Wild Bill Elliott (born Gordon Nance, October 16, 1904 – November 26, 1965) was an American film actor. He specialized in playing the rugged heroes of B Westerns, particularly the

Red Ryder Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

series of films.

Early life

Elliott was born Gordon Nance on a ranch near

Pattonsburg, Missouri Pattonsburg is a city in northwest Daviess County, Missouri, United States. The population was 314 at the 2020 census. History Pattonsburg's current location is four miles north of the previous spot, Old Pattonsburg, as it is referred to toda ...

, the son of Leroy Whitfield Nance, a cattle broker, and his wife, Maude Myrtle Auldridge."More About 'Wild Bill Elliott'", ''Daviess County issouriHistorical Society Journal'', March 15, 2004. The young Nance grew up within 20 miles of his birthplace; he spent most of his youth on a ranch near

King City, Missouri King City is a city in southwest Gentry County, Missouri, United States. The population was 799 at the 2020 census. History John Pittsenbarger was the first European settler when he set up a tent in town in 1856. His application to name the tow ...

. His father was a cattle rancher and commissioner buyer for the Kansas City stockyards. Riding and roping were part of Nance's upbringing. He won first place in a rodeo event in the 1920

American Royal The American Royal is a livestock show, horse show, rodeo, and barbecue competition held each year in September – November at various sites in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The Future Farmers of America (now the National FFA Organiza ...

livestock show. He briefly attended Rockhurst College, 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 Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...

and appeared in a few stage roles there. By 1927, he had made his first Western, ''The Arizona Wildcat'', playing 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 roles as an extra and bit parts, as in ''

Broadway Scandals ''Broadway Scandals'' is a 1929 American Pre-Code musical film. Cast * Sally O'Neil - Mary * Jack Egan - Ted Howard * Carmel Myers - Valeska * J. Barney Sherry - Le Claire * Charles C. Wilson - Jack Lane * Doris Dawson - Bobby * Wild Bill Ell ...

'', in 1929. For the next eight years, he appeared in over 100 films for various studios, but almost always in unbilled parts as an extra. Elliott began to be noticed in some minor B Westerns, enough so that

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

offered him the title role in a serial, ''

The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok ''The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok'' (1938) is a Columbia Pictures movie serial. It was the fourth of the 57 serials released by Columbia and the studio's first Western serial. The serial was the first to be produced by Columbia personn ...

'' (1938). The serial was so successful, and Elliott so personable, that Columbia promoted him to starring in his own series of Western features, replacing Columbia's number-two cowboy star, Robert "Tex" Allen. Henceforth, Gordon Elliott was known as Bill Elliott. Within two years, he was among the ''Motion Picture Heralds top-10 Western stars, where he would remain for the next 15 years. In 1943, Elliott signed with Republic Pictures, which cast him in a series of Westerns alongside

George "Gabby" Hayes George Francis "Gabby" Hayes (7 May 1885 – 9 February 1969) was an American actor. He began as something of a leading man and a character player, but he was best known for his numerous appearances in B-Western film series as the bewhiskered, c ...

. The first of these, ''

Calling Wild Bill Elliott ''Calling Wild Bill Elliott'' is a 1943 American Western film directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet and written by Anthony Coldeway. The film stars Wild Bill Elliott, George "Gabby" Hayes, Anne Jeffreys, Herbert Heyes, Robert 'Buzz' Henry and Fred ...

'', gave Elliott the name by which he would be best 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, he took the role for which he would be best remembered, that of

in a series of 16 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. In an interview with

Ben Johnson Ben, Benjamin or Benny Johnson may refer to: In sports Association football * Ben Johnson (footballer, born 2000), English footballer * Ben Johnson (soccer) (born 1977), American soccer player Other codes of football *Ben Johnson (Australian foot ...

and Harry Carey, Jr., Ben recalls teaching many actors to ride a horse, including Bill. Bill didn't just learn to ride a horse but asked Ben many questions about style and technique. According to Ben, Bill become a very good horseman in his own right while the others "looked like a sack of walnuts on a horse." 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 An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

in 1953, it phased out its Western productions, and Elliott finished out his contract playing a homicide detective in a series of five modern police dramas, his first non-Westerns since 1938. Elliott retired from films (except for a few TV Western pilots, which were not picked up). He worked for a time as a spokesman for

Viceroy cigarettes Viceroy is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in the United States and British American Tobacco outside of the United States. History Viceroy was introduced by Brown & Williamson ...

and hosted a local TV program in Las Vegas, Nevada, which featured many of his Western films.

Personal life and death

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. He married Dolly Moore that same year. Following his retirement in 1957, he moved from Los Angeles to

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, where he bought a ranch. He died there from lung cancer on November 26, 1965, aged 61. He is interred at Palm Downtown Mortuary/Cemetery in Las Vegas.

Partial filmography

(His 3 serials and 16 Red Ryder films are noted below) * '' The Plastic Age'' (1925) (uncredited) * ''

The Shamrock Handicap ''The Shamrock Handicap'' is a 1926 American romance film directed by John Ford. Prints of the film still exists in the Museum of Modern Art film archive and Cinematheque Royale de Belgique. Cast * Janet Gaynor as Lady Sheila O'Hara * Leslie ...

'' (1926) (uncredited) * ''

Beyond London Lights ''Beyond London Lights'' is a lost 1928 American silent drama film directed by Tom Terriss and starring Adrienne Dore, Lee Shumway, and Bill Elliott. It is based on John Joy Bell's 1917 novel '' Kitty Carstairs'', and is sometimes referred to b ...

'' (1928) * '' Restless Youth'' (1928) * '' The Passion Song'' (1928) * '' Smart Woman'' (1931) (uncredited) * '' Consolation Marriage'' (1931) (uncredited) * ''

Left Over Ladies ''Left Over Ladies'' (also written as ''Leftover Ladies'') is a 1931 American drama film starring Claudia Dell, Marjorie Rambeau and Walter Byron.Cocchi p.56 Produced by Tiffany Pictures, it was originally going to be directed by Lloyd Bacon bef ...

'' (1931) * ''

The Final Edition ''The Final Edition'' is a 1932 American crime drama film directed by Howard Higgin and starring Pat O'Brien, Mae Clark and Morgan Wallace. Made by Columbia Pictures, it is based on a story by Roy Chanslor.Langman p.127 Synopsis The squabblin ...

'' (1932) * '' Cocktail Hour'' (1933) (uncredited) * '' The Goose and the Gander'' (1935) * ''

Moonlight on the Prairie ''Moonlight on the Prairie'' is a 1935 American Western film directed by D. Ross Lederman. It was the first of a Warner Bros. singing cowboy film series with Dick Foran and his Palomino Smoke. A print is preserved in the Library of Congress ...

'' (1935) * '' Trailin' West'' (1936) * '' Boots and Saddles'' (1937) as Neil * ''

Wife, Doctor and Nurse ''Wife, Doctor and Nurse'' is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Walter Lang and starring Loretta Young. Plot Cast * Loretta Young as Ina Heath Lewis * Warner Baxter as Dr. Judd Lewis * Virginia Bruce as Miss Stephens aka Steve * Jane Da ...

'' (1937) * '' The Lady in the Morgue'' (1938) * ''

'' (1938) ''Serial'' * ''

In Early Arizona ''In Early Arizona'' is a 1938 American Western film directed by Joseph Levering and written by Nate Gatzert. The film stars Wild Bill Elliott, Dorothy Gulliver, Harry Woods, Jack Ingram, Franklyn Farnum and Frank Ellis. The film was release ...

'' (1938) * ''

Frontiers of '49 ''Frontiers of '49'' is a 1939 American Western film directed by Joseph Levering and starring Wild Bill Elliott, Luana Alcañiz and Charles King.Blottner p.53 Cast * Wild Bill Elliott as Major John Freeman * Luana Alcañiz as Dolores de Cervan ...

'' (1939) * ''

Lone Star Pioneers ''Lone Star Pioneers'' is a 1939 American Western (genre), Western film directed by Joseph Levering and written by Nate Gatzert. The film stars Wild Bill Elliott, Dorothy Gulliver, Lee Shumway, Slim Whitaker, Charles King (character actor), Cha ...

'' (1939) * ''

The Law Comes to Texas ''The Law Comes to Texas'' is a 1939 American Western film directed by Joseph Levering and written by Nate Gatzert. The film stars Wild Bill Elliott, Veda Ann Borg, Bud Osborne, Slim Whitaker, Leon Beaumon and Paul Everton. The film was releas ...

'' (1939) * ''

Overland with Kit Carson ''Overland with Kit Carson'' is a 1939 American Western serial film directed by Norman Deming and Sam Nelson and starring Bill Ellott, Iris Meredith, Richard Fiske and Bobby Clack. Plot When Pegleg and his Black Raiders threaten the westwar ...

'' (1939) ''Serial'' * '' The Taming of the West'' (1939) * '' Pioneers of the Frontier'' (1940) * '' The Man from Tumbleweeds'' (1940) * '' The Return of Wild Bill'' (1940) * '' Prairie Schooners'' (1940) * '' Beyond the Sacramento'' (1940) * '' The Wildcat of Tucson'' (1940) * ''

Across the Sierras ''Across the Sierras'' is a 1941 American Western film directed by D. Ross Lederman and starring Bill Elliott. Plot After six years in prison, Mitch Carew returns to Arroyo to seek his revenge on the two men who sent him to prison, shopkeepe ...

'' (1941) * '' North from the Lone Star'' (1941) * '' The Return of Daniel Boone'' (1941) * ''

Hands Across the Rockies ''Hands Across the Rockies'' is a 1941 American Western film directed by Lambert Hillyer and starring Bill Elliott. Plot Wild Bill Hickok (Bill Elliott) and Cannonball (Dub Taylor) help two young people in love (Mary Daily and Stanley Brown) a ...

'' (1941) * ''

The Son of Davy Crockett ''The Son of Davy Crockett'' is a 1941 American Western film written and directed by Lambert Hillyer. The film stars Wild Bill Elliott, Iris Meredith, Dub Taylor, Kenneth MacDonald, Richard Fiske and Eddy Waller. The film was released on July ...

'' (1941) * '' King of Dodge City'' (1941) * '' Roaring Frontiers'' (1941) * '' The Lone Star Vigilantes'' (1942) * '' Bullets for Bandits'' (1942) * ''

North of the Rockies ''North of the Rockies'' is a 1942 American Western film directed by Lambert Hillyer and starring Bill Elliott and Tex Ritter. Plot Western. Mounty rounds up gang of fur smugglers Cast * Bill Elliott as Sergeant Wild Bill Cameron * Tex Ritter ...

'' (1942) * ''

The Devil's Trail ''The Devil's Trail'' is a 1919 American silent drama film that is set in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. It was directed by Stuart Paton and stars Betty Compson.

'' (1942) * ''

Prairie Gunsmoke ''Prairie Gunsmoke'' is a 1942 American Western film directed by Lambert Hillyer and written by Fred Myton. The film stars Wild Bill Elliott, Tex Ritter, Frank Mitchell, Virginia Carroll, Hal Price and Tris Coffin. The film was released on Jul ...

'' (1942) * ''

Vengeance of the West ''Vengeance of the West'' is a 1942 American Western film directed by Lambert Hillyer and written by Luci Ward. The film stars Wild Bill Elliott, Tex Ritter, Frank Mitchell, Adele Mara, Dick Curtis and Robert Fiske. The film was released on ...

'' (1942) * ''

The Valley of Vanishing Men ''The Valley of Vanishing Men'' is a 1942 American Western film serial. It was the 20th of 57 released by Columbia Pictures. Directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet, it stars Bill Elliott, Slim Summerville, and Carmen Morales. Plot In this serial, ...

'' (1942) ''Serial'' * ''

'' (1943) * ''

The Man from Thunder River ''The Man from Thunder River'' is a 1943 American Western film directed by John English and written by J. Benton Cheney. The film stars Wild Bill Elliott, George "Gabby" Hayes, Anne Jeffreys, Ian Keith, John James and Georgie Cooper. The f ...

'' (1943) * ''

Wagon Tracks West ''Wagon Tracks West'' is a 1943 American Western film directed by Howard Bretherton, written by William Lively, and starring Wild Bill Elliott, George "Gabby" Hayes, Tom Tyler, Anne Jeffreys, Rick Vallin and Robert Frazer. It was released on Au ...

'' (1943) * '' Tucson Raiders'' (1944) featuring Red Ryder * ''

Marshal of Reno ''Marshal of Reno'' is a 1944 American Western film directed by Wallace Grissell starring Wild Bill Elliott in the role of Red Ryder. It was the second of twenty-three Red Ryder feature films that would be produced by Republic Pictures. The pic ...