Paul Hurst
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 t
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)
Born
Oct 14, 1888
Traver, California, USA
Died
Feb 27, 1953
Known For
Acting
Movies
214 acting
42 crew
Popularity
0.9
Known For
Gone with the Wind
1939
as Yankee Deserter
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
1936
as 1st Deputy (uncredited)
The Ox-Bow Incident
1943
as Monty Smith
Angel and the Badman
1947
as Frederick Carson
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
1923
as Emeralda's Torturer (uncredited)
Yellow Sky
1948
as Drunk (uncredited)
They Drive by Night
1940
as Pete Haig (uncredited)
Island of Lost Souls
1932
as Capt. Donahue
Queen Christina
1934
as Swedish Soldier Betting on 6 (uncredited)
The Westerner
1940
as Chickenfoot
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