Acting
William S. Hart
EN, XX cinema · 86 credits
Born
6 December 1864
Died
23 June 1946 (aged 81)
Birthplace
Newburgh, New York, USA
Also known as William Surrey Hart · Two-Gun Bill · W.S. Hart · Wm. S. Hart · Wm. S Hart · Вильям Харт
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
Filmography
Decasia: The State of Decay
as Self - Cowboy (archive footage)
It's Showtime
as Self (archive footage)
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
as Self (archive footage)
Yesterday and Today
as (archive footage)
Variety Time
as Texas Tex (archive footage) (uncredited)
Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 1
as Self (uncredited)
The Hollywood Gad-About
as Self (uncredited)
The House That Shadows Built
as (archive footage)
Show People
as Self (uncredited)
Tumbleweeds
as Don Carver, Director
Hello, 'Frisco
1924
Hello, 'Frisco
as William S. Hart
Singer Jim Mckee
as 'Singer' Jim McKee, Story
Hollywood
as William S. Hart
Wild Bill Hickok
as Wild Bill Hickok, Producer, Writer
Travelin' On
as J.B., The Stranger, Story
The Whistle
as Robert Evans
Three Word Brand
as Three Word Brand / Governor Marsden / Ben Trego, Producer
White Oak
as Oak Miller, a gambling man, Story
O'Malley of the Mounted
as Sergeant O'Malley, Story
Sand
as Dan Kurrie, Producer
The Toll Gate
as Black Deering, Story, Writer
The Cradle of Courage
as 'Square' Kelly, Director
The Testing Block
as 'Sierra' Bill, Screenplay, Story
Wagon Tracks
as Buckskin Hamilton, Producer
Square Deal Sanderson
as Square Deal Sanderson, Director
John Petticoats
as 'Hardwood' John Haynes
Breed of Men
as Careless Carmody
The Poppy Girl's Husband
as Hairpin Harry Dutton, Producer, Director
The Money Corral
as Lem Beason, Writer, Director, Producer
Staking His Life
1918
Staking His Life
as Bud Randall
The Border Wireless
as Steve Ransom, Director
Shark Monroe
as Shark Monroe, Director, Producer
'Blue Blazes' Rawden
as Blue Blazes Rawden, Director
Branding Broadway
as Robert Sands, Director, Producer
Wolves of the Rail
as 'Buck' Andrade, Director
The Tiger Man
as Hawk Parsons, Director
Riddle Gawne
as Jefferson 'Riddle' Gawne, Director
Selfish Yates
as 'Selfish' Yates, Director
The Narrow Trail
as Ice Harding, Director, Story
The Cold Deck
as Jefferson "On the Level" Leigh, Director
The Silent Man
as Budd Marr, Director
The Gun Fighter
as Cliff Hudspeth, Director
The Square Deal Man
as Jack O'Diamonds, Director
The Desert Man
as Jim Alton, Director
Truthful Tulliver
as Truthful Tulliver, Director
Wolf Lowry
as Tom 'Wolf' Lowry, Director
The Devil's Double
as 'Bowie' Blake, Director
Hell's Hinges
as Blaze Tracy
The Return of Draw Egan
as 'Draw' Egan aka William Blake, Director
Between Men
as Bob White, Director
The Dawn Maker
as Joe Elk, Director
The Captive God
as Chiapa
The Aryan
as Steve Denton, Director
The Patriot
as Bob Wiley, Director
The Apostle of Vengeance
as David Hudson, Director
The Primal Lure
as Angus McConnell, Director
Pinto Ben
1915
Pinto Ben
as Boss Rider, Writer, Director
The Roughneck
as Dave Page, Director
Cash Parrish's Pal
as Cash Parrish, Director
Grit
1915
Grit
as Rio Ed, Director
Mr. 'Silent' Haskins
as Lon Haskins, Director
The Conversion of Frosty Blake
as Frosty Blake, Director
The Scourge of the Desert
1915
The Scourge of the Desert
as Bill Evers, Director
The Grudge
as Rio Ed, Director
Keno Bates, Liar
as Keno Bates, Director
The Ruse
as 'Bat' Peters, Director
The Taking of Luke McVane
as Luke McVane, Director
On the Night Stage
as Texas
Knight of the Trail
as Jim Treen, Director
The Darkening Trail
as Yukon Ed, Director
The Disciple
as Jim Houston, Director
Bad Buck of Santa Ynez
as Bad Buck Peters, Director
Tools of Providence
as Steve Blake, Director
The Sheriff's Streak of Yellow
as Sheriff Hale, Director
The Man from Nowhere
as "Buck" Farley, Director
Two-Gun Hicks
as Two-Gun Hicks, Director
The Bargain
as Jim Stokes
In the Sage Brush Country
as Jim Brandon, Director
Ben Hur
as Messala