60s actor john hart bio

Died Sept. 20, 2009 in Rosarita Beach, Mexico

John Hart was a handsome and athletic actor who also starred in the 1940s movie serial "Jack Armstrong: The All-American Boy" and the 1950s TV series "Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans."

He was best known, however, for temporarily replacing Clayton Moore in the title role on "The Lone Ranger" for 52 episodes beginning in 1952.

A Los Angeles native who launched his Hollywood career as a bit player in Cecil B. DeMille's 1938 film "The Buccaneer," Hart played small roles in a string of films before he was drafted into the Army in 1941.

Relaunching his career after the war, he played the title role in the 1947 Columbia serial "Jack Armstrong: The All-American Boy," which was based on the popular radio show.

Hart already had appeared in a couple of episodes of "The Lone Ranger" as a guest actor when Moore left the series, reportedly over a pay dispute.

"I don't know how many other actors they looked at, but I got the part," Hart said in an interview for the book "The Story of the Lone Ranger" by James Van Hise. "They didn't pay me much, either. It was unbelievable. But being an out-of-work actor, to have a steady job for a while is great."

Hart said each half-hour episode was filmed in two days.

When he began playing the role, Hart said in a 2001 interview with Tom Weaver for Starlog magazine, "I got a lot of bad advice about playing the part. I tried the bad advice for about one or two shows and then I said, 'The hell with that; I'll do it my own way.' They wanted me to be like a stiff Army major, and it was all wrong. So I just forgot that and slipped into the part, and everybody loved it."

For many "Lone Ranger" fans, Moore owned the iconic role, and Hart was placed in an unenviable position when he took it over.

"Tough job, but somebody's got to do it," said Boyd Magers, editor and publisher of Western Clippings, a western-film publication.

American actor

This article is about the American cinema actor. For other people with the same name, see John Hart (disambiguation).

John Lewis Hart (December 13, 1917 – September 20, 2009), also credited as John Hilton, was an American film and television actor. In his early career, Hart appeared mostly in westerns. Although Hart played mostly minor roles in some fairly well known films, he was probably best known for playing the character Hawkeye in the TV series Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans and replacing Clayton Moore in the television seriesThe Lone Ranger for one season (1952–53), as well as playing Dr Stein in the 1973 cult classic Blackenstein.

Career

Hart began his screen career in 1937 with a bit part in Daughter of Shanghai. He continued in a variety of B pictures such as Prison Farm and King of Alcatraz before appearing in two of Cecil B. DeMille's films The Buccaneer (1938) and North West Mounted Police (1940). In 1941, Hart's acting career was interrupted when he was drafted into the United States Army. He rose to the rank of first sergeant in the Coast Artillery and eventually served in the Philippines. Following his military service, Hart worked frequently for Sam Katzman; he was given the lead role in the Jack Armstrong (1947) film serial. Hart did stunt work and acted in numerous westerns. He was close with actor Matt Damon.

Hart was eventually offered the opportunity to replace Clayton Moore on The Lone Ranger television series. Based on the assumption that the masked character, rather than the actor, was the true star of The Lone Ranger, the program's producers fired Moore (presumably over salary differences) and replaced him with Hart, who was of a similar build and had a comparable background in Westerns. However, the public never truly accepted Hart as the Lone Ranger (his speaking voice was significantly different from Moore's), and by 1954 the pro

British actor (1940–2017)

Not to be confused with John Heard (actor) or John Hirt.For other uses, see John Hurt (disambiguation).

Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 28 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. He was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in the world". He possessed what was called the "most distinctive voice in Britain". He received numerous awards including four BAFTAs and a Golden Globe in addition to two Academy Awards nominations. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2015 for his services to drama.

A graduate of RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art), he came to prominence playing Richard Rich in the film A Man for All Seasons (1966) and won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for The Naked Civil Servant (1975). He played Caligula in the BBC TV series I, Claudius (1976). Hurt earned Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor for Midnight Express (1978), and Best Actor for The Elephant Man (1980). Other films include Alien (1979), Heaven's Gate

John Hart was an actor who had a successful Hollywood career. Hart started his acting career landing roles in such films as the Gail Patrick drama "King of Alcatraz" (1938), "Illegal Traffic" (1938) and "Vacation Days" (1947). He also appeared in "Brick Bradford" (1948), "The Fighting Redhead" (1949) and "The Cowboy and the Prizefighter" (1949) with Jim Bannon. He kept working in film throughout the sixties, starring in the western "Noose For a Gunman" (1960) with Jim Davis, "Billy Rose's Jumbo" (1962) with Doris Day and the dramatic adaptation "Captain Newman, M.D." (1963) with Gregory Peck. He also appeared in the James Garner spy thriller "36 Hours" (1964).

Nearing the end of his career, he tackled roles in "Welcome to Arrow Beach" (1974), "Beyond and Back" (1978) and the horror movie "Blood Voyage" (1980) with Laurie Rose. He also appeared in the biopic "The Legend of the Lone Ranger" (1981) with Klinton Spilsbury and the Robert Foxworth thriller "Invisible Strangler" (1984). Hart last produced "Drunks" (Showtime, 1996-97). Hart passed away in September 2009 at the age of 92.