My Life East and West

MEMOIR OF A FILM STAR IN THE TIME OF PASSING OF THE AMERICAN FRONTIER CULTURE

This is the autobiography of William Surrey Hart (1864-1946), an early twentieth century silent film actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. A unique personage in the film industry—Hart’s boyhood years, besides affording tutoring in frontier values and the life of cowboys, also allowed him intimate contact with life and culture of Sioux Indians—Hart went on to become one of the first Western motion picture stars. A successful Shakespearian actor on Broadway, he appeared in Sidney Olcott’s 1907 production of Ben Hur and, in 1914, he starred in his first feature, The Bargain. Hart was interested in making realistic Westerns and was noted for the authenticity of costumes and props in his films. Fascinated by the Old West, he acquired Billy the Kid’s six-shooter and was a friend of both Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson. From 1914 until 1926, Hart was the leading western actor for silent films. In 1925, he starred in his last film, “Tumbleweeds.”