William Anton Gittinger (March 28, 1888 â€" February 13, 1966), best
known as William Steele, was an American actor of small roles in
Westerns, particularly those of John Ford.Although his screen credits
and many records indicate a wide variety of names and spellings,
Steele's own signatures on his military documents indicate that he was
born William Anton Gittinger on March 28, 1888 (not 1889, as some
sources have it) in San Antonio, Texas. Little is known of his life
prior to his arrival in Los Angeles around 1910. As the film industry
in Hollywood was just blossoming, and as he apparently had great
experience with horses, Steele easily obtained work in quickie
Westerns. He fought in Europe in World War I, then returned to
Hollywood. While he was extremely inconsistent in the names he used,
he worked consistently in Westerns throughout the silent era and up
until the 1950s. His final appearance was as the wounded posse member
Nesby in Ford's The Searchers in 1956, his tenth film for Ford. He
died ten years later, not quite 78 years old. He was survived by his
wife Josephine, an actress. He is buried under his birth name at Fort
Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas.
known as William Steele, was an American actor of small roles in
Westerns, particularly those of John Ford.Although his screen credits
and many records indicate a wide variety of names and spellings,
Steele's own signatures on his military documents indicate that he was
born William Anton Gittinger on March 28, 1888 (not 1889, as some
sources have it) in San Antonio, Texas. Little is known of his life
prior to his arrival in Los Angeles around 1910. As the film industry
in Hollywood was just blossoming, and as he apparently had great
experience with horses, Steele easily obtained work in quickie
Westerns. He fought in Europe in World War I, then returned to
Hollywood. While he was extremely inconsistent in the names he used,
he worked consistently in Westerns throughout the silent era and up
until the 1950s. His final appearance was as the wounded posse member
Nesby in Ford's The Searchers in 1956, his tenth film for Ford. He
died ten years later, not quite 78 years old. He was survived by his
wife Josephine, an actress. He is buried under his birth name at Fort
Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas.
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