It's Showtime
as Self (archive footage)
(1962)
(1961)
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
as Self (archive footage)
(1953)
Yesterday and Today
as (archive footage)
(1948)
Variety Time
as Texas Tex (archive footage) (uncredited)
(1941)
Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 1
as Himself
(1934)
The Hollywood Gad-About
as Self (uncredited)
(1931)
The House That Shadows Built
as (archive footage)
(1931)
Stars of Yesterday
as Self
(1928)
Show People
as Self (uncredited)
(1925)
Tumbleweeds
as Don Carver
(1924)
Hello, 'Frisco
as William S. Hart
(1924)
Singer Jim Mckee
as 'Singer' Jim McKee
(1923)
Hollywood
as William S. Hart
(1923)
Wild Bill Hickok
as Wild Bill Hickok
(1922)
Travelin' On
as J.B., The Stranger
(1921)
The Whistle
as Robert Evans
(1921)
Three Word Brand
as Three Word Brand / Governor Marsden / Ben Trego
(1921)
White Oak
as Oak Miller, a gambling man
(1921)
O'Malley of the Mounted
as Sergeant O'Malley
(1920)
The Cradle of Courage
as 'Square' Kelly
(1920)
Sand
as Dan Kurrie
(1920)
The Toll Gate
as Black Deering
(1920)
The Testing Block
as 'Sierra' Bill
(1919)
Square Deal Sanderson
as Square Deal Sanderson
(1919)
Wagon Tracks
as Buckskin Hamilton
(1919)
Breed of Men
as Careless Carmody
(1919)
John Petticoats
as 'Hardwood' John Haynes
(1919)
The Poppy Girl's Husband
as Hairpin Harry Dutton
(1919)
The Money Corral
as Lem Beason
(1918)
(1918)
Riddle Gawne
as Jefferson 'Riddle' Gawne
(1918)
'Blue Blazes' Rawden
as Blue Blazes Rawden
(1918)
Shark Monroe
as Shark Monroe
(1918)
Branding Broadway
as Robert Sands
(1918)
Selfish Yates
as 'Selfish' Yates
(1918)
The Tiger Man
as Hawk Parsons
(1918)
Wolves of the Rail
as 'Buck' Andrade
(1918)
The Border Wireless
as Steve Ransom
(1918)
Staking His Life
as Bud Randall
(1917)
The Silent Man
as Budd Marr
(1917)
Wolf Lowry
as Tom 'Wolf' Lowry
(1917)
The Narrow Trail
as Ice Harding
(1917)
Truthful Tulliver
as Truthful Tulliver
(1917)
The Desert Man
as Jim Alton
(1917)
The Square Deal Man
as Jack O'Diamonds
(1917)
The Gun Fighter
as Cliff Hudspeth
(1917)
(1917)
The Cold Deck
as Jefferson "On the Level" Leigh
(1916)
The Aryan
as Steve Denton
(1916)
Between Men
as Bob White
(1916)
The Patriot
as Bob Wiley
(1916)
The Return of Draw Egan
as 'Draw' Egan aka William Blake
(1916)
Hell's Hinges
as Blaze Tracy
(1916)
The Apostle of Vengeance
as David Hudson
(1916)
The Devil's Double
as 'Bowie' Blake
(1916)
The Primal Lure
as Angus McConnell
(1916)
The Captive God
as Chiapa
(1916)
The Dawn Maker
as Joe Elk
(1915)
The Man from Nowhere
as "Buck" Farley
(1915)
The Roughneck
as Dave Page
(1915)
On the Night Stage
as Texas
(1915)
Pinto Ben
as Boss Rider
(1915)
The Scourge of the Desert
as Bill Evers
(1915)
The Grudge
as Rio Ed
(1915)
The Disciple
as Jim Houston
(1915)
The Conversion of Frosty Blake
as Frosty Blake
(1915)
The Ruse
as 'Bat' Peters
(1915)
The Taking of Luke McVane
as Luke McVane
(1915)
Mr. 'Silent' Haskins
as Lon Haskins
(1915)
Tools of Providence
as Steve Blake
(1915)
Knight of the Trail
as Jim Treen
(1915)
Cash Parrish's Pal
as Cash Parrish
(1915)
The Sheriff's Streak of Yellow
as Sheriff Hale
(1915)
Bad Buck of Santa Ynez
as Bad Buck Peters
(1915)
The Darkening Trail
as Yukon Ed
(1915)
Keno Bates, Liar
as Keno Bates
(1915)
(1914)
The Bargain
as Jim Stokes
(1914)
Two-Gun Hicks
as Two-Gun Hicks
(1914)
His Hour of Manhood
as Pete Larson
(1914)
In the Sage Brush Country
as Jim Brandon
(1914)
Jim Cameron's Wife
as Andy Stiles
Crew
(1936)
O'Malley of the Mounted
Writer
(1925)
Tumbleweeds
Director
(1924)
Singer Jim Mckee
Story
(1923)
Wild Bill Hickok
Writer, Producer
(1922)
Travelin' On
Story
(1921)
Three Word Brand
Producer
(1921)
White Oak
Story
(1921)
(1920)
The Cradle of Courage
Director
(1920)
Sand
Producer
(1920)
The Toll Gate
Writer, Story
(1920)
The Testing Block
Story, Screenplay
(1919)
Square Deal Sanderson
Director
(1919)
The Poppy Girl's Husband
Producer, Director
(1919)
The Money Corral
Director, Producer, Writer
(1919)
Wagon Tracks
Producer
(1918)
Shark Monroe
Director, Producer
(1918)
'Blue Blazes' Rawden
Director
(1918)
The Border Wireless
Director
(1918)
Branding Broadway
Director, Producer
(1918)
Wolves of the Rail
Director
(1918)
The Tiger Man
Director
(1918)
Selfish Yates
Director
(1918)
Riddle Gawne
Director
(1917)
The Narrow Trail
Director, Story
(1917)
The Cold Deck
Director
(1917)
The Silent Man
Director
(1917)
The Gun Fighter
Director
(1917)
The Square Deal Man
Director
(1917)
The Desert Man
Director
(1917)
Truthful Tulliver
Director
(1917)
Wolf Lowry
Director
(1916)
The Return of Draw Egan
Director
(1916)
The Aryan
Director
(1916)
Between Men
Director
(1916)
The Dawn Maker
Director
(1916)
The Apostle of Vengeance
Director
(1916)
The Devil's Double
Director
(1916)
The Patriot
Director
(1916)
The Primal Lure
Director
(1915)
The Ruse
Director
(1915)
Keno Bates, Liar
Director
(1915)
The Taking of Luke McVane
Director
(1915)
Knight of the Trail
Director
(1915)
The Darkening Trail
Director
(1915)
Pinto Ben
Writer, Director
(1915)
The Roughneck
Director
(1915)
The Scourge of the Desert
Director
(1915)
The Grudge
Director
(1915)
The Conversion of Frosty Blake
Director
(1915)
Mr. 'Silent' Haskins
Director
(1915)
Cash Parrish's Pal
Director
(1915)
Grit
Director
(1915)
The Disciple
Director
(1915)
Bad Buck of Santa Ynez
Director
(1915)
Tools of Providence
Director
(1915)
The Sheriff's Streak of Yellow
Director
(1915)
The Man from Nowhere
Director
(1914)
Two-Gun Hicks
Director
(1914)
In the Sage Brush Country
Director