William S. Hart

Known for ActingBorn 1864-12-06Died 1946-06-23Newburgh, 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.Read more

Movies & web series

Variety Time

Singer Jim Mckee

O'Malley of the Mounted

John Petticoats

Stars of Yesterday

Hollywood

Wild Bill Hickok

Travelin' On

Staking His Life

Grit

The House That Shadows Built

It's Showtime

A Lion of the Hills

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

The Disciple

Bad Buck of Santa Ynez

Hello, 'Frisco

Three Word Brand

Sand

The Legend of Rudolph Valentino

Yesterday and Today

Decasia: The State of Decay

Show People

Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 1

O'Malley of the Mounted

The Money Corral

The Great Chase

Square Deal Sanderson

The Cradle of Courage

The Testing Block

Wagon Tracks

The Hollywood Gad-About

Hell's Hinges

Tumbleweeds

White Oak

Shark Monroe

Wolves of the Rail

Wolf Lowry

The Darkening Trail

The Toll Gate

'Blue Blazes' Rawden

The Taking of Luke McVane

The Bargain

The Aryan

Mr. 'Silent' Haskins

The Whistle

The Return of Draw Egan

The Narrow Trail