person

Bill Elliott

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Gender

Male

Birthday

1904-10-16

Place of Birth

Pattonsburg, Missouri, USA

Bill Elliott

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Wild Bill Elliott (October 16, 1904 – November 26, 1965) was an American film actor. He specialized in playing the rugged heroes of B Westerns, particularly the Red Ryder series of films. By 1925, he was getting occasional extra work in films. He took classes at the Pasadena Playhouse and appeared in a few stage roles there. By 1927, he had made his first Western, The Arizona Wildcat, playing his first featured role. Several co-starring roles followed, and he renamed himself Gordon Elliott. But as the studios made the transition to sound films, he slipped back into roles as an extra and bit parts, as in Broadway Scandals, in 1929. For the next eight years, he appeared in over a hundred films for various studios, but almost always in unbilled parts as an extra. Elliott began to be noticed in some minor B Westerns, enough so that Columbia Pictures offered him the title role in a serial, The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok (1938). The serial was so successful, and Elliott so personable, that Columbia promoted him to starring in his own series of Western features, replacing Columbia's number-two cowboy star Robert "Tex" Allen. Henceforth Gordon Elliott would be known as Bill Elliott. Within two years, he was among the Motion Picture Herald's Top Ten Western Stars, where he would remain for the next 15 years. In 1943, Elliott signed with Republic Pictures, which cast him in a series of Westerns alongside George "Gabby" Hayes. The first of these, Calling Wild Bill Elliott, gave Elliott the name by which he would be best known and by which he would be billed almost exclusively for the rest of his career. Following several films in which both actor and character shared the name Wild Bill Elliott, he took the role for which he would be best remembered, that of Red Ryder in a series of sixteen movies about the famous comic strip cowboy and his young Indian companion, Little Beaver (played in Elliott's films by Bobby Blake). Elliott played the role for only two years but would forever be associated with it. Elliott's trademark was a pair of six guns worn butt-forward in their holsters. Elliott's career thrived during and after the Red Ryder films, and he continued making B Westerns into the early 1950s. He also had his own radio show during the late 1940s. His final contract as a Western star was with Monogram Pictures, where budgets declined as the B Western lost its audience to television. When Monogram became Allied Artists Pictures Corporation in 1953, it phased out its Western productions, and Elliott finished out his contract playing a homicide detective in a series of five modern police dramas, his first non-Westerns since 1938. Elliott retired from films (except for a couple of TV Western pilots which were not picked up). He worked for a time as a spokesman for Viceroy cigarettes and hosted a local TV program in Las Vegas, Nevada, which featured many of his Western films.

Also Known For

poster

65

Jewel Robbery

Jul 08, 1932

poster

NA

The Arizona Wildcat

Nov 20, 1927

poster

40

Boots and Saddles

Oct 04, 1937

poster

62

Five and Ten

Jun 13, 1931

poster

48

Chain of Evidence

Jan 06, 1957

poster

57

Calling Homicide

Sep 30, 1956

poster

53

Footsteps in the Night

Apr 14, 1957

poster

65

One Hour with You

Mar 23, 1932

poster

68

Midnight Mary

Jun 30, 1933

poster

62

Night After Night

Oct 29, 1932

poster

52

The Showdown

Aug 15, 1950

poster

53

Sudden Danger

Dec 14, 1955

poster

56

The Murder of Dr. Harrigan

Jan 11, 1936

poster

NA

Michael O'Halloran

May 15, 1937

poster

56

Letter of Introduction

Aug 05, 1938

poster

61

Wonder Bar

Mar 31, 1934

poster

45

The Return of Daniel Boone

May 07, 1941

poster

46

The Goose and the Gander

Sep 21, 1935

poster

68

The Case of the Velvet Claws

Jul 03, 1936

poster

58

The Savage Horde

May 22, 1950

poster

70

Marshal of Reno

Jul 02, 1944

poster

40

Sheriff of Redwood Valley

Mar 29, 1946

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NA

San Antonio Kid

Aug 16, 1944

poster

NA

Tucson Raiders

May 14, 1944

poster

65

The Girl from 10th Avenue

Jun 01, 1935

poster

60

Broadway Scandals

Nov 10, 1929

poster

70

The Gallant Legion

May 24, 1948

poster

40

The Fabulous Texan

Nov 09, 1947

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NA

Melody for Two

May 01, 1937

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50

The Marshall of Trail City

May 10, 1950

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NA

The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok

Jun 30, 1938

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43

The Drop Kick

Sep 25, 1927

poster

61

A Lost Lady

Sep 29, 1934

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64

Dr. Socrates

Oct 19, 1935

poster

90

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

May 01, 1976

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30

The Plainsman and the Lady

Nov 11, 1946

poster

NA

Swing It Professor

Mar 13, 1937

poster

50

Roll Along, Cowboy

Oct 18, 1937

poster

50

Boy of the Streets

Jan 08, 1938

poster

30

Love Takes Flight

Nov 05, 1937

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NA

Polo Joe

Nov 04, 1936

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5

Overland with Kit Carson

Jul 21, 1939

poster

30

The Man from Tumbleweeds

May 02, 1940

poster

43

The Private Life of Helen of Troy

Dec 09, 1927

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NA

Phantom of the Plains

Sep 07, 1945

poster

NA

The Valley of Vanishing Men

Dec 17, 1942

poster

52

Dial Red O

Mar 13, 1955

poster

50

The Greeks Had a Word for Them

Feb 03, 1932

poster

10

Bachelor's Affairs

Jun 26, 1932

poster

62

The Lady in the Morgue

Apr 22, 1938

poster

51

The Shamrock Handicap

May 02, 1926

poster

55

The Girl Said No

Mar 15, 1930

poster

70

The Homesteaders

Mar 22, 1953

poster

52

The Forty-Niners

Jul 30, 1954

poster

30

Murder by an Aristocrat

Jun 13, 1936

poster

60

Lone Texas Ranger

May 20, 1945

poster

47

Lord Byron of Broadway

Feb 28, 1930

poster

53

The Boy Friend

Nov 10, 1928

poster

NA

Restless Youth

Nov 30, 1928

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NA

The Return of Wild Bill

Jun 26, 1940

poster

65

Fargo

Sep 07, 1952

poster

NA

Part Time Wife

Nov 30, 1930

poster

58

Hellfire

May 29, 1949

poster

50

God's Gift to Women

Apr 13, 1931

poster

NA

Let's Do Things

Jun 06, 1931

poster

46

Registered Nurse

Apr 06, 1934

poster

37

Broadminded

Aug 01, 1931

poster

57

You Can't Have Everything

Aug 02, 1937

poster

40

Traveling Husbands

Aug 15, 1931

poster

54

Broadway Gondolier

Jul 27, 1935

poster

72

Hands Across the Rockies

Jun 19, 1941

poster

50

Death Valley Manhunt

Nov 25, 1943

poster

NA

Bordertown Gun Fighters

Jul 08, 1943

poster

51

The Right to Live

Jan 26, 1935

poster

53

Broadway Hostess

Dec 07, 1935

poster

45

Sweepstakes

Jul 10, 1931

poster

48

The Great Divide

Sep 15, 1929

poster

60

Fugitive in the Sky

Nov 28, 1936

poster

73

Desirable

Sep 08, 1934

poster

65

Sunny

Nov 09, 1930

poster

60

Going Wild

Dec 21, 1930

poster

66

The Case of the Black Cat

Oct 31, 1936

poster

67

Dangerous

Dec 25, 1935

poster

55

Personal Maid's Secret

Oct 26, 1935

poster

NA

Hidden Valley Outlaws

Apr 01, 1944

poster

50

Stage Mother

Sep 29, 1933

poster

52

Stars Over Broadway

Nov 23, 1935

poster

50

The Big Noise

Jun 22, 1936

poster

62

Guns of the Pecos

Dec 28, 1936

poster

60

The Public Defender

Aug 01, 1931

poster

35

Night Parade

Oct 27, 1929

poster

50

Born to Love

Apr 17, 1931

poster

NA

Vigilantes of Dodge City

Nov 15, 1944

poster

50

The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu

May 02, 1930

poster

50

King of Hockey

Dec 19, 1936

poster

NA

The Son of Davy Crockett

Jul 15, 1941

poster

74

The Roaring Twenties

Oct 28, 1939

poster

22

Across the Sierras

Feb 13, 1941

poster

45

Sheriff of Las Vegas

Dec 31, 1944

poster

64

While the Patient Slept

Mar 09, 1935

poster

58

Lady with a Past

Feb 19, 1932

poster

NA

Prairie Gunsmoke

Jul 16, 1942

poster

NA

Frontiers of '49

Jan 19, 1939

poster

48

Midnight Court

Mar 06, 1937

poster

50

The Devil's Trail

May 14, 1942

poster

67

The Mummy

Dec 22, 1932

poster

NA

Pioneers of the Frontier

Feb 14, 1940

poster

59

Traveling Saleslady

Mar 28, 1935

poster

60

Man of Iron

Dec 21, 1935

poster

NA

The Wildcat of Tucson

Dec 31, 1940

poster

NA

Wagon Tracks West

Aug 18, 1943

poster

60

Prairie Schooners

Sep 29, 1940

poster

NA

Trailin' West

Sep 04, 1936

poster

60

The Woman in Red

Feb 16, 1935

poster

58

The Secret Bride

Dec 22, 1934

poster

55

Handlebars

Aug 26, 1933

poster

60

Calling Wild Bill Elliott

Apr 30, 1943

poster

55

Moonlight on the Prairie

Nov 02, 1935

poster

49

The Payoff

Jan 09, 1935

poster

55

Down the Stretch

Sep 18, 1936

poster

60

In Old Sacramento

May 31, 1946

poster

72

Gold Diggers of 1933

May 27, 1933

poster

68

The Little Giant

May 20, 1933

poster

NA

Kansas Territory

May 04, 1952

poster

NA

Waco

Feb 24, 1952

poster

NA

The Maverick

Dec 14, 1952

poster

60

Wife, Doctor and Nurse

Sep 17, 1937

poster

62

Delicious

Dec 27, 1931

poster

30

A Night at the Ritz

Mar 23, 1935

poster

NA

Beyond the Sacramento

Nov 11, 1940

poster

45

Bright Lights

Jul 27, 1935

poster

57

The Truth About Youth

Nov 03, 1930

poster

59

Children of Divorce

Apr 25, 1927

poster

NA

Vengeance of the West

Aug 16, 1942

poster

57

The Longhorn

Nov 25, 1951

poster

NA

Great Stagecoach Robbery

Feb 15, 1945

poster

NA

Marshal of Laredo

Oct 06, 1945

poster

40

Cheyenne Wildcat

Sep 30, 1944

poster

50

Sun Valley Cyclone

May 10, 1946

poster

60

California Gold Rush

Feb 04, 1946

poster

NA

Colorado Pioneers

Nov 14, 1945

poster

60

Wagon Wheels Westward

Dec 21, 1945

poster

NA

Conquest of Cheyenne

Jul 29, 1946

poster

50

The Man from Thunder River

Jun 11, 1943

poster

NA

North of the Rockies

Apr 02, 1942

poster

NA

Roaring Frontiers

Oct 15, 1941

poster

NA

North from the Lone Star

Mar 30, 1941

poster

NA

The Lone Star Vigilantes

Jan 01, 1942

poster

80

She Who Gets Slapped

May 15, 1930

poster

NA

Bullets for Bandits

Feb 12, 1942

poster

NA

Overland Mail Robbery

Nov 20, 1943

poster

NA

King of Dodge City

Aug 14, 1941

poster

30

Mojave Firebrand

Mar 19, 1944

poster

54

Bells of Rosarita

Jun 19, 1945

poster

40

The Road to Reno

Sep 25, 1931

poster

60

Wyoming

Jul 28, 1947

poster

55

Old Los Angeles

Apr 24, 1948

poster

60

The Last Bandit

Feb 25, 1949

poster

50

Rebel City

May 10, 1953

poster

50

Topeka

Aug 09, 1953

poster

50

Vigilante Terror

Nov 15, 1953

poster

63

Bitter Creek

Feb 21, 1954

poster

NA

Tank Patrol

Jun 16, 1941

poster

40

Vanity Fair

Mar 15, 1932

poster

NA

Left Over Ladies

Sep 30, 1931

poster

68

Working Girls

Dec 12, 1931

poster

50

Party Husband

Jun 06, 1931

poster

57

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

Aug 06, 1975

poster

10

What Men Want

Jul 12, 1930

poster

47

Murder in the Clouds

Dec 15, 1934

poster

59

The Plastic Age

Dec 15, 1925

poster

68

Only Yesterday

Nov 01, 1933

poster

70

It's Showtime

Mar 31, 1976

poster

65

The Case of the Howling Dog

Sep 22, 1934

poster

65

'G' Men

May 04, 1935

poster

63

Page Miss Glory

Sep 07, 1935

poster

52

The Rich Are Always with Us

May 19, 1932

poster

49

The Keyhole

Mar 25, 1933

poster

70

Blonde Crazy

Sep 16, 1931

poster

74

Scarface

Apr 09, 1932

poster

65

Bullets or Ballots

Jun 06, 1936

poster

58

Two Against the World

Jul 11, 1936

poster

56

China Clipper

Aug 11, 1936

poster

37

The Merry Frinks

May 26, 1934

poster

73

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

Dec 25, 1925

poster

67

Go Into Your Dance

Apr 20, 1935

poster

64

Merrily We Go to Hell

Jun 10, 1932

poster

52

A Successful Calamity

Sep 17, 1932

poster

NA

The Taming of the West

Dec 07, 1939

poster

44

Smarty

May 19, 1934

poster

60

Private Detective 62

Jun 10, 1933

poster

NA

Napoleon, Jr.

Nov 14, 1926

poster

NA

She Couldn't Say No

Feb 15, 1930

poster

67

Platinum Blonde

Oct 31, 1931

poster

53

Cocktail Hour

Jun 05, 1933

poster

65

Made on Broadway

May 19, 1933

poster

NA

In Early Arizona

Nov 02, 1938

poster

NA

The Law Comes to Texas

Apr 16, 1939

poster

55

Born Reckless

May 11, 1930

poster

NA

Double Cross Roads

Apr 20, 1930

poster

NA

Romance in the Air

May 16, 1936

poster

63

West of Broadway

Nov 28, 1931

poster

70

Adam-12

Sep 21, 1968