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
(1939) Yankee DeserterYellow Sky
(1948) Drunk (uncredited)Angel and the Badman
(1947) Frederick CarsonIsland of Lost Souls
(1932) Capt. DonahueThe Ox-Bow Incident
(1943) Monty SmithQueen Christina
(1933) Swedish Soldier Betting on 6 (uncredited)The Westerner
(1940) ChickenfootThe 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
Year | Role | Movie/Tv |
---|---|---|
1927 | Director | |
1926 | Director | |
Director | ||
Director | ||
Director | ||
Director | ||
Director | ||
1925 | Director | |
Director | ||
Director | ||
Director | ||
1924 | Director | |
Director | ||
Director | ||
1923 | Director | |
1922 | Director | |
Director | ||
Director | ||
Director | ||
1921 | Director | |
Director | ||
1919 | Director | |
Director | ||
1918 | Director | |
Director | ||
1917 | Director | |
Director | ||
1916 | Director | |
1915 | Director | |
Year | Role | Movie/Tv |
Writing
Year | Role | Movie/Tv |
---|---|---|
1924 | Story | |
Scenario Writer | ||
1922 | Story | |
Scenario Writer | ||
Scenario Writer | ||
Writer | ||
1921 | Scenario Writer | |
Story | ||
1917 | Writer | |
Year | Role | Movie/Tv |
Production
Year | Role | Movie/Tv |
---|---|---|
1915 | Producer | |
Year | Role | Movie/Tv |