Acting · Newburgh, New York, USA · Born December 6, 1864
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.
MovieDecasia: The State of Decay
2002
as Self - Cowboy (archive footage)
MovieIt's Showtime
1976
as Self (archive footage)
MovieThe Great Chase
1962
MovieThe Legend of Rudolph Valentino
1961
as Self (archive footage)
MovieYesterday and Today
1953
as (archive footage)
MovieVariety Time
1948
as Texas Tex (archive footage) (uncredited)
MovieHedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 1
1941
as Self (uncredited)
MovieThe Hollywood Gad-About
1934
as Self (uncredited)
MovieStars of Yesterday
1931
as Self
MovieThe House That Shadows Built
1931
as (archive footage)
MovieShow People
1928
as Self (uncredited)
MovieTumbleweeds
1925
as Don Carver
Hello, 'Frisco
1924
as William S. Hart
MovieSinger Jim Mckee
1924
as 'Singer' Jim McKee
MovieWild Bill Hickok
1923
as Wild Bill Hickok
MovieHollywood
1923
as William S. Hart
MovieTravelin' On
1922
as J.B., The Stranger
MovieThree Word Brand
1921
as Three Word Brand / Governor Marsden / Ben Trego
MovieThe Whistle
1921
as Robert Evans
MovieO'Malley of the Mounted
1921
as Sergeant O'Malley
MovieWhite Oak
1921
as Oak Miller, a gambling man
MovieThe Testing Block
1920
as 'Sierra' Bill
MovieThe Cradle of Courage
1920
as 'Square' Kelly
MovieSand
1920
as Dan Kurrie
MovieThe Toll Gate
1920
as Black Deering
MovieJohn Petticoats
1919
as 'Hardwood' John Haynes
MovieWagon Tracks
1919
as Buckskin Hamilton
MovieSquare Deal Sanderson
1919
as Square Deal Sanderson
MovieThe Money Corral
1919
as Lem Beason
MovieThe Poppy Girl's Husband
1919
as Hairpin Harry Dutton
MovieBreed of Men
1919
as Careless Carmody
MovieBranding Broadway
1918
as Robert Sands
MovieThe Border Wireless
1918
as Steve Ransom
MovieRiddle Gawne
1918
as Jefferson 'Riddle' Gawne
MovieShark Monroe
1918
as Shark Monroe
MovieSelfish Yates
1918
as 'Selfish' Yates
MovieA Lion of the Hills
1918
MovieThe Tiger Man
1918
as Hawk Parsons
Movie'Blue Blazes' Rawden
1918
as Blue Blazes Rawden
Staking His Life
1918
as Bud Randall
MovieWolves of the Rail
1918
as 'Buck' Andrade
MovieThe Narrow Trail
1917
as Ice Harding
MovieThe Silent Man
1917
as Budd Marr
MovieThe Cold Deck
1917
as Jefferson "On the Level" Leigh
MovieAll-Star Production of Patriotic Episodes for the Second Liberty Loan
1917
MovieWolf Lowry
1917
as Tom 'Wolf' Lowry
MovieThe Square Deal Man
1917
as Jack O'Diamonds
MovieThe Desert Man
1917
as Jim Alton
MovieThe Gun Fighter
1917
as Cliff Hudspeth
MovieTruthful Tulliver
1917
as Truthful Tulliver
MovieThe Devil's Double
1916
as 'Bowie' Blake
MovieThe Return of Draw Egan
1916
as 'Draw' Egan aka William Blake
MovieThe Dawn Maker
1916
as Joe Elk
MovieThe Captive God
1916
as Chiapa
MovieThe Apostle of Vengeance
1916
as David Hudson
MovieThe Primal Lure
1916
as Angus McConnell
MovieThe Aryan
1916
as Steve Denton
MovieThe Patriot
1916
as Bob Wiley
MovieHell's Hinges
1916
as Blaze Tracy
MovieBetween Men
1916
as Bob White
MovieThe Disciple
1915
as Jim Houston
MovieKeno Bates, Liar
1915
as Keno Bates
Pinto Ben
1915
as Boss Rider
MovieKnight of the Trail
1915
as Jim Treen
MovieThe Ruse
1915
as 'Bat' Peters
MovieCash Parrish's Pal
1915
as Cash Parrish
MovieTools of Providence
1915
as Steve Blake
MovieThe Conversion of Frosty Blake
1915
as Frosty Blake
MovieThe Darkening Trail
1915
as Yukon Ed
MovieBad Buck of Santa Ynez
1915
as Bad Buck Peters
MovieThe Man from Nowhere
1915
as "Buck" Farley
MovieThe Taking of Luke McVane
1915
as Luke McVane
MovieOn the Night Stage
1915
as Texas
MovieThe Roughneck
1915
as Dave Page
MovieThe Sheriff's Streak of Yellow
1915
as Sheriff Hale
MovieThe Grudge
1915
as Rio Ed
MovieMr. 'Silent' Haskins
1915
as Lon Haskins
The Scourge of the Desert
1915
as Bill Evers
Grit
1915
MovieTwo-Gun Hicks
1914
as Two-Gun Hicks
MovieThe Bargain
1914
as Jim Stokes
Jim Cameron's Wife
1914
as Andy Stiles
His Hour of Manhood
1914
as Pete Larson
MovieIn the Sage Brush Country
1914
as Jim Brandon
MovieBen Hur
1907
as Messala
