Will Rogers
Biography
Will Rogers was a Native American performer and humorist whose rope tricks and laconic style carried him from Wild West shows to vaudeville and Hollywood. Born in the Cherokee Nation in what is now Oklahoma, he began performing as a trick roper, later joining Texas Jack's Wild West Circus and the Wirth Brothers Circus before returning to the United States for vaudeville. His act led to the Ziegfeld Follies, where he developed witty monologues about current events, and he made his first silent film, Laughing Bill Hyde, in 1918. With the arrival of sound, Rogers became a leading film star, often playing homespun characters in pictures such as State Fair (1933), Judge Priest (1934), and Steamboat Round the Bend (1935). He also wrote thousands of syndicated newspaper columns and appeared in a popular weekly radio program. He died in 1935.
55years old at death
- Born Oologah
- Died Point Barrow
- Star sign: ScorpioThe sign runs October 23 to November 21
- Also credited as William Rogers and William Penn Adair Rogers
Movie Career
- Films
- 4
- Career span
- 24 years1933 to 1957
Every film, newest first
- 1957The Golden Age of ComedyIMDb rating 7.1
- 1935Doubting ThomasIMDb rating 6.4
- 1934Judge PriestIMDb rating 6.2
- 1933State FairIMDb rating 6.6
Genres
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Early training
Will Rogers did roping and riding for Texas Jack, who ran a little Wild West aggregation that toured the camps. Rogers said he learned the great secret of show business from the showman: knowing when to get off.
Big break
Rogers was at Madison Square Garden in 1905 when a wild steer broke into the stands, and he roped it, earning front page newspaper attention that brought him valuable publicity.
Behind the camera
Rogers wrote many of the title cards that appeared in his films. In 1923 he started a one-year stint with Hal Roach, during which he made 12 pictures.
A first
Rogers's first sound film, They Had to See Paris in 1929, gave him the chance to use the verbal wit that had made him famous on stage.
Will Rogers movies on Netflix
Worked with
Will Rogers shares two films with Frank Melton, and one with each of the others. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Frank Melton's page
Bess Flowers's page
John Qualen's page
Billy Bevan's page
Oliver Hardy's page
William 'Billy' Benedict's page
All films by John Ford
Henry KingDirector, 1 film, 1933
All films by Henry King
Robert YoungsonDirector, 1 film, 1957
All films by Robert Youngson
Awards
Three awards and honors.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other honors | |||
| 1977 | National Aviation Hall of Fame (posthumous) | Won | |
| Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame | Won | ||
| Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.