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.

Filmography

• 1962The Great Chase
• 1953Yesterday and Today — (archive footage)
• 1948Variety Time — Texas Tex (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 1936O'Malley of the Mounted — Writer
• 1931The House That Shadows Built — (archive footage)
• 1925Tumbleweeds — Don Carver, Director
• 1924Hello, 'Frisco — William S. Hart
• 1924Singer Jim Mckee — 'Singer' Jim McKee, Story
• 1923Hollywood — William S. Hart
• 1923Wild Bill Hickok — Wild Bill Hickok, Producer, Writer
• 1922Travelin' On — J.B., The Stranger, Story
• 1921O'Malley of the Mounted — Sergeant O'Malley, Story
• 1921The Whistle — Robert Evans
• 1921Three Word Brand — Three Word Brand / Governor Marsden / Ben Trego, Producer
• 1921White Oak — Oak Miller, a gambling man, Story
• 1920Sand — Dan Kurrie, Producer
• 1920The Cradle of Courage — 'Square' Kelly, Director
• 1920The Testing Block — 'Sierra' Bill, Screenplay, Story
• 1920The Toll Gate — Black Deering, Story, Writer
• 1919Breed of Men — Careless Carmody
• 1919John Petticoats — 'Hardwood' John Haynes
• 1919Square Deal Sanderson — Square Deal Sanderson, Director
• 1919The Money Corral — Lem Beason, Writer, Director, Producer
• 1919The Poppy Girl's Husband — Hairpin Harry Dutton, Producer, Director
• 1919Wagon Tracks — Buckskin Hamilton, Producer
• 1918'Blue Blazes' Rawden — Blue Blazes Rawden, Director
• 1918A Lion of the Hills
• 1918Branding Broadway — Robert Sands, Director, Producer
• 1918Riddle Gawne — Jefferson 'Riddle' Gawne, Director
• 1918Selfish Yates — 'Selfish' Yates, Director
• 1918Shark Monroe — Shark Monroe, Director, Producer
• 1918Staking His Life — Bud Randall
• 1918The Border Wireless — Steve Ransom, Director
• 1918The Tiger Man — Hawk Parsons, Director
• 1918Wolves of the Rail — 'Buck' Andrade, Director
• 1917All-Star Production of Patriotic Episodes for the Second Liberty Loan
• 1917The Cold Deck — Jefferson "On the Level" Leigh, Director
• 1917The Desert Man — Jim Alton, Director
• 1917The Gun Fighter — Cliff Hudspeth, Director
• 1917The Narrow Trail — Ice Harding, Director, Story
• 1917The Silent Man — Budd Marr, Director
• 1917The Square Deal Man — Jack O'Diamonds, Director
• 1917Truthful Tulliver — Truthful Tulliver, Director
• 1917Wolf Lowry — Tom 'Wolf' Lowry, Director
• 1916Between Men — Bob White, Director
• 1916Hell's Hinges — Blaze Tracy
• 1916The Apostle of Vengeance — David Hudson, Director
• 1916The Aryan — Steve Denton, Director
• 1916The Captive God — Chiapa
• 1916The Dawn Maker — Joe Elk, Director
• 1916The Devil's Double — 'Bowie' Blake, Director
• 1916The Patriot — Bob Wiley, Director
• 1916The Primal Lure — Angus McConnell, Director
• 1916The Return of Draw Egan — 'Draw' Egan aka William Blake, Director
• 1915Bad Buck of Santa Ynez — Bad Buck Peters, Director
• 1915Cash Parrish's Pal — Cash Parrish, Director
• 1915Grit — Rio Ed, Director
• 1915Keno Bates, Liar — Keno Bates, Director
• 1915Knight of the Trail — Jim Treen, Director
• 1915Mr. 'Silent' Haskins — Lon Haskins, Director
• 1915On the Night Stage — Texas
• 1915Pinto Ben — Boss Rider, Writer, Director
• 1915The Conversion of Frosty Blake — Frosty Blake, Director
• 1915The Darkening Trail — Yukon Ed, Director
• 1915The Disciple — Jim Houston, Director
• 1915The Grudge — Rio Ed, Director
• 1915The Man from Nowhere — "Buck" Farley, Director
• 1915The Roughneck — Dave Page, Director
• 1915The Ruse — 'Bat' Peters, Director
• 1915The Scourge of the Desert — Bill Evers, Director
• 1915The Sheriff's Streak of Yellow — Sheriff Hale, Director
• 1915The Taking of Luke McVane — Luke McVane, Director
• 1915Tools of Providence — Steve Blake, Director
• 1914His Hour of Manhood — Pete Larson
• 1914In the Sage Brush Country — Jim Brandon, Director
• 1914Jim Cameron's Wife — Andy Stiles
• 1914The Bargain — Jim Stokes
• 1914Two-Gun Hicks — Two-Gun Hicks, Director
• 1907Ben Hur — Messala

Appearances as themselves (7)

• 2002Decasia: The State of Decay — Self - Cowboy (archive footage)
• 1976It's Showtime — Self (archive footage)
• 1961The Legend of Rudolph Valentino — Self (archive footage)
• 1941Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 1 — Self (uncredited)
• 1934The Hollywood Gad-About — Self (uncredited)
• 1931Stars of Yesterday — Self
• 1928Show People — Self (uncredited)