Acting · Traver, California, USA · Born October 14, 1888
Paul Hurst (October 15, 1888 - February 27, 1953) was an American character actor of prodigious output who also directed and wrote silent films. Much of his early work was in low budget western films. A native of central California, Hurst had a first-hand knowledge of Western lore, growing up surrounded by the multi-million acre Lux & Miller ranches which ran cattle throughout the state. Visiting San Francisco as a young man, Hurst became involved in amateur theatricals and thereafter traveled to Los Angeles to join in the emerging film industry there. He began appearing in films as early as 1912, most of them Westerns. By 1916, he was directing them as well (some sources report that he served in the First World War as a member of the French Foreign Legion, but the dates of his film projects make this story highly suspect). In the early 1920s, Hurst wrote several scenarios for films he directed and appeared in. He proved adept at working as a director for some of the cheapest producers along Gower Gulch, where movies were normally shot on location in a week or less and where stunt men were often the highest paid folks on the set. Within a few years, he focused all of his energies into acting, notably becoming one of the few successes to emerge from Hollywood's Poverty Row. Hurst quickly became one of the more prolific and familiar characters in American movies. With his blocky build and squinty demeanor, and with a raspy voice that enhanced his memorability once sound pictures came in, Hurst played villains and cops and comedy sidekicks in more than 250 films. His most famous role was that of the deserter shot dead on the stairway of Tara by Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind (1939). Hurst was the sidekick to Monte Hale in a number of B-Westerns. Former Gower Gulch veteran John Wayne hired Hurst for Big Jim McLain (1952) knowing that Hurst was ill with terminal cancer. In 1953, at the age of 64, due to his health problems, Paul Hurst committed suicide. Date of Death: 27 February 1953, Hollywood, California (suicide)
MovieThe Sun Shines Bright
1953
as Jimmy Bagby
MovieToughest Man in Arizona
1952
MovieBig Jim McLain
1952
as Mr. Lexiter
MovieMillion Dollar Pursuit
1951
as Ray Harvey
MovieThe Missourians
1950
as John X. Finn
MovieThe Old Frontier
1950
as Skipper Horton
MovieThe Vanishing Westerner
1950
as Waldorf Worthington
MoviePioneer Marshal
1949
as Huck Homer
MovieRanger of Cherokee Strip
1949
as Sheriff Jug Mason
MovieSan Antone Ambush
1949
as Happy Daniels
MovieSouth of Rio
1949
as Andy Weems
MovieOutcasts of the Trail
1949
as Doc Meadowlark
MovieLaw of the Golden West
1949
as Otis Ellis
MoviePrince of the Plains
1949
as Sheriff Hank Hartley
MovieGun Smugglers
1948
as Sergeant Hasty Jones
MovieYellow Sky
1948
as Drunk (uncredited)
MovieSon of God’s Country
1948
as Eli Walker
MovieThe Arizona Ranger
1948
as Ben Riddle
MovieHeart of Virginia
1948
as Whit Galtry
MovieWho Killed Doc Robbin?
1948
as Jailer
MovieCalifornia Firebrand
1948
as Chuck Waggoner
MovieMadonna of the Desert
1948
as Pete Connors
MovieUnder Colorado Skies
1947
as Lucky John Hawkins
MovieAngel and the Badman
1947
as Frederick Carson
MovieThe Plainsman and the Lady
1946
as Al
MovieDeath Valley
1946
as Sergeant Dailey
MovieIn Old Sacramento
1946
as Stagecoach Driver
MovieThe Virginian
1946
MovieMurder in the Music Hall
1946
as Hobarth
MovieDakota
1945
as Captain Spotts
MovieMidnight Manhunt
1945
as Murphy
MovieSteppin' in Society
1945
as Cookie
MovieScared Stiff
1945
as Sheriff
MovieThe Big Show-Off
1945
as Herbert Trafagan, aka "The Devil", a wrestler
MovieSomething for the Boys
1944
as Defense Plant Foreman (uncredited)
MovieGirl Rush
1944
as Muley
MovieBarbary Coast Gent
1944
as Jake Compton
MovieSummer Storm
1944
as Orloff
MovieThe Ghost That Walks Alone
1944
as Sheriff Slim Carson
MovieThe Sky's the Limit
1943
as Dock Foreman (uncredited)
MovieConey Island
1943
as Louie
MovieThe Ox-Bow Incident
1943
as Monty Smith
MovieDecember 7th
1943
as World War I Ghost Soldier
MovieHi'ya, Chum
1943
as Archie Billings
MovieCalaboose
1943
as Ed the bartender
MovieNight in New Orleans
1942
as Sergeant Casper Riordan
MovieSundown Jim
1942
as Broderick
MovieDudes Are Pretty People
1942
as Two-Gun
MoviePardon My Stripes
1942
as Feets
MovieEllery Queen and the Murder Ring
1941
as Page
MovieThis Woman Is Mine
1941
as Second Mate Mumford
MovieThe Parson of Panamint
1941
as Jake Waldren
MovieCaught in the Draft
1941
as Sgt. Burns
MovieThe Great Mr. Nobody
1941
as Michael O'Connor
MoviePetticoat Politics
1941
as Slats O'Dell
MovieVirginia
1941
as Thomas
MovieTall, Dark and Handsome
1941
as Biff Sage
MovieTugboat Annie Sails Again
1940
as Pete
MovieGoin' Fishin'
1940
MovieSpring Parade
1940
as Headwaiter
MovieThe Westerner
1940
as Chickenfoot
MovieSouth to Karanga
1940
as Slats
MovieThey Drive by Night
1940
as Pete Haig (uncredited)
MovieTorrid Zone
1940
as Daniels
MovieEdison, the Man
1940
as Sheriff
MovieStar Dust
1940
as Mac, Amalgamated Lab Tech
MovieCastle on the Hudson
1940
as Guard (uncredited)
MovieRemember?
1939
as Policeman
MovieGone with the Wind
1939
as Yankee Deserter
MovieGlove Slingers
1939
as Chuck Brenner
MovieHeaven with a Barbed Wire Fence
1939
as Empire State Building Guard
MovieOn Your Toes
1939
as Variety Club Bartender
MovieBad Lands
1939
as Curly Tom
MovieQuick Millions
1939
as Sheriff
MovieEach Dawn I Die
1939
as Garsky
It Could Happen to You
1939
as Sandy
MovieBroadway Serenade
1939
as Reynolds, a Drunk
MovieCafe Society
1939
as Bartender
MovieTopper Takes a Trip
1938
as Charlie - the Bartender
MovieSecrets of a Nurse
1938
as Arlington Bysshe 'Slice' Cavanaugh
MovieThe Last Express
1938
as Asst. Dist. Atty. Springer
MovieHold That Co-ed
1938
as Slapsy
MovieMy Lucky Star
1938
as Louie
MoviePrison Break
1938
as Soapy
MovieJosette
1938
as A. Adolphus Heyman
MovieAlexander's Ragtime Band
1938
as Bill Mulligan
MovieIn Old Chicago
1938
as Mitch
MovieIsland in the Sky
1938
as Happy
MovieRebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
1938
as Mug
MovieNo Time to Marry
1938
as Sergeant
MovieSecond Honeymoon
1937
as Dennis Huggins
MovieAli Baba Goes to Town
1937
as Captain
The Lady Fights Back
1937
as Maloney
MovieDanger – Love at Work
1937
as NYC policeman
MovieWife, Doctor and Nurse
1937
as Bill
MovieWake Up and Live
1937
as McCabe
MovieShe's No Lady
1937
as Cop
MovieYou Can't Have Everything
1937
as Truck Driver (uncredited)
MovieThe Legion of Missing Men
1937
as Muggsy
MovieSuper-Sleuth
1937
as Motorcycle Cop
MovieYou Can't Beat Love
1937
as Foreman Butch Mehaffey
MovieSlave Ship
1937
as Drunk
MovieAngel's Holiday
1937
as Sgt. Murphy
MovieFifty Roads to Town
1937
as Tom
MovieThis Is My Affair
1937
as Bowler
MovieTrouble in Morocco
1937
as Tiger Malone
MovieWe Who Are About to Die
1937
as Tip Fuller
MovieNorth of Nome
1936
as Carlson
MovieThe Gay Desperado
1936
as American Detective
I'd Give My Life
1936
as "Sport" Conly
MovieTo Mary - with Love
1936
as Drunk
MovieBlackmailer
1936
as Inspector Killian
MovieMr. Deeds Goes to Town
1936
as 1st Deputy (uncredited)
MovieRobin Hood of El Dorado
1936
as Wilson
MovieRiffraff
1936
as Belcher
MovieThe Gay Deception
1935
as Bell Captain
Wilderness Mail
1935
as Jules
MovieThe Daring Young Man
1935
as Prison Guard
MovieCalm Yourself
1935
as Detective Roscoe
MoviePublic Hero Number 1
1935
as Rufe Parker
MovieThe Case of the Curious Bride
1935
as Fibo Morgan (uncredited)
MovieMississippi
1935
as Hefty
MovieShadow of Doubt
1935
as Lt. Sackville
MovieCarnival
1935
as Policeman
MovieSequoia
1935
as Bergman
MovieMaybe It's Love
1935
as Expressman (uncredited)
MovieThe Ballad of Paducah Jail
1934
as Escaped Felon
MovieTomorrow's Youth
1934
as Detective
MovieAmong the Missing
1934
as Capt. W.F. 'Big Bill' Connors
MovieTake the Stand
1934
as Denny O'Brien
MovieMidnight Alibi
1934
as Babe the Butcher
MovieCharlie Chan's Courage
1934
as Undetermined Role
MovieA Very Honorable Guy
1934
as Butler
MovieThe Line-Up
1934
as Detective Sgt. Doyle
MovieThe Big Race
1934
as Skipper O'Neal
MovieQueen Christina
1934
as Swedish Soldier Betting on 6 (uncredited)
MovieThe Women in His Life
1933
as Paul, Perez's Second Bodyguard
MovieDay of Reckoning
1933
as Harry
MovieSaturday's Millions
1933
as Doc Maloney, Trainer
MovieTugboat Annie
1933
as Sam
MovieHold Your Man
1933
as Aubrey C. Mitchell (uncredited)
MovieThe Sphinx
1933
as Detective Terrence Aloysius Hogan
MovieTerror Aboard
1933
as Boatswain
MovieGrand Slam
1933
as Man Who Speaks Final Line of the Film
MovieIsland of Lost Souls
1932
as Capt. Donahue
MovieMen Are Such Fools
1932
as Stiles
MovieThe Big Stampede
1932
as 'Arizona' Frank Bailey
MovieThe Phantom President
1932
as Sailor (uncredited)
MovieHold 'Em Jail
1932
as Butch
MovieThe Thirteenth Guest
1932
as Detective Grump
MovieState's Attorney
1932
as Police Captain Morgan
MovieMy Pal, the King
1932
as Red
MoviePanama Flo
1932
as Al
MovieThe Secret Witness
1931
as Officer Brannigan
MovieBad Company
1931
as Paul Hurst
MovieMaker of Men
1931
as Gabby
MovieThe Public Defender
1931
as Doc
MovieThat's My Line
1931
as Mexican Bandit
MovieSweepstakes
1931
as Bartender
MovieKick In
1931
as Detective Whip Fogarty
MovieThe Secret Six
1931
as Nick Mizoski - the Gouger
MovieThe Single Sin
1931
as Slug
MovieThe Third Alarm
1930
as 'Beauty' Johnson
MovieBorrowed Wives
1930
as Bull Morgan
MovieParadise Island
1930
as Beauty
MovieHot Curves
1930
as 'Slug', Baseball Player
MovieShadow of the Law
1930
as Pete Shore
MovieThe Runaway Bride
1930
as Sergeant Daly
MovieMountain Justice
1930
as Lem Harland
MovieSwellhead
1930
as Mugsy
MovieOfficer O'Brien
1930
as Captain Antrim
MovieLucky Larkin
1930
as Pete Brierson
MovieHis First Command
1929
as Sgt. Westbrook
MovieThe Racketeer
1929
as Mehaffy - Policeman
MovieOh, Yeah!
1929
as Railroad-Yard Superintendent
MovieSailor's Holiday
1929
as Jimmylegs
MovieThe California Mail
1929
as Rowdy Ryan
MovieTide of Empire
1929
as Poppy
MovieThe Lawless Legion
1929
as Ramirez
MovieThe Rainbow
1929
as Pat
MovieLilac Time
1928
as (uncredited)
MovieThe Cossacks
1928
as Sitchi
MovieButtons
1927
as Slugger McGlue
MovieThe Valley of the Giants
1927
as Randeau
MovieThe Red Raiders
1927
as Sergeant Murphy
MovieThe Devil's Saddle
1927
as 'Swig' Moran
Outlaw's Paradise
1927
as McDonald
MovieBlue Streak O'Neil
1926
The Fighting Ranger
1926
MovieRoaring Road
1926
as Checking Board Tabulator (uncredited)
The Man Who Would Not Die
1924
MovieThe Hunchback of Notre Dame
1923
as Emeralda's Torturer (uncredited)
MovieLightning Bryce
1919
as Powder Solvang
MovieSmashing Through
1918
as Stevens
MovieRimrock Jones
1918
as Ike Bray
MovieThe Further Adventures of Stingaree
1917
as Howie
MovieThe Railroad Raiders
1917
as Steve Arnold (as Paul C. Hurst)
MovieThe Hazards of Helen
1917
as Benton - a Foreman
MovieThe Manager of the B & A
1916
as Roger Oakley (as Paul C. Hurst)
The Diamond Runners
1916
as Paul - the Brains of the I.D.B.
MovieJudith of the Cumberlands
1916
as Blatchley Turrentine
MovieMedicine Bend
1916
as Murray Sinclair
MovieWhispering Smith
1916
as Murray Sinclair
MovieA Lass of the Lumberlands
1916
MovieStingaree
1915
as Howie - Stingaree's Partner
MovieThe Vivisectionist
1915
as Bart - Jardine's Servant
MovieThe Red Signal
1915
as Chief Dispatcher
MovieThe Hazards of Helen: Episode13, The Escape on the Fast Freight
1915
as A Trainman
MovieThe Girl Detective
1915
as Blair / Thompson / Michaels / Snake Henely / Mike Donegal / Bat Dorgan / Kelly / Dalton / Blake
MovieThe Plot at the Railroad Cut
1914
as Benton, the Foreman
The Chief of Police
1914
as Daniels
The Quicksands
1914
as Captain Lanning - Osborn's Rival
MovieThe Cave Men's War
1913
as Red Axe
MovieThe Driver Of The Deadwood Coach
1912
as Bad Bill - a Desperado
