William S. Hart

Known For: Acting
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: December 6, 1864
Day of Death: June 23, 1946 (82 years old)
Place of Birth: 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.
1976
1962
1961
1953
1948
1941
1936
1934
1931
1928
1925
1924
1923
1922
1921
1920
1919

Actor Buckskin Hamilton
Wagon Tracks

Actor Careless Carmody
Breed of Men

Actor Square Deal Sanderson
Square Deal Sanderson

Actor 'Hardwood' John Haynes
John Petticoats

Actor Hairpin Harry Dutton
The Poppy Girl's Husband

Actor Lem Beason
The Money Corral

Director
Square Deal Sanderson

Producer
The Poppy Girl's Husband

Director
The Money Corral

Producer
The Money Corral

Writer
The Money Corral

Producer
Wagon Tracks

Director
The Poppy Girl's Husband
1918

Actor Steve Ransom
The Border Wireless

Actor
A Lion of the Hills
Actor Bud Randall
Staking His Life

Actor Shark Monroe
Shark Monroe

Actor Blue Blazes Rawden
'Blue Blazes' Rawden

Actor Robert Sands
Branding Broadway

Actor 'Buck' Andrade
Wolves of the Rail

Actor Hawk Parsons
The Tiger Man

Actor 'Selfish' Yates
Selfish Yates

Actor Jefferson 'Riddle' Gawne
Riddle Gawne

Director
Shark Monroe

Director
'Blue Blazes' Rawden

Director
The Border Wireless

Director
Branding Broadway

Producer
Shark Monroe

Producer
Branding Broadway

Director
Wolves of the Rail

Director
The Tiger Man

Director
Selfish Yates

Director
Riddle Gawne
1917

Actor Ice Harding
The Narrow Trail

Actor Jefferson "On the Level" Leigh
The Cold Deck

Actor Budd Marr
The Silent Man

Actor Cliff Hudspeth
The Gun Fighter

Actor
All-Star Production of Patriotic Episodes for the Second Liberty Loan

Actor Jack O'Diamonds
The Square Deal Man

Actor Jim Alton
The Desert Man

Actor Tom 'Wolf' Lowry
Wolf Lowry

Actor Truthful Tulliver
Truthful Tulliver

Director
The Narrow Trail

Director
The Cold Deck

Director
The Silent Man

Director
The Gun Fighter

Director
The Square Deal Man

Director
The Desert Man

Director
Truthful Tulliver

Story
The Narrow Trail

Director
Wolf Lowry
1916

Actor 'Bowie' Blake
The Devil's Double

Actor Blaze Tracy
Hell's Hinges

Actor 'Draw' Egan aka William Blake
The Return of Draw Egan

Actor Bob White
Between Men

Actor Joe Elk
The Dawn Maker

Actor Chiapa
The Captive God

Actor Steve Denton
The Aryan

Actor Bob Wiley
The Patriot

Actor David Hudson
The Apostle of Vengeance

Actor Angus McConnell
The Primal Lure

Director
The Return of Draw Egan

Director
The Aryan

Director
Between Men

Director
The Dawn Maker

Director
The Apostle of Vengeance

Director
The Devil's Double

Director
The Patriot

Director
The Primal Lure
1915
Actor Boss Rider
Pinto Ben

Actor Dave Page
The Roughneck
Actor Bill Evers
The Scourge of the Desert

Actor Lon Haskins
Mr. 'Silent' Haskins

Actor Rio Ed
The Grudge

Actor Frosty Blake
The Conversion of Frosty Blake

Actor Cash Parrish
Cash Parrish's Pal
Actor
Grit

Actor Keno Bates
Keno Bates, Liar

Actor 'Bat' Peters
The Ruse

Actor Luke McVane
The Taking of Luke McVane

Actor Texas
On the Night Stage

Actor Jim Treen
Knight of the Trail

Actor Yukon Ed
The Darkening Trail

Actor Jim Houston
The Disciple

Actor Bad Buck Peters
Bad Buck of Santa Ynez

Actor Steve Blake
Tools of Providence

Actor Sheriff Hale
The Sheriff's Streak of Yellow

Actor "Buck" Farley
The Man from Nowhere

Director
The Ruse

Director
Keno Bates, Liar

Director
The Taking of Luke McVane

Director
Knight of the Trail

Director
The Darkening Trail
Writer
Pinto Ben

Director
The Roughneck
Director
Pinto Ben
Director
The Scourge of the Desert

Director
The Grudge

Director
The Conversion of Frosty Blake

Director
Mr. 'Silent' Haskins

Director
Cash Parrish's Pal
Director
Grit

Director
The Disciple

Director
Bad Buck of Santa Ynez

Director
Tools of Providence

Director
The Sheriff's Streak of Yellow

Director
The Man from Nowhere