WILLIAM 'WILD BILL' ELLIOTT BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

William 'Wild Bill' Elliott was a famous American film actor, who most notably appeared in westerns. He was born Gordon Nance on October 16, 1904, in a small town in Missouri. He later moved to California to study at the Pasadena Playhouse. In 1925, under the name Gordon Elliott, he got his first exposure to appearing in movies for he was an uncredited extra in “The Plastic Age”. Elliott went on to appear as extras in movies, and not until 1927 did he land his first feature role, in “The Arizona Wildcat”, which was a western film. After that, he began to appear in additional supporting roles for movies like “Passion Song” (1928), “Broadway Scandals” (1929), and “She Couldn’t Say No” (1930). He did not get another featured part until 1934, in “Devil Dogs of the Air”, but continued to appear as an extra in numerous additional films. From 1930 until 1938, Elliott was present in over one hundred pictures, but almost all of his roles were unbilled.
 
In 1938, he started to become noticed in some minor B-westerns, for Columbia Pictures offered Elliott the title role in a serial, “The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok” (1938). It was very successful, and so Columbia had the actor sign a contract to be a leading man and the serial continued for a total of fifteen chapters. The films had titles such as “Prairie Schooners” (1940), “Across the Sierras” (1941), “The Lone Star Vigilantes” (1942), and the final chapter was “Prairie Gunsmoke” (1942). Elliott’s films were so popular that he would be billed as 'Wild Bill' Elliott for the remainder of his cowboy acting career. In 1942, the series came to a draw. Elliott’s fame at Columbia furthermore increased when he acted in a collection of films with Tex Ritter, which include “King of Dodge City” (1941), “The Devil’s Trail” (1942), and “North of the Rockies” (1942).
 
The actor left Columbia and moved to Republic in 1943. Here he starred in higher budgeted westerns. In 1944, Elliott began portraying one of his most notable characters, Red Ryder, whom is based off of a popular western comic strip. He played this role for a total of sixteen films, lasting two years until 1946. Some of these pictures include “Tuscan Raiders” (1944), “Sheriff of Las Vegas” (1944), “Colorado Pioneers” (1945), and “Conquest of Cheyenne” (1946). Other movies he appeared in while at Republic were “Bordertown Gun Fighters” (1943), “Mojave Firebrand” (1944), and “Hidden Valley Outlaws” (1944).
 
Elliott started producing his own films in 1945, but continued to act. His final contract was with Monogram Pictures, but since western television shows were becoming so popular, the budgets for his films were drastically decreased. He appeared in eleven pretty good films with them, however, in the early 1950's.  In 1953, Monogram became Allied Artists Pictures Corporation, and they phased out their western productions. This forced Elliott to finish his contract with the lead role in a collection of modern police dramas, the last of them being “Footsteps in the Night” (1957). After this film, Elliott withdrew from acting, with the exception of a couple television western pilots, “Marshal of Trail City” and “Parson of the West”, which failed to be picked up.
 
After retiring, Elliott moved from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, where he bought a ranch and spent his time collecting western keepsakes and studying geology. He also became a spokesperson for a cigarette company. On November 26, 1965, he died from lung cancer.

Filmography

Year       Title

1957       Footsteps in the Night

1957       Chain of Evidence

1956       Calling Homicide 

1955       Sudden Danger

1955       Dial Red O

1954       The Forty-Niners 

1954       Bitter Creek 

1953       Vigilante Terror 

1953       Topeka 

1953       Rebel City 

1953       The Homesteaders

1952       The Maverick

1952       Fargo 

1952       Kansas Territory 

1952       Waco 

1951       The Longhorn

1950       The Showdown 

1950       The Savage Horde 

1950       The Marshal of Trail City 

1949       Hellfire 

1949       The Last Bandit

1948       The Gallant Legion

1948       Old Los Angeles 

1947       The Fabulous Texan

1947       Wyoming

1946       Plainsman and the Lady

1946       Conquest of Cheyenne

1946       In Old Sacramento 

1946       Sun Valley Cyclone

1946       Sheriff of Redwood Valley

1946       California Gold Rush

1945       Wagon Wheels Westward 

1945       Colorado Pioneers 

1945       Marshal of Laredo

1945       Phantom of the Plains

1945       Bells of Rosarita

1945       Lone Texas Ranger 

1945       Great Stagecoach Robbery 

1944       Sheriff of Las Vegas 

1944       Vigilantes of Dodge City 

1944       Cheyenne Wildcat 

1944       The San Antonio Kid 

1944       Marshal of Reno 

1944       Tucson Raiders 

1944       Hidden Valley Outlaws 

1944       Mojave Firebrand

1943       Death Valley Manhunt

1943       Overland Mail Robbery 

1943       Wagon Tracks West 

1943       Bordertown Gun Fighters 

1943       The Man from Thunder River 

1943       Calling Wild Bill Elliott

1942       The Valley of Vanishing Men

1942       Vengeance of the West

1942       Prairie Gunsmoke

1942       The Devil's Trail

1942       North of the Rockies

1942       Bullets for Bandits

1942       The Lone Star Vigilantes

1941       Roaring Frontiers

1941       King of Dodge City

1941       The Son of Davy Crockett

1941       Hands Across the Rockies

1941       The Return of Daniel Boone

1941       North from the Lone Star

1941       Across the Sierras

1940       The Wildcat of Tucson

1940       Beyond the Sacramento

1940       Prairie Schooners

1940       The Return of Wild Bill

1940       The Man from Tumbleweeds

1940       Pioneers of the Frontier

1939       The Roaring Twenties

1939       The Taming of the West

1939       Overland with Kit Carson

1939       The Law Comes to Texas

1939       Lone Star Pioneers

1939       Frontiers of '49

1938       In Early Arizona

1938       Letter of Introduction 

1938       The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok

1938       The Devil's Party

1938       The Lady in the Morgue

1938       Tarzan's Revenge

1937       Boy of the Streets 

1937       Love Takes Flight 

1937       Roll Along, Cowboy 

1937       Wife, Doctor and Nurse 

1937       Boots and Saddles 

1937       You Can't Have Everything 

1937       Michael O'Halloran 

1937       Speed to Spare 

1937       Melody for Two 

1937       Swing It, Professor 

1937       Midnight Court 

1937       Guns of the Pecos

1936       King of Hockey 

1936       Fugitive in the Sky 

1936       Polo Joe 

1936       The Case of the Black Cat

1936       Down the Stretch 

1936       Trailin' West 

1936       The Case of the Velvet Claws

1936       China Clipper

1936       Two Against the World

1936       Public Enemy's Wife

1936       The Big Noise 

1936       Murder by an Aristocrat 

1936       Bullets or Ballots 

1936       Romance in the Air

1936       The Singing Kid 

1936       The Walking Dead 

1936       The Story of Louis Pasteur

1936       Ceiling Zero

1936       The Murder of Dr. Harrigan 

1935       Dangerous 

1935       Man of Iron 

1935       Broadway Hostess 

1935       The Payoff

1935       I Found Stella Parish

1935       Moonlight on the Prairie

1935       Dr. Socrates 

1935       Personal Maid's Secret

1935       The Goose and the Gander

1935       Page Miss Glory

1935       Romance of the West 

1935       Bright Lights 

1935       Broadway Gondolier

1935       Front Page Woman 

1935       Going Highbrow 

1935       Alibi Ike 

1935       The Girl from 10th Avenue

1935       Go Into Your Dance 

1935       'G' Men

1935       Traveling Saleslady

1935       Gold Diggers of 1935

1935       Living on Velvet 

1935       A Night at the Ritz

1935       The Woman in Red

1935       Devil Dogs of the Air

1934       The Secret Bride 

1934       Murder in the Clouds

1934       I Am a Thief 

1934       The Firebird 

1934       6 Day Bike Rider 

1934       A Lost Lady 

1934       The Case of the Howling Dog 

1934       Desirable 

1934       Housewife 

1934       Good Morning, Eve!

1934       Friends of Mr. Sweeney

1934       Here Comes the Navy 

1934       Dr. Monica 

1934       The Merry Frinks 

1934       Hollywood Party 

1934       Smarty 

1934       Merry Wives of Reno 

1934       Upperworld 

1934       Twenty Million Sweethearts 

1934       Registered Nurse 

1934       A Modern Hero 

1934       Wonder Bar 

1933       Dancing Lady

1933       Only Yesterday 

1933       My Weakness

1933       Stage Mother

1933       My Lips Betray 

1933       The Masquerader 

1933       Handlebars

1933       Her Bodyguard 

1933       Private Detective 62 

1933       Cocktail Hour 

1933       Gold Diggers of 1933

1933       Made on Broadway

1933       The Little Giant 

1933       Taxi Barons 

1933       The Keyhole 

1933       Luxury Liner

1932       Silver Dollar 

1932       Night After Night

1932       A Successful Calamity

1932       Two Against the World 

1932       Crooner 

1932       Jewel Robbery 

1932       Bachelor's Affairs 

1932       Merrily We Go to Hell

1932       Week-end Marriage

1932       The Rich Are Always with Us

1932       -But the Flesh Is Weak 

1932       One Hour with You 

1932       Lady with a Past

1932       The Final Edition

1932       The Greeks Had a Word for Them

1932       Dance Team 

1932       Two Kinds of Women 

1932       Forbidden

1931       Delicious 

1931       Peach-O-Reno

1931       Good Sport

1931       Working Girls

1931       West of Broadway 

1931       What a Bozo!

1931       Convicted

1931       Platinum Blonde

1931       Leftover Ladies

1931       The Road to Reno

1931       Palmy Days

1931       Smart Woman

1931       The Woman Between

1931       The Public Defender 

1931       The Magnificent Lie

1931       Five and Ten 

1931       Let's Do Things 

1931       Party Husband 

1931       City Streets

1931       Born to Love 

1931       Once a Sinner 

1930       Reaching for the Moon

1930       Going Wild 

1930       Part Time Wife

1930       Sunny 

1930       East Is West

1930       Brothers 

1930       Big Boy 

1930       What Men Want 

1930       Fast Work 

1930       She Who Gets Slapped

1930       Born Reckless 

1930       The Cuckoos

1930       The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu

1930       A Notorious Affair 

1930       Double Cross Roads

1930       The Girl Said No

1930       Lord Byron of Broadway

1930       She Couldn't Say No

1929       Broadway Scandals 

1929       Night Parade 

1929       The Great Divide 

1928       Restless Youth

1928       The Boy Friend

1928       Passion Song

1928       Beyond London Lights

1927       Her Wild Oat 

1927       The Private Life of Helen of Troy

1927       The Arizona Wildcat

1927       The Drop Kick 

1927       On Ze Boulevard

1927       Children of Divorce

1926       The Shamrock Handicap 

1925       The Plastic Age