William S. Hart (1864–1946) was an American silent film actor, screenwriter, director and producer.. He is remembered as a foremost Western star of the silent era who "imbued all of his characters with honor and integrity." During the late 1910s and early 1920s, he was one of the most consistently popular movie stars, frequently ranking high among male actors in popularity contests held by movie fan magazines.Sources:
Hart was born in New York and began his acting career in 1888. He had success as a Shakespearean actor on Broadway, and appeared in the original stage production of Ben-Hur (1899). He entered films in 1914, and after playing supporting roles in two short films, he achieved stardom the same year as the lead in the feature The Bargain. Hart was particularly interested in making realistic Western films. His films are noted for their authentic costumes and props, as well as Hart's acting ability, honed on Shakespearean theater stages in the United States and England. Beginning in 1915, Hart starred in his own series of two-reel Western short subjects for producer Thomas Ince, which were so popular that they were supplanted by a series of feature films. In 1915 and 1916, exhibitors voted him the biggest money making star in the United States. In 1917, Hart accepted a lucrative offer from Adolph Zukor to join Famous Players–Lasky, which merged into Paramount Pictures.
By the early 1920s, Hart's brand of gritty, rugged Westerns with drab costumes and moralistic themes gradually fell out of fashion. The public became attracted by a new kind of movie cowboy, epitomized by Tom Mix, who wore flashier costumes and was involved in more action scenes. Paramount dropped Hart, who then made one last bid for his kind of Western. He produced Tumbleweeds (1925) with his own money, arranging to release it independently through United Artists. After Tumbleweeds, Hart retired to his to home in Newhall, California.
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, William S. Hart has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6363 Hollywood Blvd. In 1975, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. As of , two of the films Hart starred in—The Bargain and Hell's Hinges—along with Show People, in which he has a cameo, have been added to the National Film Registry.
Filmography
Release date Title Role Credited as Notes Director Writer Producer His Hour of Manhood Two reels; survival status unknown Jim Cameron's Wife Two reels; survival status unknown Added to the National Film Registry in 2010 Sources:
Two reels; survival status unknown In the Sagebrush Country Two reels Two reels; survival status unknown Mr. "Silent" Haskins Two reels Two reels; survival status unknown Two reels; survival status unknown Two reels On the Night Stage Two reels Two reels Bad Buck of Santa Ynez Two reels Two reels Tools of Providence Two reels Two reels Cash Parrish's Pal Two reels Knight of the Trail Two reels Pinto Ben Boss Rider Two reels Keno Bates, Liar Two reels Between Men Hell's Hinges Added to the National Film Registry in 1994 Sources: Lost film * Lost film Sources: Lost film Sources: Lost film Sources: Lost film Sources: Truthful Tulliver Wolf Lowry All-Star Production of Patriotic Episodes for the Second Liberty Loan Himself ½ reel Wolves of the Rail Blue Blazes Rawden Selfish Yates Shark Monroe Riddle Gawne Two of five reels exist; co-stars Lon Chaney Sources: Himself ½ reel Lost film Sources: Branding Broadway Breed of Men Lost film Sources:
Square Deal Sanderson Co-directed by Lambert Hillyer Wagon Tracks Directed by Lambert Hillyer John Petticoats Directed by Lambert Hillyer Directed by Lambert Hillyer Sand! Directed by Lambert Hillyer Directed by Lambert Hillyer Directed by Lambert Hillyer O'Malley of the Mounted Directed by Lambert Hillyer; remade in 1936 with George O'Brien Sources: Directed by Lambert Hillyer Three Word Brand Directed by Lambert Hillyer White Oak Directed by Lambert Hillyer Travelin' On J.B. Directed by Lambert Hillyer Hollywood Himself Lost film; directed by James Cruze Wild Bill Hickok Directed by Clifford Smith Singer Jim McKee Directed by Clifford Smith Tumbleweeds Directed by King Baggot; reissued in 1939 with Hart in a new talking prologue Show People Himself Directed by King Vidor; added to the National Film Registry in 2003 Sources:
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