About

Known credits:
152
Birthday:
1864-12-06
Place of birth:
Newburgh, New York, USA
Website:
N/A

William S. Hart

Overview

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

Acting
1976 It's Showtime Actor Self (archive footage) 59
Average
1961 The Legend of Rudolph Valentino Actor Self (archive footage) N/A
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1953 Yesterday and Today Actor (archive footage) N/A
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1948 Variety Time Actor Texas Tex (archive footage) (uncredited) N/A
N/A
1941 Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 1 Actor Himself N/A
N/A
1934 The Hollywood Gad-About Actor Self (uncredited) 59
Average
1931 Stars of Yesterday Actor Self N/A
N/A
1931 The House That Shadows Built Actor (archive footage) 59
Average
1928 Show People Actor Self (uncredited) 59
Average
1925 Tumbleweeds Actor Don Carver 59
Average
1924 Hello, 'Frisco Actor William S. Hart 59
Average
1924 Singer Jim Mckee Actor 'Singer' Jim McKee N/A
N/A
1923 Wild Bill Hickok Actor Wild Bill Hickok N/A
N/A
1923 Hollywood Actor William S. Hart 59
Average
1922 Travelin' On Actor J.B., The Stranger N/A
N/A
1921 Three Word Brand Actor Three Word Brand / Governor Marsden / Ben Trego 59
Average
1921 The Whistle Actor Robert Evans 58
Average
1921 O'Malley of the Mounted Actor Sergeant O'Malley N/A
N/A
1921 White Oak Actor Oak Miller, a gambling man 59
Average
1920 The Testing Block Actor 'Sierra' Bill 58
Average
1920 The Cradle of Courage Actor 'Square' Kelly 59
Average
1920 Sand Actor Dan Kurrie 58
Average
1920 The Toll Gate Actor Black Deering 58
Average
1919 John Petticoats Actor 'Hardwood' John Haynes N/A
N/A
1919 Wagon Tracks Actor Buckskin Hamilton 59
Average
1919 Square Deal Sanderson Actor Square Deal Sanderson 58
Average
1919 The Money Corral Actor Lem Beason N/A
N/A
1919 The Poppy Girl's Husband Actor Hairpin Harry Dutton 58
Average
1919 Breed of Men Actor Careless Carmody N/A
N/A
1918 Branding Broadway Actor Robert Sands N/A
N/A
1918 The Border Wireless Actor Steve Ransom N/A
N/A
1918 Riddle Gawne Actor Jefferson 'Riddle' Gawne N/A
N/A
1918 Shark Monroe Actor Shark Monroe N/A
N/A
1918 Selfish Yates Actor 'Selfish' Yates N/A
N/A
1918 A Lion of the Hills Actor N/A
N/A
1918 The Tiger Man Actor Hawk Parsons N/A
N/A
1918 'Blue Blazes' Rawden Actor Blue Blazes Rawden 58
Average
1918 Wolves of the Rail Actor 'Buck' Andrade 59
Average
1918 Staking His Life Actor Bud Randall N/A
N/A
1917 The Narrow Trail Actor Ice Harding 58
Average
1917 The Silent Man Actor Budd Marr 58
Average
1917 The Cold Deck Actor Jefferson "On the Level" Leigh N/A
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1917 All-Star Production of Patriotic Episodes for the Second Liberty Loan Actor N/A
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1917 Wolf Lowry Actor Tom 'Wolf' Lowry 58
Average
1917 The Square Deal Man Actor Jack O'Diamonds N/A
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1917 The Desert Man Actor Jim Alton N/A
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1917 The Gun Fighter Actor Cliff Hudspeth N/A
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1917 Truthful Tulliver Actor Truthful Tulliver N/A
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1916 The Devil's Double Actor 'Bowie' Blake N/A
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1916 The Return of Draw Egan Actor 'Draw' Egan aka William Blake 58
Average
1916 The Dawn Maker Actor Joe Elk N/A
N/A
1916 The Captive God Actor Chiapa 59
Average
1916 The Apostle of Vengeance Actor David Hudson N/A
N/A
1916 The Primal Lure Actor Angus McConnell N/A
N/A
1916 The Aryan Actor Steve Denton 59
Average
1916 The Patriot Actor Bob Wiley N/A
N/A
1916 Hell's Hinges Actor Blaze Tracy 58
Average
1916 Between Men Actor Bob White N/A
N/A
1915 The Disciple Actor Jim Houston N/A
N/A
1915 Keno Bates, Liar Actor Keno Bates 59
Average
1915 Pinto Ben Actor Boss Rider N/A
N/A
1915 Knight of the Trail Actor Jim Treen 58
Average
1915 The Ruse Actor 'Bat' Peters N/A
N/A
1915 Cash Parrish's Pal Actor Cash Parrish N/A
N/A
1915 Tools of Providence Actor Steve Blake N/A
N/A
1915 The Conversion of Frosty Blake Actor Frosty Blake N/A
N/A
1915 The Darkening Trail Actor Yukon Ed 59
Average
1915 Bad Buck of Santa Ynez Actor Bad Buck Peters 59
Average
1915 The Man from Nowhere Actor "Buck" Farley N/A
N/A
1915 The Taking of Luke McVane Actor Luke McVane 59
Average
1915 On the Night Stage Actor Texas 58
Average
1915 The Roughneck Actor Dave Page N/A
N/A
1915 The Sheriff's Streak of Yellow Actor Sheriff Hale 59
Average
1915 The Grudge Actor Rio Ed N/A
N/A
1915 Mr. 'Silent' Haskins Actor Lon Haskins 58
Average
1915 The Scourge of the Desert Actor Bill Evers N/A
N/A
1915 Grit Actor N/A
N/A
1914 Two-Gun Hicks Actor Two-Gun Hicks N/A
N/A
1914 The Bargain Actor Jim Stokes 59
Average
1914 Jim Cameron's Wife Actor Andy Stiles N/A
N/A
1914 His Hour of Manhood Actor Pete Larson N/A
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1914 In the Sage Brush Country Actor Jim Brandon N/A
N/A

Directing
1925 Tumbleweeds Directing Director 59
Average
1920 The Cradle of Courage Directing Director 59
Average
1919 Square Deal Sanderson Directing Director 58
Average
1919 The Money Corral Directing Director N/A
N/A
1919 The Poppy Girl's Husband Directing Director 58
Average
1918 Branding Broadway Directing Director N/A
N/A
1918 The Border Wireless Directing Director N/A
N/A
1918 Riddle Gawne Directing Director N/A
N/A
1918 Shark Monroe Directing Director N/A
N/A
1918 Selfish Yates Directing Director N/A
N/A
1918 The Tiger Man Directing Director N/A
N/A
1918 'Blue Blazes' Rawden Directing Director 58
Average
1918 Wolves of the Rail Directing Director 59
Average
1917 The Narrow Trail Directing Director 58
Average
1917 The Silent Man Directing Director 58
Average
1917 The Cold Deck Directing Director N/A
N/A
1917 Wolf Lowry Directing Director 58
Average
1917 The Square Deal Man Directing Director N/A
N/A
1917 The Desert Man Directing Director N/A
N/A
1917 The Gun Fighter Directing Director N/A
N/A
1917 Truthful Tulliver Directing Director N/A
N/A
1916 The Devil's Double Directing Director N/A
N/A
1916 The Return of Draw Egan Directing Director 58
Average
1916 The Dawn Maker Directing Director N/A
N/A
1916 The Apostle of Vengeance Directing Director N/A
N/A
1916 The Primal Lure Directing Director N/A
N/A
1916 The Aryan Directing Director 59
Average
1916 The Patriot Directing Director N/A
N/A
1916 Between Men Directing Director N/A
N/A
1915 The Disciple Directing Director N/A
N/A
1915 Keno Bates, Liar Directing Director 59
Average
1915 Pinto Ben Directing Director N/A
N/A
1915 Knight of the Trail Directing Director 58
Average
1915 The Ruse Directing Director N/A
N/A
1915 Cash Parrish's Pal Directing Director N/A
N/A
1915 Tools of Providence Directing Director N/A
N/A
1915 The Conversion of Frosty Blake Directing Director N/A
N/A
1915 The Darkening Trail Directing Director 59
Average
1915 Bad Buck of Santa Ynez Directing Director 59
Average
1915 The Man from Nowhere Directing Director N/A
N/A
1915 The Taking of Luke McVane Directing Director 59
Average
1915 The Roughneck Directing Director N/A
N/A
1915 The Sheriff's Streak of Yellow Directing Director 59
Average
1915 The Grudge Directing Director N/A
N/A
1915 Mr. 'Silent' Haskins Directing Director 58
Average
1915 The Scourge of the Desert Directing Director N/A
N/A
1915 Grit Directing Director N/A
N/A
1914 Two-Gun Hicks Directing Director N/A
N/A
1914 In the Sage Brush Country Directing Director N/A
N/A

Writing
1936 O'Malley of the Mounted Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1924 Singer Jim Mckee Writing Story N/A
N/A
1923 Wild Bill Hickok Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1922 Travelin' On Writing Story N/A
N/A
1921 O'Malley of the Mounted Writing Story N/A
N/A
1921 White Oak Writing Story 59
Average
1920 The Testing Block Writing Story 58
Average
1920 The Testing Block Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1920 The Toll Gate Writing Writer 58
Average
1920 The Toll Gate Writing Story 58
Average
1919 The Money Corral Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1917 The Narrow Trail Writing Story 58
Average
1915 Pinto Ben Writing Writer N/A
N/A

Production
1923 Wild Bill Hickok Production Producer N/A
N/A
1921 Three Word Brand Production Producer 59
Average
1920 Sand Production Producer 58
Average
1919 Wagon Tracks Production Producer 59
Average
1919 The Money Corral Production Producer N/A
N/A
1919 The Poppy Girl's Husband Production Producer 58
Average
1918 Branding Broadway Production Producer N/A
N/A
1918 Shark Monroe Production Producer N/A
N/A