Person Details

Birthday: 1888-10-15 04:13:04

Death: 1953-02-27 04:13:04

Aliases: Paul Causey Hurst , Paul C. Hurst

Gender: Male

Place of birth: Traver, Tulare County, California, USA

Homepage:

Movie Involvements: 174

TV Involvements: 0


Most Famous Work

Biography

Paul Hurst (October 15, 1888 - February 27, 1953) was an American character actor of prodigious output who also directed and wrote silent films. Much of his early work was in low budget western films. A native of central California, Hurst had a first-hand knowledge of Western lore, growing up surrounded by the multi-million acre Lux & Miller ranches which ran cattle throughout the state. Visiting San Francisco as a young man, Hurst became involved in amateur theatricals and thereafter traveled to Los Angeles to join in the emerging film industry there. He began appearing in films as early as 1912, most of them Westerns. By 1916, he was directing them as well (some sources report that he served in the First World War as a member of the French Foreign Legion, but the dates of his film projects make this story highly suspect). In the early 1920s, Hurst wrote several scenarios for films he directed and appeared in. He proved adept at working as a director for some of the cheapest producers along Gower Gulch, where movies were normally shot on location in a week or less and where stunt men were often the highest paid folks on the set. Within a few years, he focused all of his energies into acting, notably becoming one of the few successes to emerge from Hollywood's Poverty Row. Hurst quickly became one of the more prolific and familiar characters in American movies. With his blocky build and squinty demeanor, and with a raspy voice that enhanced his memorability once sound pictures came in, Hurst played villains and cops and comedy sidekicks in more than 250 films. His most famous role was that of the deserter shot dead on the stairway of Tara by Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind (1939). Hurst was the sidekick to Monte Hale in a number of B-Westerns. Former Gower Gulch veteran John Wayne hired Hurst for Big Jim McLain (1952) knowing that Hurst was ill with terminal cancer. In 1953, at the age of 64, due to his health problems, Paul Hurst committed suicide. Date of Death: 27 February 1953, Hollywood, California  (suicide)

Most Famous Work

Gone with the Wind
Average
8

Gone with the Wind

(1939) Yankee Deserter
Yellow Sky
Average
7

Yellow Sky

(1948) Drunk (uncredited)
Angel and the Badman
Average
6

Angel and the Badman

(1947) Frederick Carson
Island of Lost Souls
Average
7

Island of Lost Souls

(1932) Capt. Donahue
The Ox-Bow Incident
Average
8

The Ox-Bow Incident

(1943) Monty Smith
Queen Christina
Average
7

Queen Christina

(1933) Swedish Soldier Betting on 6 (uncredited)
The Westerner
Average
7

The Westerner

(1940) Chickenfoot
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Average
7

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

(1923) Emeralda's Torturer (uncredited)

Acting

Year Character Movie/Tv
1953 Jimmy Bagby
1952 N/A
Mr. Lexiter
1951 Ray Harvey
1950 John X. Finn
Skipper Horton
Waldorf Worthington
1949 Huck Homer
Sheriff Jug Mason
Happy Daniels
Andy Weems
Doc Meadowlark
Otis Ellis
Sheriff Hank Hartley
1948 Sergeant Hasty Jones
Drunk (uncredited)
Eli Walker
Ben Riddle
Whit Galtry
Jailer
Chuck Waggoner
Pete Connors
1947 Lucky John Hawkins
Frederick Carson
1946 Al
Sergeant Dailey
Stagecoach Driver
N/A
Hobarth
1945 Captain Spotts
Murphy
Cookie
Sheriff
Herbert Trafagan, aka "The Devil", a wrestler
1944 Defense Plant Foreman (uncredited)
Muley
Jake Compton
Orloff
Sheriff Slim Carson
1943 Dock Foreman (uncredited)
Louie
Monty Smith
World War I Ghost Soldier
Archie Billings
Ed the bartender
1942 Sergeant Casper Riordan
Broderick
Two-Gun
Feets
1941 Page
Second Mate Mumford
Jake Waldren
Sgt. Burns
Michael O'Connor
Slats O'Dell
Thomas
Biff Sage
1940 Pete
N/A
Headwaiter
Chickenfoot
Slats
Pete Haig (uncredited)
Daniels
Sheriff
Mac, Amalgamated Lab Tech
Guard (uncredited)
1939 Policeman
Chuck Brenner
Empire State Building Guard
Variety Club Bartender
Curly Tom
Sheriff
Garsky
Sandy
Reynolds, a Drunk
Yankee Deserter
Bartender
1938 Charlie - the Bartender
Arlington Bysshe 'Slice' Cavanaugh
Asst. Dist. Atty. Springer
Slapsy
Louie
Soapy
A. Adolphus Heyman
Bill Mulligan
Mitch
Happy
Florabelle's Father
Sergeant
1937 Dennis Huggins
Captain
Maloney
NYC policeman
Bill
McCabe
Cop
Truck Driver (uncredited)
Muggsy
Motorcycle Cop
Foreman Butch Mehaffey
Drunk
Sgt. Murphy
Tom
Bowler
Tiger Malone
Tip Fuller
1936 Carlson
American Detective
"Sport" Conly
Drunk
Inspector Killian
1st Deputy (uncredited)
Wilson
Belcher
1935 Bell Captain
Prison Guard
Detective Roscoe
Rufe Parker
Hefty
Lt. Sackville
Policeman
Bergman
Expressman (uncredited)
1934 Escaped Felon
Detective
Capt. W.F. 'Big Bill' Connors
Denny O'Brien
Babe the Butcher
Undetermined Role
Butler
Skipper O'Neal
1933 Swedish Soldier Betting on 6 (uncredited)
Paul, Perez's Second Bodyguard
Harry
Doc Maloney, Trainer
Sam
Detective Terrence Aloysius Hogan
Boatswain
Man Who Speaks Final Line of the Film
1932 Capt. Donahue
Stiles
'Arizona' Frank Bailey
Sailor (uncredited)
Butch
Detective Grump
Police Captain Morgan
Red
Al
1931 Officer Brannigan
Paul Hurst
Gabby
Doc
Mexican Bandit
Bartender
Detective Whip Fogarty
Nick Mizoski - the Gouger
Slug
1930 'Beauty' Johnson
Bull Morgan
Beauty
'Slug', Baseball Player
Pete Shore
Sergeant Daly
Lem Harland
Mugsy
Captain Antrim
Pete Brierson
1929 Sgt. Westbrook
Mehaffy - Policeman
Railroad-Yard Superintendent
Jimmylegs
Rowdy Ryan
Poppy
Ramirez
1928 (uncredited)
Sitchi
1927 Slugger McGlue
Randeau
Sergeant Murphy
'Swig' Moran
McDonald
1926 N/A
N/A
Checking Board Tabulator (uncredited)
1923 Emeralda's Torturer (uncredited)
1919 Powder Solvang
1918 Stevens
Ike Bray
1917 Howie
Steve Arnold (as Paul C. Hurst)
Benton - a Foreman
1916 Roger Oakley (as Paul C. Hurst)
Paul - the Brains of the I.D.B.
Blatchley Turrentine
Murray Sinclair
Murray Sinclair
N/A
1915 Howie - Stingaree's Partner
Bart - Jardine's Servant
Chief Dispatcher
A Trainman
Blair / Thompson / Michaels / Snake Henely / Mike Donegal / Bat Dorgan / Kelly / Dalton / Blake
1914 Benton, the Foreman
Daniels
Captain Lanning - Osborn's Rival
1913 Red Axe
1912 Bad Bill - a Desperado
Year Character Movie/Tv

Directing

Writing

Production


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