Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthdate
1879-11-03
Day of Death
1935-08-15
Place of Birth
Oologah, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma)
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.
Filmography (68)
Will Rogers and American Politics
2010The Parrott Chase
2009
Shirley Temple: America's Little Darling
1993
Babe Ruth: The Man, the Myth, the Legend
1990
Going Hollywood: The '30s
1984Bob Hope's World of Comedy
1976The Biggest Little Star of the 30's
1976
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
1975
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
1961
The Golden Age of Comedy
1957
Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)
1942If I Forget You
1940
In Old Kentucky
1935
Steamboat Round the Bend
1935
