Bill Nestell (born William Eugene Nestel or Eugene William Nestel; March 3, 1893 – October 18, 1966) was an American supporting actor seen most frequently in the

westerns The Western is a genre of fiction typically set in the American frontier (commonly referred to as the "Old West" or the "Wild West") between the California Gold Rush of 1849 and the closing of the frontier in 1890, and commonly associated wit ...

Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

and

Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...

,Jones, Ken (November 1974)
"What's In a Picture"
''Western Film Collector''. p. 17. Retrieved November 12, 2024. "Although "Sunset" doesn't appear in the still we see from left to right the following players: BILL NESTELL, featured player in many westerns of Republic and Universal. He retired from films in 1954 and died of a stroke at his home in Bishop, California on October 18, 1966 at the age of 71." and also a radio singer. He appeared in more than 125 films between 1926 and 1950, uncredited in all but a handful.

Early life and career

Born in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, Nestell was the son of Katherine "Katie" Drake and stage actor Edward "Ned" Westell,"Ned Nestell Dead"
''The San Francisco Examiner''. November 15, 1895. p. 16. Retrieved November 12, 2024."United States Census, 1910", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MVKB-G4L : Sun Mar 10 02:46:20 UTC 2024), Entry for William E Nestell, 1910. who died just two years later, at age 56. His mother remarried shortly thereafter, to blacksmith Alfred Connors. By 1910, however, Nestell had moved out. Having evidently picked up the essentials of blacksmithing and thus, at least temporarily, followed in the footsteps of his stepfather, he had nonetheless resumed use of his birth father's name. During the late 1920s, Nestell gained some prominence as "California's singing cowboy." Initially heard as a solo act, featured at least semi-regularly on KELW in

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...

,"Matter of Making Phonograph Records Told to Optimists"
''Burbank Evening Review''. December 1, 1927. p. 1. Retrieved November 12, 2024. he later expanded the act to what became known as the Trail Herd Quartet, led by Nestell and featuring Gilbert "Pee Wee" Holmes, Everett Cheetham, and Drew Stanfield. Aside from the radio station, the group was reportedly featured in the 1930 western '' Bar-L Ranch'', both on the soundtrack and in assorted non-musical supporting roles onscreen.

Personal life and death

From November 1911 until her death in 1922, Westell was married to Sophie M. Prewitt,"Vital Record: Marriage Licenses"
''Los Angeles Times''. June 6, 1911. p. 16. Retrieved November 12, 2024. with whom he had two children, a daughter and a son, prizefighter Robert Edward "Bob" Westell."Deaths: Robert E. Nestell"
''Bridgeport Chronicle-Union''. p. 14. January 1, 1976. Retrieved November 12, 2024. In September 1923, he married Clara Butterbredt."Marriage Licenses"
''The Los Angeles Times''. September 18, 1923. p. 18. Retrieved November 12, 2024. Following a series of strokes, Westell died at his home in

Bishop, California Bishop (formerly Bishop Creek) is the only incorporated city in Inyo County, California, United States. It is located near the northern end of the Owens Valley within the Mojave Desert, at an elevation of . The city was named after Bishop Creek ...

on October 18, 1966 from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

. He was survived by his wife and children.

Selected filmography

* '' Sir Lumberjack'' (1926) * '' When the Law Rides'' (1928) * '' Cheyenne Trails'' (1928) * '' The Fighting Legion'' (1930) * '' Desert Vengeance'' (1931) * '' The Night Riders'' (1939) * ''

New Frontier The term ''New Frontier'' was used by Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy in his acceptance speech, delivered July 15, in the 1960 United States presidential election to the Democratic National Convention at the Los Angeles Memo ...

'' (1939) * '' Three Faces West'' (1940)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nestell, Bill 1893 births 1966 deaths American male film actors American male singers American radio singers 20th-century American male actors Male Western (genre) film actors