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.

Known For

Show People

Ben Hur

Hell's Hinges

Hollywood

It's Showtime

The Legend of Rudolph Valentino

Tumbleweeds

The Bargain

All Movies (85)

• Decasia: The State of Decay2002 · as Self - Cowboy (archive footage)
• It's Showtime1976 · as Self (archive footage)
• The Great Chase1962
• The Legend of Rudolph Valentino1961 · as Self (archive footage)
• Yesterday and Today1953 · as (archive footage)
• Variety Time1948 · as Texas Tex (archive footage) (uncredited)
• Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 11941 · as Self (uncredited)
• The Hollywood Gad-About1934 · as Self (uncredited)
• Stars of Yesterday1931 · as Self
• The House That Shadows Built1931 · as (archive footage)
• Show People1928 · as Self (uncredited)
• Tumbleweeds1925 · as Don Carver
• Hello, 'Frisco1924 · as William S. Hart
• Singer Jim Mckee1924 · as 'Singer' Jim McKee
• Wild Bill Hickok1923 · as Wild Bill Hickok
• Hollywood1923 · as William S. Hart
• Travelin' On1922 · as J.B., The Stranger
• Three Word Brand1921 · as Three Word Brand / Governor Marsden / Ben Trego
• The Whistle1921 · as Robert Evans
• O'Malley of the Mounted1921 · as Sergeant O'Malley
• White Oak1921 · as Oak Miller, a gambling man
• The Testing Block1920 · as 'Sierra' Bill
• The Cradle of Courage1920 · as 'Square' Kelly
• Sand1920 · as Dan Kurrie
• The Toll Gate1920 · as Black Deering
• John Petticoats1919 · as 'Hardwood' John Haynes
• Wagon Tracks1919 · as Buckskin Hamilton
• Square Deal Sanderson1919 · as Square Deal Sanderson
• The Money Corral1919 · as Lem Beason
• The Poppy Girl's Husband1919 · as Hairpin Harry Dutton
• Breed of Men1919 · as Careless Carmody
• Branding Broadway1918 · as Robert Sands
• The Border Wireless1918 · as Steve Ransom
• Riddle Gawne1918 · as Jefferson 'Riddle' Gawne
• Shark Monroe1918 · as Shark Monroe
• Selfish Yates1918 · as 'Selfish' Yates
• A Lion of the Hills1918
• The Tiger Man1918 · as Hawk Parsons
• 'Blue Blazes' Rawden1918 · as Blue Blazes Rawden
• Staking His Life1918 · as Bud Randall
• Wolves of the Rail1918 · as 'Buck' Andrade
• The Narrow Trail1917 · as Ice Harding
• The Silent Man1917 · as Budd Marr
• The Cold Deck1917 · as Jefferson "On the Level" Leigh
• All-Star Production of Patriotic Episodes for the Second Liberty Loan1917
• Wolf Lowry1917 · as Tom 'Wolf' Lowry
• The Square Deal Man1917 · as Jack O'Diamonds
• The Desert Man1917 · as Jim Alton
• The Gun Fighter1917 · as Cliff Hudspeth
• Truthful Tulliver1917 · as Truthful Tulliver
• The Devil's Double1916 · as 'Bowie' Blake
• The Return of Draw Egan1916 · as 'Draw' Egan aka William Blake
• The Dawn Maker1916 · as Joe Elk
• The Captive God1916 · as Chiapa
• The Apostle of Vengeance1916 · as David Hudson
• The Primal Lure1916 · as Angus McConnell
• The Aryan1916 · as Steve Denton
• The Patriot1916 · as Bob Wiley
• Hell's Hinges1916 · as Blaze Tracy
• Between Men1916 · as Bob White
• The Disciple1915 · as Jim Houston
• Keno Bates, Liar1915 · as Keno Bates
• Pinto Ben1915 · as Boss Rider
• Knight of the Trail1915 · as Jim Treen
• The Ruse1915 · as 'Bat' Peters
• Cash Parrish's Pal1915 · as Cash Parrish
• Tools of Providence1915 · as Steve Blake
• The Conversion of Frosty Blake1915 · as Frosty Blake
• The Darkening Trail1915 · as Yukon Ed
• Bad Buck of Santa Ynez1915 · as Bad Buck Peters
• The Man from Nowhere1915 · as "Buck" Farley
• The Taking of Luke McVane1915 · as Luke McVane
• On the Night Stage1915 · as Texas
• The Roughneck1915 · as Dave Page
• The Sheriff's Streak of Yellow1915 · as Sheriff Hale
• The Grudge1915 · as Rio Ed
• Mr. 'Silent' Haskins1915 · as Lon Haskins
• The Scourge of the Desert1915 · as Bill Evers
• Grit1915
• Two-Gun Hicks1914 · as Two-Gun Hicks
• The Bargain1914 · as Jim Stokes
• Jim Cameron's Wife1914 · as Andy Stiles
• His Hour of Manhood1914 · as Pete Larson
• In the Sage Brush Country1914 · as Jim Brandon
• Ben Hur1907 · as Messala