William S. Hart

A storybook hero, the original screen cowboy, ever forthright and honest, even when (as was often the case) he played a villain, 'William S. Hart' (qv) lived for a while in the Dakota Territory, then worked as a postal clerk in New York City. In 1888 he began to study acting. In 1899 he created the role of Messala in "Ben-Hur", and received excellent reviews for his lead part in "The Virginian" (1907). His first film was a two-reeler, _His Hour of Manhood (1914)_ (qv). In 1915 he signed a contract with 'Thomas H. Ince' (qv) and joined Ince's Triangle Film Company. Two years later he followed Ince to Famous Players-Lasky and received a very lucrative contract from 'Adolph Zukor' (qv). His career began to dwindle in the early 1920s due to the publicity surrounding a paternity suit against him, which was eventually dismissed. He made his last film, _Tumbleweeds (1925)_ (qv), for United Artists and retired to a ranch in Newhall, CA. By that time audiences were more interested in the antics of a 'Tom Mix' (qv) or 'Hoot Gibson' (qv) than the Victorian moralizing of Hart. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery, NY.::Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu>