Paul Hurst

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

212

Gender

Male

Birthday

1888-10-14

Day of death

1953-02-27 (64 years old)

Place of Birth

Traver, California, USA

Paul Hurst

Biography

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 to Los Angeles to join in the emerging film industry there. He began appearing in films as early as 1912, most of them Westerns. By 1916, he was directing them as well (some sources report that he served in the First World War as a member of the French Foreign Legion, but the dates of his film projects make this story highly suspect). 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)

Known For

  • Star Dust

    Star Dust

  • I'd Give My Life

    I'd Give My Life

  • Glove Slingers

    Glove Slingers

  • Gone with the Wind

    Gone with the Wind

  • Riffraff

    Riffraff

  • The Missourians

    The Missourians

  • Spring Parade

    Spring Parade

  • Super-Sleuth

    Super-Sleuth

  • Pioneer Marshal

    Pioneer Marshal

  • Swellhead

    Swellhead

  • Calaboose

    Calaboose

  • Panama Flo

    Panama Flo

  • Remember?

    Remember?

  • Carnival

    Carnival

  • Tugboat Annie

    Tugboat Annie

  • Death Valley

    Death Valley

  • Sweepstakes

    Sweepstakes

  • Big Jim McLain

    Big Jim McLain

  • Prison Break

    Prison Break

  • That's My Line

    That's My Line

  • Charlie Chan's Courage

    Charlie Chan's Courage

  • Buttons

    Buttons

  • Bad Company

    Bad Company

  • Blackmailer

    Blackmailer

  • Rimrock Jones

    Rimrock Jones

  • In Old Chicago

    In Old Chicago

  • You Can't Beat Love

    You Can't Beat Love

  • Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

    Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

  • Sundown Jim

    Sundown Jim

  • My Pal, the King

    My Pal, the King

  • Gun Smugglers

    Gun Smugglers

  • Lilac Time

    Lilac Time

  • Whispering Smith

    Whispering Smith

  • Yellow Sky

    Yellow Sky

  • The Gay Desperado

    The Gay Desperado

  • Ranger of Cherokee Strip

    Ranger of Cherokee Strip

  • Hi'ya, Chum

    Hi'ya, Chum

  • They Drive by Night

    They Drive by Night

  • Pardon My Stripes

    Pardon My Stripes

  • Paradise Island

    Paradise Island

  • You Can't Have Everything

    You Can't Have Everything

  • Coney Island

    Coney Island

  • Men Are Such Fools

    Men Are Such Fools

  • In Old Sacramento

    In Old Sacramento

  • Sequoia

    Sequoia

  • Wake Up and Live

    Wake Up and Live

  • The Gay Deception

    The Gay Deception

  • The Virginian

    The Virginian

  • Goin' Fishin'

    Goin' Fishin'

  • State's Attorney

    State's Attorney

  • Mississippi

    Mississippi

  • Oh, Yeah!

    Oh, Yeah!

  • Petticoat Politics

    Petticoat Politics

  • The Big Race

    The Big Race

  • A Very Honorable Guy

    A Very Honorable Guy

  • The Big Stampede

    The Big Stampede

  • This Is My Affair

    This Is My Affair

  • Prince of the Plains

    Prince of the Plains

  • The Vivisectionist

    The Vivisectionist

  • Summer Storm

    Summer Storm

  • Stingaree

    Stingaree

  • Medicine Bend

    Medicine Bend

  • Smashing Through

    Smashing Through

  • The Ox-Bow Incident

    The Ox-Bow Incident

  • Law of the Golden West

    Law of the Golden West

  • Queen Christina

    Queen Christina

  • The Big Show-Off

    The Big Show-Off

  • Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

    Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

  • The Quicksands

    The Quicksands

  • Roaring Road

    Roaring Road

  • The Thirteenth Guest

    The Thirteenth Guest

  • Island of Lost Souls

    Island of Lost Souls

  • The Girl Detective

    The Girl Detective

  • The Hunchback of Notre Dame

    The Hunchback of Notre Dame

  • Hot Curves

    Hot Curves

  • Angel and the Badman

    Angel and the Badman

  • The Westerner

    The Westerner

  • Dakota

    Dakota

  • Topper Takes a Trip

    Topper Takes a Trip

  • Broadway Serenade

    Broadway Serenade

  • Danger – Love at Work

    Danger – Love at Work

  • Slave Ship

    Slave Ship

  • Dudes Are Pretty People

    Dudes Are Pretty People

  • The Sun Shines Bright

    The Sun Shines Bright

  • Each Dawn I Die

    Each Dawn I Die

  • Judith of the Cumberlands

    Judith of the Cumberlands

  • Fifty Roads to Town

    Fifty Roads to Town

  • The Red Signal

    The Red Signal

  • The Daring Young Man

    The Daring Young Man

  • The Diamond Runners

    The Diamond Runners

  • A Lass of the Lumberlands

    A Lass of the Lumberlands

  • Caught in the Draft

    Caught in the Draft

  • The Plainsman and the Lady

    The Plainsman and the Lady

  • The Great Mr. Nobody

    The Great Mr. Nobody

  • Castle on the Hudson

    Castle on the Hudson

  • The Racketeer

    The Racketeer

  • Among the Missing

    Among the Missing

  • Ali Baba Goes to Town

    Ali Baba Goes to Town

  • Kick In

    Kick In

  • Public Hero Number 1

    Public Hero Number 1

  • It Could Happen to You

    It Could Happen to You

  • On Your Toes

    On Your Toes

  • Quick Millions

    Quick Millions

  • The Phantom President

    The Phantom President

  • Murder in the Music Hall

    Murder in the Music Hall

  • Hold 'Em Jail

    Hold 'Em Jail

  • My Lucky Star

    My Lucky Star

  • Island in the Sky

    Island in the Sky

  • His First Command

    His First Command

  • Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence

    Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence

  • Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring

    Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring

  • The Runaway Bride

    The Runaway Bride

  • December 7th

    December 7th

  • Shadow of Doubt

    Shadow of Doubt

  • Hold Your Man

    Hold Your Man

  • Terror Aboard

    Terror Aboard

  • Robin Hood of El Dorado

    Robin Hood of El Dorado

  • Who Killed Doc Robbin?

    Who Killed Doc Robbin?

  • Wife, Doctor and Nurse

    Wife, Doctor and Nurse

  • Edison, the Man

    Edison, the Man

  • Outcasts of the Trail

    Outcasts of the Trail

  • Cafe Society

    Cafe Society

  • The Devil's Saddle

    The Devil's Saddle

  • Torrid Zone

    Torrid Zone

  • Second Honeymoon

    Second Honeymoon

  • Secrets of a Nurse

    Secrets of a Nurse

  • North of Nome

    North of Nome

  • The Sphinx

    The Sphinx

  • The Ghost That Walks Alone

    The Ghost That Walks Alone

  • The Single Sin

    The Single Sin

  • Under Colorado Skies

    Under Colorado Skies

  • Shadow of the Law

    Shadow of the Law

  • The Secret Six

    The Secret Six

  • This Woman Is Mine

    This Woman Is Mine

  • Girl Rush

    Girl Rush

  • California Firebrand

    California Firebrand

  • Barbary Coast Gent

    Barbary Coast Gent

  • Lightning Bryce

    Lightning Bryce

  • Hold That Co-ed

    Hold That Co-ed

  • The Parson of Panamint

    The Parson of Panamint

  • Day of Reckoning

    Day of Reckoning

  • Bad Lands

    Bad Lands

  • Josette

    Josette

  • Tomorrow's Youth

    Tomorrow's Youth

  • Night in New Orleans

    Night in New Orleans

  • The Sky's the Limit

    The Sky's the Limit

  • Tall, Dark and Handsome

    Tall, Dark and Handsome

  • Maker of Men

    Maker of Men

  • Million Dollar Pursuit

    Million Dollar Pursuit

  • South to Karanga

    South to Karanga

  • Something for the Boys

    Something for the Boys

  • Tugboat Annie Sails Again

    Tugboat Annie Sails Again

  • Son of God’s Country

    Son of God’s Country

  • To Mary - with Love

    To Mary - with Love

  • The Old Frontier

    The Old Frontier

  • Toughest Man in Arizona

    Toughest Man in Arizona

  • Grand Slam

    Grand Slam

  • Midnight Alibi

    Midnight Alibi

  • The Cossacks

    The Cossacks

  • Borrowed Wives

    Borrowed Wives

  • The Case of the Curious Bride

    The Case of the Curious Bride

  • We Who Are About to Die

    We Who Are About to Die

  • Take the Stand

    Take the Stand

  • The Last Express

    The Last Express

  • South of Rio

    South of Rio

  • Virginia

    Virginia

  • Heart of Virginia

    Heart of Virginia

  • Calm Yourself

    Calm Yourself

  • Alexander's Ragtime Band

    Alexander's Ragtime Band

  • Steppin' in Society

    Steppin' in Society

  • The Railroad Raiders

    The Railroad Raiders

  • Angel's Holiday

    Angel's Holiday

  • Maybe It's Love

    Maybe It's Love

  • The Arizona Ranger

    The Arizona Ranger

  • Outlaw's Paradise

    Outlaw's Paradise

  • The Legion of Missing Men

    The Legion of Missing Men

  • Sailor's Holiday

    Sailor's Holiday

  • Midnight Manhunt

    Midnight Manhunt

  • Scared Stiff

    Scared Stiff

  • No Time to Marry

    No Time to Marry

  • The Vanishing Westerner

    The Vanishing Westerner

  • The Public Defender

    The Public Defender

  • The Red Raiders

    The Red Raiders

  • Lucky Larkin

    Lucky Larkin

  • The California Mail

    The California Mail

  • Mountain Justice

    Mountain Justice

  • The Women in His Life

    The Women in His Life

  • The Cave Men's War

    The Cave Men's War

  • The Hazards of Helen: Episode13, The Escape on the Fast Freight

    The Hazards of Helen: Episode13, The Escape on the Fast Freight

  • Saturday's Millions

    Saturday's Millions

  • Madonna of the Desert

    Madonna of the Desert

  • San Antone Ambush

    San Antone Ambush

  • The Lawless Legion

    The Lawless Legion

  • The Third Alarm

    The Third Alarm

  • Trouble in Morocco

    Trouble in Morocco

  • The Further Adventures of Stingaree

    The Further Adventures of Stingaree

  • The Man Who Would Not Die

    The Man Who Would Not Die

  • The Valley of the Giants

    The Valley of the Giants

  • Officer O'Brien

    Officer O'Brien

  • The Hazards of Helen

    The Hazards of Helen

  • Tide of Empire

    Tide of Empire

  • The Lady Fights Back

    The Lady Fights Back

  • She's No Lady

    She's No Lady

  • Blue Streak O'Neil

    Blue Streak O'Neil

  • The Driver Of The Deadwood Coach

    The Driver Of The Deadwood Coach

  • The Secret Witness

    The Secret Witness

  • The Ballad of Paducah Jail

    The Ballad of Paducah Jail

  • The Line-Up

    The Line-Up

  • The Chief of Police

    The Chief of Police

  • The Plot at the Railroad Cut

    The Plot at the Railroad Cut

  • The Fighting Ranger

    The Fighting Ranger

  • The Manager of the B & A

    The Manager of the B & A