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.
85 movies
Decasia: The State of Decay
2002·6.5
It's Showtime
1976·7.5
The Great Chase
1962·6.4
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
1961·7.0
Yesterday and Today
1953·7.0
Variety Time
1948·10.0
Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 1
1941·7.0
The Hollywood Gad-About
1934·6.0
Stars of Yesterday
1931·9.0
The House That Shadows Built
1931·8.5
Show People
1928·7.2
Tumbleweeds
1925·6.0
Hello, 'Frisco
1924·7.5
Singer Jim Mckee
1924·10.0
Wild Bill Hickok
1923·9.0
Hollywood
1923·9.0
Travelin' On
1922·9.0
Three Word Brand
1921·7.5
The Whistle
1921·5.4
O'Malley of the Mounted
1921·10.0
White Oak
1921·6.0
The Testing Block
1920·6.5
The Cradle of Courage
1920·6.5
Sand
1920·7.5
The Toll Gate
1920·5.7
John Petticoats
1919·10.0
Wagon Tracks
1919·6.3
Square Deal Sanderson
1919·6.7
The Money Corral
1919·7.0
The Poppy Girl's Husband
1919·3.0
Breed of Men
1919·0.0
Branding Broadway
1918·0.0
The Border Wireless
1918·0.0
Riddle Gawne
1918·0.0
Shark Monroe
1918·6.0
Selfish Yates
1918·0.0
A Lion of the Hills
1918·8.0
The Tiger Man
1918·0.0
'Blue Blazes' Rawden
1918·5.7
Staking His Life
1918·9.0
Wolves of the Rail
1918·6.0
The Narrow Trail
1917·5.0
The Silent Man
1917·4.5
The Cold Deck
1917·0.0
All-Star Production of Patriotic Episodes for the Second Liberty Loan
1917·8.0
Wolf Lowry
1917·6.0
The Square Deal Man
1917·0.0
The Desert Man
1917·0.0
The Gun Fighter
1917·0.0
Truthful Tulliver
1917·0.0
The Devil's Double
1916·0.0
The Return of Draw Egan
1916·5.2
The Dawn Maker
1916·0.0
The Captive God
1916·5.0
The Apostle of Vengeance
1916·0.0
The Primal Lure
1916·0.0
The Aryan
1916·5.5
The Patriot
1916·0.0
Hell's Hinges
1916·6.1
Between Men
1916·0.0
The Disciple
1915·8.0
Keno Bates, Liar
1915·5.0
Pinto Ben
1915·0.0
Knight of the Trail
1915·4.8
The Ruse
1915·0.0
Cash Parrish's Pal
1915·0.0
Tools of Providence
1915·0.0
The Conversion of Frosty Blake
1915·0.0
The Darkening Trail
1915·5.8
Bad Buck of Santa Ynez
1915·7.5
The Man from Nowhere
1915·0.0
The Taking of Luke McVane
1915·5.7
On the Night Stage
1915·4.4
The Roughneck
1915·0.0
The Sheriff's Streak of Yellow
1915·5.0
The Grudge
1915·0.0
Mr. 'Silent' Haskins
1915·5.5
The Scourge of the Desert
1915·0.0
Grit
1915·9.0
Two-Gun Hicks
1914·0.0
The Bargain
1914·5.6
Jim Cameron's Wife
1914·0.0
His Hour of Manhood
1914·0.0
In the Sage Brush Country
1914·0.0
Ben Hur
1907·4.4