Bill Cody (actor) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bill Cody
Cody in Frontier Days (1934)
Born	William Joseph Cody, Sr. (1891-01-05)January 5, 1891 St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Died	January 24, 1948(1948-01-24) (aged 57) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Occupation	Film actor

Bill Cody Sr. (born Páll Valtýr Pálsson, January 5, 1891 – January 24, 1948) was a famous Hollywood actor. He starred in many "B-Western" movies during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. He was also the father of actor Bill Cody Jr..

Bill Cody started acting when movies were still quite new. He happened to have the same name as the famous "Buffalo" Bill Cody, even though they were not related. This name first caught the attention of movie producers. But soon, Bill Cody proved he was a talented and charming actor all on his own.

Bill Cody's Early Life and Career

Bill Cody was born in Winnipeg, Canada. His parents were from Iceland. He went to Saint Thomas Military Academy and later St. Johns University. After college, he joined a theater group called the Metropolitan Stock Company. They traveled all over the U.S. and Canada, performing plays. This experience eventually led him to Hollywood. In 1922, he started working as a stuntman in movies.

Becoming a Silent Film Star

A movie producer named Jesse Goldburg liked Bill Cody's acting. He signed Cody to make eight movies for the 1924–25 film season. Goldburg's company, Independent Pictures, was known for making movies on a small budget. However, they were also known for choosing good actors and filming locations.

The first movie in this series starring Cody was Dangerous Days. It was directed by J.P. McGowan. After that came The Fighting Sheriff, and the rest of the movies were released over the next six months.

Action-Packed Roles in Silent Movies

After working with Independent Pictures, Cody starred in two more films in 1926. These were The Galloping Cowboy and King of the Saddle. In the same year, he also appeared in Arizona Whirlwind.

In 1927, he starred in Born to Battle. This movie allowed him to show off his amazing horse riding skills. He even used a bull whip on screen! Cody also made two movies that he supposedly helped create the stories for: Gold from Weepah and Laddie Be Good. Bill Cody was agile and good-looking. He finished his silent film career by starring in several action movies for Universal Studios. These movies were not Westerns. They included The Price of Fear, Wolves of the City, The Tip Off, Slim Fingers, and Eyes of the Underworld.

Transition to "Talkies"

Bill Cody's first movie with sound was Under Texas Skies in 1930. Many actors from the silent film era found it hard to switch to "talkies" (movies with sound). But Bill Cody's career kept going strong. He was in demand right after his first sound film, even though he sometimes found memorizing lines a bit tricky.

The "Bill and Andy" Series

Monogram Pictures signed Bill Cody to star in an eight-movie Western series. He co-starred with child actor Andy Shuford. This series became known as "the Bill and Andy series."

The first Monogram film with Cody was Dugan of the Badlands. Other movies in the series included The Montana Kid, Oklahoma Jim, and Mason of the Mounted. In Mason of the Mounted, Cody played a Mountie (a Canadian police officer) and Andy Shuford played a runaway boy. The series also featured Ghost City, Land of Wanted Men, Law of the North, and Texas Pioneers. These films were popular, but Monogram decided not to continue the series.

In 1933, Cody did not make any movies. Instead, he worked as the main star in a traveling Wild West show. He returned to movies in 1934. He starred in The Border Menace, which was a very low-budget film. He then worked for the Downie Bros. Circus for a while. He took over as the main star from another actor, Jack Hoxie.

Working with Ray Kirkwood Productions

In late 1934, a producer named Ray Kirkwood signed Bill Cody to a contract. The plan was to make a series of exciting cowboy movies. Kirkwood's first movie with Cody was Frontier Days. It was a lively and fun movie that received very good reviews.

In this series, Bill Cody and his horse, Chico, were joined by actress Ada Ince. Also, Bill Cody's 9-year-old son, who was called Billy, Jr., joined the cast. They became the first father-and-son team to star together in "B-Westerns." Both Bill Cody Sr. and Billy Jr. showed a lot of promise in their first movie together.

More Father-Son Adventures

After Frontier Days, the father-son team starred in more movies. These included Six Gun Justice, The Cyclone Ranger, and The Texas Rambler. They also made The Vanishing Riders, where Cody and his son pretended to be ghosts to scare away cattle rustlers.

The Codys then went on tour with a wild west show and circus. When they came back to Hollywood, Kirkwood was having money problems. His wife, Zarah Tazil, started writing the screenplays for the remaining movies. Director J. P. McCarthy helped Cody give one of his best performances in The Lawless Border. The series ended with Blazing Justice and Outlaws of the Range.

Bill Cody was the main attraction for the Downie Brothers Circus when it started its 1935 season. He was replacing Jack Hoxie as the star. In August, two of Cody's sons joined him during their school vacations. There was even a report that Cody was working on a circus movie. However, in September 1935, a newspaper reported that Cody had left the circus.

Before joining Downie, Cody had also performed with the Miller Brothers' 101 Ranch show in 1929. He was also with the Bostock Wild Animal Circus in 1934.

The Final Starring Role

Ray Kirkwood had a good relationship with Bill Cody. He planned another series of eight movies starring both Cody Sr. and Cody Jr. for the 1936–37 season. The first movie was called The Reckless Buckaroo.

However, during the making of this film, Kirkwood's financial backer removed him as producer. The director, Harry Fraser, took over. By March 1936, the movie was finished. But Kirkwood could not get money for any more films in the series. So, the Cody movie series ended suddenly. The Reckless Buckaroo was released in 1937. It turned out to be Bill Cody's last main starring role.

Later Years and Legacy

After The Reckless Buckaroo, Bill Cody's acting career slowed down. He had fewer roles, but he still found success. In 1939, he played "Sheriff Warren" in the RKO film The Fighting Gringo. That same year, he had a small part in Stagecoach, a very famous movie directed by John Ford that helped make John Wayne a big star.

He also had small roles in two "cliffhanger" serials, G-Men vs the Black Dragon and The Masked Marvel, both in 1943. His last known film role was in Joan of Arc, released in 1948.

Bill Cody passed away in 1948 at the age of 57. He died at St. Joseph's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. His funeral was held in Hollywood. He was survived by his wife, Victoria Regina, and his sons, Bill Jr. and Henry.

Partial Filmography

Images for kids

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  A lobby card for the movie Frontier Days (1934).

See also

In Spanish: Bill Cody para niños