Wild Bill Elliott
Encyclopedia
Wild Bill Elliott was an American
film actor
. He specialized in playing the rugged heroes of B-Westerns, particularly in the Red Ryder
series of films.
, the son of cattle broker Leroy "Roy" Whitfield Nance and his wife, the former Maude Myrtle Auldridge. (While there has been debate about the exact year of his birth, his parents' marriage license and U.S. Census records [and the ages listed for his siblings] make clear that he was born in 1904 and no other year.)
The young Nance grew up within twenty miles of his birthplace, most of his youth spent on a ranch near King City, Missouri
. His father was a cattle rancher and commissioner buyer for the Kansas City stockyards. Riding and roping were part of Gordon Nance's upbringing. He won first place in a rodeo event in the 1920 American Royal
livestock show. He briefly attended Rockhurst College
, a Jesuit school in Kansas City, but soon left for California with hopes of becoming an actor.
and appeared in a few stage roles there. By 1927, he had made his first Western, The Arizona Wildcat, and in it, played 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 extra roles and bit parts. For the next eight years, he appeared in over a hundred films for various studios, but almost always in unbilled extra parts.
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), which was successful enough that Columbia offered him a contract as a leading man. The popularity of the serial made Columbia president Harry Cohn
rename him as "Wild Bill" instead of Gordon. Within two years, Elliott was among the Motion Picture Herald's Top Ten Western Stars, where he would remain for the next fifteen 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 best be 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," the actor took over 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 with a series of 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.
Elliott married Helen Josephine Meyers in February, 1927. Their daughter, Barbara Helen Nance, was born October 14, 1927. Elliott and his wife were divorced in 1961, and Elliott remarried that same year, to Dolly Moore.
Following his retirement in 1957, Elliott moved from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he bought a ranch. He died there, from lung cancer, on November 26, 1965, at 61. He is interred at Palm Downtown Mortuary & Cemetery in Las Vegas.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He specialized in playing the rugged heroes of B-Westerns, particularly in the Red Ryder
Red Ryder
Red Ryder was a popular long-running Western comic strip created by Stephen Slesinger and artist Fred Harman. Beginning Sunday, November 6, 1938, Red Ryder was syndicated by Newspaper Enterprise Association, expanding over the following decade to 750 newspapers, translations into ten languages and...
series of films.
Early life
Elliott was born Gordon A. Nance in Pattonsburg, MissouriPattonsburg, Missouri
Pattonsburg is a city in Daviess County, Missouri, United States. The population was 261 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Pattonsburg is located at ....
, the son of cattle broker Leroy "Roy" Whitfield Nance and his wife, the former Maude Myrtle Auldridge. (While there has been debate about the exact year of his birth, his parents' marriage license and U.S. Census records [and the ages listed for his siblings] make clear that he was born in 1904 and no other year.)
The young Nance grew up within twenty miles of his birthplace, most of his youth spent on a ranch near King City, Missouri
King City, Missouri
King City is a city in Gentry County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,012 at the 2000 census.-History:John Pittsenbarger was the first European settler when he set up a tent in town in 1856. His application to name the town Petersburg was rejected because there was already a town of...
. His father was a cattle rancher and commissioner buyer for the Kansas City stockyards. Riding and roping were part of Gordon Nance's upbringing. He won first place in a rodeo event in the 1920 American Royal
American Royal
The American Royal in Kansas City, Missouri is a livestock show, horse show and rodeo held each year in October and November at Kemper Arena. The Future Farmers of America was founded during the Royal and Kansas City's professional baseball team the Kansas City Royals derive their name from the...
livestock show. He briefly attended Rockhurst College
Rockhurst University
Rockhurst University is a private, coeducational Jesuit university located in Kansas City, Missouri, founded in 1910 as Rockhurst College. The school adheres to the motto etched into the stone of the campus bell tower: "Learning, Leadership, and Service in the Jesuit Tradition." It is one of 28...
, a Jesuit school in Kansas City, but soon left for California with hopes of becoming an actor.
Career
By 1925, he was getting occasional extra work in films. He took classes at the Pasadena PlayhousePasadena Playhouse
The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engagements each year.-History:...
and appeared in a few stage roles there. By 1927, he had made his first Western, The Arizona Wildcat, and in it, played 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 extra roles and bit parts. For the next eight years, he appeared in over a hundred films for various studios, but almost always in unbilled extra parts.
Elliott began to be noticed in some minor B-Westerns, enough so that Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
offered him the title role in a serial, The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok is a Columbia movie serial. It was the fourth of the fifty-seven serials released by Columbia and their first western serial. The serial was the first from a new production company, the previous three serials had been produced by Weiss Brothers.-Plot:Wild...
(1938), which was successful enough that Columbia offered him a contract as a leading man. The popularity of the serial made Columbia president Harry Cohn
Harry Cohn
Harry Cohn was the American president and production director of Columbia Pictures.-Career:Cohn was born to a working-class German-Jewish family in New York City. In later years, he appears to have disparaged his heritage...
rename him as "Wild Bill" instead of Gordon. Within two years, Elliott was among the Motion Picture Herald's Top Ten Western Stars, where he would remain for the next fifteen years.
In 1943, Elliott signed with Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
, which cast him in a series of Westerns alongside George 'Gabby' Hayes
George 'Gabby' Hayes
George Francis "Gabby" Hayes was an American radio, film, and television actor. He was best known for his numerous appearances in Western movies as the colorful sidekick to the leading man.-Early years:...
. The first of these, Calling Wild Bill Elliott, gave Elliott the name by which he would best be 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," the actor took over the role for which he would be best remembered, that of Red Ryder
Red Ryder
Red Ryder was a popular long-running Western comic strip created by Stephen Slesinger and artist Fred Harman. Beginning Sunday, November 6, 1938, Red Ryder was syndicated by Newspaper Enterprise Association, expanding over the following decade to 750 newspapers, translations into ten languages and...
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
Robert Blake (actor)
Robert Blake is an American actor who starred in the film In Cold Blood and the U.S. television series Baretta. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted for the 2001 murder of his wife, but on November 18, 2005, Blake was found liable in a California civil court for her wrongful death.-Early...
). 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
Monogram Pictures
Monogram Pictures Corporation is a Hollywood studio that produced and released films, most on low budgets, between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram is considered a leader among the smaller studios sometimes referred to...
, 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 with a series of 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.
Personal life
Elliott was a breeder of appaloosa and spotted horses and showed them in breeder contests for best in breed. He showed his horses in the Western States contest in Colorado Springs, CO, at the Broadmoor Hotel's Stadium in 1953.Elliott married Helen Josephine Meyers in February, 1927. Their daughter, Barbara Helen Nance, was born October 14, 1927. Elliott and his wife were divorced in 1961, and Elliott remarried that same year, to Dolly Moore.
Following his retirement in 1957, Elliott moved from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he bought a ranch. He died there, from lung cancer, on November 26, 1965, at 61. He is interred at Palm Downtown Mortuary & Cemetery in Las Vegas.