Paul Causey Hurst (October 15, 1888 â€" February 27, 1953) was an
American actor and director.Born in Traver, California, Hurst was
half-Cherokee and half-Seneca. He was raised on a ranch. He appeared
in hundreds of films during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. However, he
got his start painting scenery as part of the backstage crew during
the silent movie era. By 1911, he was active in films as an actor,
writer and director. He freelanced and worked for many of the movie
studios, building a solid reputation for his work both on and off
screen.Hurst is best remembered for two roles: as the Yankee deserter
who trespasses at Tara and is shot by Scarlett in Gone with the Wind
(1939); and his memorable characterization of the drunken and sadistic
vigilante Smith in The Ox Bow Incident (1943).However, he was most
proud of his role as a crotchety, old rancher who refuses water to a
Quaker family in the movie Angel and the Badman, until John Wayne's
character convinces him to share the water. It was after this latter
role that Republic Pictures signed him as the comic sidekick in Monte
Hale's Western series. His last film was John Ford's The Sun Shines
Bright.
American actor and director.Born in Traver, California, Hurst was
half-Cherokee and half-Seneca. He was raised on a ranch. He appeared
in hundreds of films during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. However, he
got his start painting scenery as part of the backstage crew during
the silent movie era. By 1911, he was active in films as an actor,
writer and director. He freelanced and worked for many of the movie
studios, building a solid reputation for his work both on and off
screen.Hurst is best remembered for two roles: as the Yankee deserter
who trespasses at Tara and is shot by Scarlett in Gone with the Wind
(1939); and his memorable characterization of the drunken and sadistic
vigilante Smith in The Ox Bow Incident (1943).However, he was most
proud of his role as a crotchety, old rancher who refuses water to a
Quaker family in the movie Angel and the Badman, until John Wayne's
character convinces him to share the water. It was after this latter
role that Republic Pictures signed him as the comic sidekick in Monte
Hale's Western series. His last film was John Ford's The Sun Shines
Bright.
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