William S. Hart
Known for Acting · 85 credits
- Born
- 1864-12-06
- Died
- 1946-06-23
- Place of birth
- Newburgh, New York, USA
- Also known as
- William Surrey Hart · Two-Gun Bill · W.S. Hart · Wm. S. Hart · Wm. S Hart · Вильям Харт
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
Movies (85)
Tumbleweeds
1925
as Don Carver
The Disciple
1915
as Jim Houston
The Aryan
1916
as Steve Denton
Riddle Gawne
1918
as Jefferson 'Riddle' Gawne
Sand
1920
as Dan Kurrie
Hollywood
1923
as William S. Hart
Pinto Ben
1915
as Boss Rider
The Roughneck
1915
as Dave Page
Wolf Lowry
1917
as Tom 'Wolf' Lowry
Hello, 'Frisco
1924
as William S. Hart
Ben Hur
1907
as Messala
John Petticoats
1919
as 'Hardwood' John Haynes
Show People
1928
as Self (uncredited)
White Oak
1921
as Oak Miller, a gambling man
Hell's Hinges
1916
as Blaze Tracy
Shark Monroe
1918
as Shark Monroe
It's Showtime
1976
as Self (archive footage)
The Patriot
1916
as Bob Wiley
The House That Shadows Built
1931
as (archive footage)
The Return of Draw Egan
1916
as 'Draw' Egan aka William Blake
Wagon Tracks
1919
as Buckskin Hamilton
Branding Broadway
1918
as Robert Sands
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
1961
as Self (archive footage)
Between Men
1916
as Bob White
The Cradle of Courage
1920
as 'Square' Kelly
The Hollywood Gad-About
1934
as Self (uncredited)
On the Night Stage
1915
as Texas
The Silent Man
1917
as Budd Marr
Square Deal Sanderson
1919
as Square Deal Sanderson
The Whistle
1921
as Robert Evans
Variety Time
1948
as Texas Tex (archive footage) (uncredited)
Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 1
1941
as Self (uncredited)
The Dawn Maker
1916
as Joe Elk
Selfish Yates
1918
as 'Selfish' Yates
The Apostle of Vengeance
1916
as David Hudson
The Gun Fighter
1917
as Cliff Hudspeth
The Poppy Girl's Husband
1919
as Hairpin Harry Dutton
'Blue Blazes' Rawden
1918
as Blue Blazes Rawden
Yesterday and Today
1953
as (archive footage)
The Scourge of the Desert
1915
as Bill Evers
The Devil's Double
1916
as 'Bowie' Blake
Singer Jim Mckee
1924
as 'Singer' Jim McKee
Travelin' On
1922
as J.B., The Stranger
The Square Deal Man
1917
as Jack O'Diamonds
The Primal Lure
1916
as Angus McConnell
The Money Corral
1919
as Lem Beason
The Toll Gate
1920
as Black Deering
O'Malley of the Mounted
1921
as Sergeant O'Malley
Truthful Tulliver
1917
as Truthful Tulliver
Cash Parrish's Pal
1915
as Cash Parrish
Two-Gun Hicks
1914
as Two-Gun Hicks
The Narrow Trail
1917
as Ice Harding
The Grudge
1915
as Rio Ed
The Testing Block
1920
as 'Sierra' Bill
Tools of Providence
1915
as Steve Blake
The Cold Deck
1917
as Jefferson "On the Level" Leigh
The Tiger Man
1918
as Hawk Parsons
Knight of the Trail
1915
as Jim Treen
The Great Chase
1962
Stars of Yesterday
1931
as Self
The Darkening Trail
1915
as Yukon Ed
The Man from Nowhere
1915
as "Buck" Farley
Wild Bill Hickok
1923
as Wild Bill Hickok
The Bargain
1914
as Jim Stokes
The Taking of Luke McVane
1915
as Luke McVane
In the Sage Brush Country
1914
as Jim Brandon
Decasia: The State of Decay
2002
as Self - Cowboy (archive footage)
Three Word Brand
1921
as Three Word Brand / Governor Marsden / Ben Trego
His Hour of Manhood
1914
as Pete Larson
The Sheriff's Streak of Yellow
1915
as Sheriff Hale
The Desert Man
1917
as Jim Alton
The Conversion of Frosty Blake
1915
as Frosty Blake
A Lion of the Hills
1918
The Border Wireless
1918
as Steve Ransom
Jim Cameron's Wife
1914
as Andy Stiles
Bad Buck of Santa Ynez
1915
as Bad Buck Peters
Grit
1915
The Ruse
1915
as 'Bat' Peters
Breed of Men
1919
as Careless Carmody
Mr. 'Silent' Haskins
1915
as Lon Haskins
Keno Bates, Liar
1915
as Keno Bates
All-Star Production of Patriotic Episodes for the Second Liberty Loan
1917
The Captive God
1916
as Chiapa
Staking His Life
1918
as Bud Randall
Wolves of the Rail
1918
as 'Buck' Andrade
About William S. Hart
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… With 85 credits spanning from 1907 to 2002, William S. Hart has appeared in 85 films and 0 TV shows.
Fans searching for William S. Hart movies, William S. Hart filmography, or the latest projects starring William S. Hart can stream many of these titles on HinFlix, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular William S. Hart Movies
- Tumbleweeds (1925) — as Don Carver
- The Disciple (1915) — as Jim Houston
- The Aryan (1916) — as Steve Denton
- Riddle Gawne (1918) — as Jefferson 'Riddle' Gawne
- Sand (1920) — as Dan Kurrie
Where to Watch William S. Hart Films
Most William S. Hart movies and series are available to stream on HinFlix in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring William S. Hart, check our movies catalogue and browse page.