William S. Hart
Acting
1864-12-06 · Newburgh, New York, USA
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
Decasia: The State of Decay
2002 · Movie
It's Showtime
1976 · Movie
The Great Chase
1962 · Movie
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
1961 · Movie
Yesterday and Today
1953 · Movie
Variety Time
1948 · Movie
Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 1
1941 · Movie
O'Malley of the Mounted
1936 · Movie
The Hollywood Gad-About
1934 · Movie
Stars of Yesterday
1931 · Movie
The House That Shadows Built
1931 · Movie
Show People
1928 · Movie
Tumbleweeds
1925 · Movie
Hello, 'Frisco
1924 · Movie
Singer Jim Mckee
1924 · Movie
Wild Bill Hickok
1923 · Movie
Hollywood
1923 · Movie
Travelin' On
1922 · Movie
Three Word Brand
1921 · Movie
The Whistle
1921 · Movie
O'Malley of the Mounted
1921 · Movie
White Oak
1921 · Movie
The Testing Block
1920 · Movie
The Cradle of Courage
1920 · Movie
Sand
1920 · Movie
The Toll Gate
1920 · Movie
John Petticoats
1919 · Movie
Wagon Tracks
1919 · Movie
Square Deal Sanderson
1919 · Movie
The Money Corral
1919 · Movie
The Poppy Girl's Husband
1919 · Movie
Breed of Men
1919 · Movie
Branding Broadway
1918 · Movie
The Border Wireless
1918 · Movie
Riddle Gawne
1918 · Movie
Shark Monroe
1918 · Movie
Selfish Yates
1918 · Movie
A Lion of the Hills
1918 · Movie
The Tiger Man
1918 · Movie
'Blue Blazes' Rawden
1918 · Movie
Staking His Life
1918 · Movie
Wolves of the Rail
1918 · Movie
The Narrow Trail
1917 · Movie
The Silent Man
1917 · Movie
The Cold Deck
1917 · Movie
All-Star Production of Patriotic Episodes for the Second Liberty Loan
1917 · Movie
Wolf Lowry
1917 · Movie
The Square Deal Man
1917 · Movie
The Desert Man
1917 · Movie
The Gun Fighter
1917 · Movie
Truthful Tulliver
1917 · Movie
The Devil's Double
1916 · Movie
The Return of Draw Egan
1916 · Movie
The Dawn Maker
1916 · Movie
The Captive God
1916 · Movie
The Apostle of Vengeance
1916 · Movie
The Primal Lure
1916 · Movie
The Aryan
1916 · Movie
The Patriot
1916 · Movie
Hell's Hinges
1916 · Movie
Between Men
1916 · Movie
The Disciple
1915 · Movie
Keno Bates, Liar
1915 · Movie
Pinto Ben
1915 · Movie
Knight of the Trail
1915 · Movie
The Ruse
1915 · Movie
Cash Parrish's Pal
1915 · Movie
Tools of Providence
1915 · Movie
The Conversion of Frosty Blake
1915 · Movie
The Darkening Trail
1915 · Movie
Bad Buck of Santa Ynez
1915 · Movie
The Man from Nowhere
1915 · Movie
The Taking of Luke McVane
1915 · Movie
On the Night Stage
1915 · Movie
The Roughneck
1915 · Movie
The Sheriff's Streak of Yellow
1915 · Movie
The Grudge
1915 · Movie
Mr. 'Silent' Haskins
1915 · Movie
The Scourge of the Desert
1915 · Movie
Grit
1915 · Movie
Two-Gun Hicks
1914 · Movie
The Bargain
1914 · Movie
Jim Cameron's Wife
1914 · Movie
His Hour of Manhood
1914 · Movie
In the Sage Brush Country
1914 · Movie
Ben Hur
1907 · Movie