Hoot Gibson
Acting
🎂 1892-08-05
Hoot Gibson was a colorful figure, a light-hearted, fun-loving personality on screen and off. Hoot’s cheerful westerns included a significant amount of comedy. His mild, peaceful character rarely carried a gun. As an expert horseman, Hoot was always impressive on a galloping horse. Gibson’s film career began in 1910 with a few films for the Biograph Company interspersed among rodeo competitions. In 1914 he was a stuntman for the serial The Hazards of Helen, doubling the serial’s star Helen Holmes. His stunts included fights on trains and transfers from a train to a horse. He had supporting roles in numerous Western short films, including playing the villain in A Knight of the Range (1916) opposite popular western star Harry Carey. He appeared in three of the Westerns made by Carey and director John Ford in 1917: Straight Shooting, The Secret Man, and A Marked Man. Hoot’s starring career at Universal Studios was launched in two films directed by Ford, Action (1921) and Sure Fire (1921). In these films, Hoot plays a wandering cowboy who rescues the pretty young co-star from outlaws. Hoot became a popular western star for Universal. Film titles such as Ridin’ Wild (1922), Thrill Chaser (1923), Hit and Run (1924), Hurricane Kid (1925), and Galloping Fury (1927) guaranteed Hoot’s fans five reels of action and fun. Hoot’s easygoing approach gave his films a lighthearted tone. A deft comedian, he featured as much comedy as drama. As talkies arrived, Hoot continued as a Western star, but with lower budget producers such as M.H. Hoffman Inc. (distributed on a state rights basis by Allied Pictures Corporation) and Walker Futter Productions (Diversion Pictures). In 1935, Hoot co-starred with Harry Carey in Powdersmoke Range, advertised by RKO as the "Barnum and Bailey of Westerns" (whatever that means). The cast list of this "all star" (B western stars) film included Bob Steele, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, Tom Tyler, William Farnum, and other Westerners from the silent era. In 1937 at Republic, he made a serial, The Painted Stallion, in support of new cowboy star Ray Corrigan. An aging Hoot retained his fine horsemanship and comic flair, but fan interest had moved to the new singing cowboys, especially Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. Hoot’s Westerns had lost their appeal. In the late thirties, out of movies, Hoot toured with circuses and appeared at rodeos and fairs. In 1943, after seven years off the screen, Hoot returned in the Trail Blazer series at Monogram Studios. In these Westerns, Marshall Hoot Gibson, initially co-starred with Ken Maynard and later with Bob Steele and Chief Thundercloud, upholds the law and captures outlaws and crooked businessmen threatening the lives and property of innocent citizens. Hoot made eleven Trail Blazer films; the last was Trigger Law (1944). John Ford brought Hoot back for a cameo role in The Horse Soldiers (1959). His last screen appearance was as a sheriff’s deputy in Ocean’s Eleven (1960), another cameo.
Cast credits(223)
Roadblock Deputy (uncredited)
1960
Sgt. Brown
1959
Marshal Hoot Gibson
1943
Sheriff Bradley
1946
The Cowboy
1952
Clarence Elwood Butts
1924
Hoot Gibson
1944
Bud Watkins
1924
Self (uncredited)
1931
Al Goss
1936
(archive footage)
1976
Hoot Gibson
1944
Tom Jackson
1920
The Hurricane Kid
1925
Hoot Gibson
1943
Ben Johnson
1925
Geoffrey Arbuthnot 'Blinky' Islip
1923
Jeff Morgan Jr.
1926
Marshal Hoot Gibson
1943
1910
Sam Pertune
1923
'Simplex' Cox
1922
Dave Hollis
1924
Hoot Gibson
1924
Marshal Ben Dawson
1953
Ed King
1930
Self
1927
Bob Langdon
1926
Brent Halston
1936
Stony Brooke
1935
Chub -Jode's Helpful Cowboy Friend
1919
Johnny Ringo - Posing as Ben Bailey
1932
Ace Cooper
1924
The Ramblin' Kid
1923
Neil Gibson Jr.
1935
Omar K. Jenkins
1923
Billy Garford
1927
Laramie Lad
1922
Duke Travis
1923
Jimmy Duncan
1932
'Swat' Anderson
1924
Hoot Gibson
1944
Bill Bangs
1925
Luke Hawkins
1924
Bob Carson
1925
Swifty
1935
1920
1914
Jeffrey Halley
1919
Jim Wright
1931
Bud Watkins
1924
Dennis O'Shane
1923
Richard Gordon Jr
1929
Chuck Rafferty
1917
Pinto Peters
1921
Bob Watson
1919
1920
Steve Hartley
1933
2nd Nash Henchman (as Ed Gibson)
1916
Clint Knox
1936
'Katy' Didd
1923
1921
Clint Hale
1931
'Ace' Cooper posing as Tex
1933
Andy Walker
1923
1928
Hector MacKnight
1923
Jimmie Roberts
1927
Chip Jr.
1929
Dale Garland
1922
Vassily - Ivan's Brother
1918
Dan Malloy
1925
Tex Mason
1932
The Broncho Kid
1919
Cyril Henderson (as Edward 'Hoot' Gibson)
1922
The Singin' Kid
1922
1920
1917
Reasonin' Bates
1935
1911
1920
Pete Watson
1928
Vic Collins
1922
Sheriff
1918
1919
Bucky Simms
1927
1919
Stanley's Henchman
1916
Medicine Show Crowd Member (uncredited)
1915
Buck 'The Morning Glory Kid' Bonner
1936
'Whitey' Revel
1936
Messenger / Etzer
1917
The Cowboy
1916
Jeff Bransford
1921
U.S. Marshal Hoot Gibson
1943
Undetermined Role
1917
Pete Ainslee aka The Ridin' Kid
1930
1916
1921
The Texas Ranger
1921
1920
Tom Lattier - the Son
1914
1919
Danny Morgan
1918
Hoot Parkford
1944
Danny Morgan
1917
1921
1920
Clarence Butts
1929
Coot Cadigan
1926
Texas Ranger Tim Brennan
1930
Dennis O'Hara
1928
Bob Graham
1916
1920
Tom Richards
1929
1919
Jack
1915
Bart 'Smoke Gublen' Stevens
1919
Sandy Brouke
1921
1915
John Carleton
1925
Joe
1917
Chip Bennett
1926
Chad Pennington
1926
1920
Gang Leader
1919
Dave Bodie
1920
Jack Harding
1916
Ed Harley
1926
Chuck Fadden
1917
Hal 'Tucson Joe' Doyle
1928
1918
1918
Blanding
1916
Butler
1914
William Penn 'Peaceful' Patton
1931
The Deputy
1919
1920
Tim McKenzie - the Crow
1919
Bob Merril
1930
Curt 'El Capitan' Fremont
1931
1920
Billy Steele
1920
Train Crew (uncredited)
1915
Dick Rankin
1918
Cowboy
1917
Deputy (uncredited)
1915
Billy Halen
1927
'Click' Farlane
1926
1916
Hoot
1944
Dan Alton
1932
Jerry Alton
1927
Andy Barden
1927
1920
1920
Bill Perkins
1922
'Red' Johnson
1917
Sandy Adams
1920
Benjamin Franklin Tully
1928
Jim Dailey
1930
1921
1921
Walter Jamison
1937
Jim Marvin / Jerry Marvin (Twin Brothers)
1920
Bill Hammond
1928
Scot McHale
1920
Broncho Rider (uncredited)
1912
1920
Scratch 'Em Hank Scott
1929
Roarin' Dan
1920
Skyball Smith
1929
Chip's Pal
1917
1920
Hoot Gibson
1944
1919
Rodeo Bill
1928
1920
Jim Bonner
1932
Bill Evans -Concentratin' Kid
1930
Ben Slowbell
1923
Billy Reeves - the Foreman of the Ranch
1920
1920
The Prairie Dog
1919
Rodeo Randall
1927
1921
1919
1921
1914
1921
Marshal H.R. Higgins
1944
Bert Lyons
1922
1920
Steve Larmon
1919
The Driftin' Kid
1921
Lonnie Larkin
1919
Lucky 'The Lucky Terror' Carson
1936
Bing Davidson
1920
1920
1921
1920
The Stranger
1920
Bob Corey
1921
1919
1913
1921
1921
'In Wrong' Wright
1920
Dick Harris
1921
1912
Messenger on Motorcycle
1915
Cole Lawson Jr.
1929
Jack Purvin
1929
Etzer - Doyle's Pal
1915
1920
Orturo
1915
1913
The Ramblin' Kid
1929
1921
1920
1920
1920
1921
