Will Rogers

Personal Info

Known For Actor

Gender Male

Birthday 1879-11-03

Deathday 1935-08-15 (55 years old)

Place of Birth Oologah, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma)

Will Rogers

Biography

William "Will" Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer and actor and one of the best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s. Known as Oklahoma's favorite son, Rogers was born to a prominent Cherokee Nation family in Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma). He traveled around the world three times, made 71 movies (50 silent films and 21 "talkies"), wrote more than 4,000 nationally-syndicated newspaper columns, and became a world-famous figure. By the mid-1930s, Rogers was adored by the American people. He was the leading political wit of the Progressive Era, and was the top-paid Hollywood movie star at the time. Rogers died in 1935 with aviator Wiley Post, when their small airplane crashed near Barrow, Alaska. His vaudeville rope act led to success in the Ziegfeld Follies, which in turn led to the first of his many movie contracts. His 1920s syndicated newspaper column and his radio appearances increased his visibility and popularity. Rogers crusaded for aviation expansion, and provided Americans with first-hand accounts of his world travels. His earthy anecdotes and folksy style allowed him to poke fun at gangsters, prohibition, politicians, government programs, and a host of other controversial topics in a way that was readily appreciated by a national audience, with no one offended. His short aphorisms, couched in humorous terms, were widely quoted: "I am not a member of an organized political party. I am a Democrat." Rogers even provided an epigram on his most famous epigram:     When I die, my epitaph, or whatever you call those signs on gravestones, is going to read: "I joked about every prominent man of my time, but I never met a man I dident like." I am so proud of that, I can hardly wait to die so it can be carved. Description above from the Wikipedia article Will Rogers, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Actor

1993
1984
Going Hollywood: The '30s

as (archive footage)

1976
The Biggest Little Star of the 30's

as Self(archive footage)

1975
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

as Self (archive footage)

1961
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino

as Self (archive footage)

1957
The Golden Age of Comedy

as archive footage

1948
The Ed Sullivan Show

as Self (archive footage)

1942
Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)

as Self (archive footage)

1940
If I Forget You

as Will Rogers (uncredited/archive footage)

1935
In Old Kentucky

as Steve Tapley

1935
Steamboat Round the Bend

as Doctor John Pearly

1935
Doubting Thomas

as Thomas Brown

1935
Life Begins at Forty

as Keneshaw H. Clark

1935
The County Chairman

as Jim Hackler

1934
Judge Priest

as Judge William Pitman 'Billy' Priest

1934
Handy Andy

as Andrew Yates

1934
David Harum

as David Harum

1933
Mr. Skitch

as Ira Skitch

1933
Doctor Bull

as Dr. George 'Doc' Bull

1933
State Fair

as Abel Frake

1932
1932
Down To Earth

as Pike Peters

1932
Business and Pleasure

as Earl Tinker

1931
Ambassador Bill

as Bill Harper

1931
Young as You Feel

as Lemuel Morehouse

1931
A Connecticut Yankee

as Hank Martin

1930
Lightnin'

as Lightnin' Bill Jones

1930
So This Is London

as Hiram Draper

1929
They Had to See Paris

as Pike Peters

1929
Happy Days

as Minstrel Show Performer

1927
A Texas Steer

as Cattle Brander

1927
Tiptoes

as Uncle Hen Kaye

1924
A Truthful Liar

as Ambassador Alfalfa Doolittle

1924
Jubilo, Jr.

as Jubilo / Himself

1924
Going to Congress

as Alfalfa Doolittle

1924
The Cowboy Sheik

as 'Two Straw' Bill

1924
Two Wagons Both Covered

as Bill Bunian / Joe Jackson

1923
Uncensored Movies

as Lem Skagwillow

1923
1923
1923
Hollywood

as Will Rogers

1922
The Headless Horseman

as Ichabod crane

1922
The Ropin' Fool

as 'Ropes' Reilly

1922
One Glorious Day

as Professor Ezra Botts

1921
A Poor Relation

as Noah Vale

1921
Doubling for Romeo

as Sam Cody / Romeo

1921
Boys Will Be Boys

as Peep O'Day

1921
1921
Guile of Women

as Hjalmar Maartens

1920
Honest Hutch

as Hutch

1920
Cupid the Cowpuncher

as Alec Lloyd

1920
Jes' Call Me Jim

as Jim Fenton

1920
The Strange Boarder

as Sam Gardner

1920
Water, Water, Everywhere

as Billy Fortune

1919
Jubilo

as Jubilo

1919
Almost a Husband

as Sam Lyman

1918
Laughing Bill Hyde

as Bill Hyde

Writer

1934
1927
A Texas Steer

as Writer

1922
The Ropin' Fool

as Writer

1921

Producer

1922
The Ropin' Fool

as Producer