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
Judge William Pitman 'Billy' Priest
Judge Priest
Self
Screen Snapshots, Series 3, No. 12
Abel Frake
State Fair
Dr. George 'Doc' Bull
Doctor Bull
Doctor John Pearly
Steamboat Round the Bend
Cattle Brander
A Texas Steer
Self (archive footage)
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
Will Rogers
Hollywood
Bill Harper
Ambassador Bill
Hank Martin
A Connecticut Yankee
'Ropes' Reilly
The Ropin' Fool
Minstrel Show Performer
Happy Days
Pike Peters
Down To Earth
Don't Park There
Big Moments from Little Pictures
Bill Bunian / Joe Jackson
Two Wagons Both Covered
Thomas Brown
Doubting Thomas
Keneshaw H. Clark
Life Begins at Forty
Pike Peters
They Had to See Paris
Ira Skitch
Mr. Skitch
Earl Tinker
Business and Pleasure
Self (archive footage)
Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)
David Harum
David Harum
Self (archive footage)
Will Rogers and American Politics
(archive footage)
Going Hollywood: The '30s
Jubilo
Jus' Passin' Through
Uncle Hen Kaye
Tiptoes
Sam Lyman
Almost a Husband
Jubilo
Jubilo
Jubilo / Himself
Jubilo, Jr.
Billy Fortune
Water, Water, Everywhere
Jim Fenton
Jes' Call Me Jim
Alec Lloyd
Cupid the Cowpuncher
Hutch
Honest Hutch
Hjalmar Maartens
Guile of Women
Peep O'Day
Boys Will Be Boys
Self(archive footage)
The Biggest Little Star of the 30's
Sam Cody / Romeo
Doubling for Romeo
Bill Hyde
Laughing Bill Hyde
Jubilo
Too Busy to Work
Himself
Winging Around Europe with Will Rogers
Self (archive footage)
Shirley Temple: America's Little Darling
Steve Tapley
In Old Kentucky
'Two Straw' Bill
The Cowboy Sheik
himself
Babe Ruth: The Man, the Myth, the Legend
Lightnin' Bill Jones
Lightnin'
Alfalfa Doolittle
Going to Congress
Ambassador Alfalfa Doolittle
A Truthful Liar
Lem Skagwillow
Uncensored Movies
Hiram Draper
So This Is London
Andrew Yates
Handy Andy
Jim Hackler
The County Chairman
Exploring England with Will Rogers
Lemuel Morehouse
Young as You Feel
Will Rogers (uncredited/archive footage)
If I Forget You
Self (archive footage)
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Hank
Hustlin' Hank
The Cake Eater
archive footage
The Golden Age of Comedy
Noah Vale
A Poor Relation
Ichabod crane
The Headless Horseman
Dick
An Unwilling Hero
Self
With Will Rogers in Dublin
Professor Ezra Botts
One Glorious Day
Sam Gardner
The Strange Boarder
Himself
Voice of Hollywood (Series 2, No. 3)
Himself - archival footage
The Parrott Chase
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
67
Gender
Male
Birthday
1879-11-03
Place of Birth
Oologah, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma)
Also Known As