Cast & creator
Paul Hurst
Best known for Gone with the Wind, Yellow Sky, Angel and the Badman
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)
Also known as: Paul Causey Hurst, Paul C. Hurst
256
film credits
0
television credits
214
1912–1953 · acting roles
6.9
average across scored titles
Signature credits
Known for
Across film & television
Filmography (256)
Showing 256 of 256 credits
Gone with the Wind
Yankee Deserter
1939
Yellow Sky
Drunk (uncredited)
1948
Angel and the Badman
Frederick Carson
1947
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
1st Deputy (uncredited)
1936
The Ox-Bow Incident
Monty Smith
1943
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Emeralda's Torturer (uncredited)
1923
They Drive by Night
Pete Haig (uncredited)
1940
Island of Lost Souls
Capt. Donahue
1932
Who Killed Doc Robbin?
Jailer
1948
The Virginian
1946
Sweepstakes
Bartender
1931
Queen Christina
Swedish Soldier Betting on 6 (uncredited)
1934
The Westerner
Chickenfoot
1940
Edison, the Man
Sheriff
1940
Each Dawn I Die
Garsky
1939
The Sun Shines Bright
Jimmy Bagby
1953
In Old Chicago
Mitch
1938
We Who Are About to Die
Tip Fuller
1937
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
Mug
1938
Something for the Boys
Defense Plant Foreman (uncredited)
1944
The Sky's the Limit
Dock Foreman (uncredited)
1943
The Great Mr. Nobody
Michael O'Connor
1941
Alexander's Ragtime Band
Bill Mulligan
1938
The Case of the Curious Bride
Fibo Morgan (uncredited)
1935
Caught in the Draft
Sgt. Burns
1941
You Can't Have Everything
Truck Driver (uncredited)
1937
Super-Sleuth
Motorcycle Cop
1937Wilderness Mail
Jules
1935
Wake Up and Live
McCabe
1937
Ali Baba Goes to Town
Captain
1937
Petticoat Politics
Slats O'Dell
1941The Quicksands
Captain Lanning - Osborn's Rival
1914
Buttons
Slugger McGlue
1927
The Daring Young Man
Prison Guard
1935
Castle on the Hudson
Guard (uncredited)
1940
Summer Storm
Orloff
1944
Death Valley
Sergeant Dailey
1946
Big Jim McLain
Mr. Lexiter
1952
Tugboat Annie Sails Again
Pete
1940
Medicine Bend
Murray Sinclair
1916
Sundown Jim
Broderick
1942
Public Hero Number 1
Rufe Parker
1935
Toughest Man in Arizona
1952
To Mary - with Love
Drunk
1936
December 7th
World War I Ghost Soldier
1943
Murder in the Music Hall
Hobarth
1946
The Valley of the Giants
Randeau
1927
Danger – Love at Work
NYC policeman
1937
Dudes Are Pretty People
Two-Gun
1942
The Plainsman and the Lady
Al
1946
The Women in His Life
Paul, Perez's Second Bodyguard
1933
Tall, Dark and Handsome
Biff Sage
1941
No Time to Marry
Sergeant
1938
Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence
Empire State Building Guard
1939
Coney Island
Louie
1943
Hold Your Man
Aubrey C. Mitchell (uncredited)
1933
The Parson of Panamint
Jake Waldren
1941
Topper Takes a Trip
Charlie - the Bartender
1938
Outcasts of the Trail
Doc Meadowlark
1949
Robin Hood of El Dorado
Wilson
1936
Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring
Page
1941
Whispering Smith
Murray Sinclair
1916
Madonna of the Desert
Pete Connors
1948
Charlie Chan's Courage
Undetermined Role
1934
Secrets of a Nurse
Arlington Bysshe 'Slice' Cavanaugh
1938
Law of the Golden West
Otis Ellis
1949
Hot Curves
'Slug', Baseball Player
1930
Calaboose
Ed the bartender
1943
Roaring Road
Checking Board Tabulator (uncredited)
1926Roaring Road
Director
1926
Son of God’s Country
Eli Walker
1948
Smashing Through
Stevens
1918
Hold That Co-ed
Slapsy
1938
Rangeland
Director
1922Rangeland
Writer
1922
You Can't Beat Love
Foreman Butch Mehaffey
1937
Torrid Zone
Daniels
1940
The Gay Deception
Bell Captain
1935
Wife, Doctor and Nurse
Bill
1937
She's No Lady
Cop
1937
This Is My Affair
Bowler
1937
The Vivisectionist
Bart - Jardine's Servant
1915Golden Silence
Director
1923
Maybe It's Love
Expressman (uncredited)
1935
Shadow of the Law
Pete Shore
1930
The Big Show-Off
Herbert Trafagan, aka "The Devil", a wrestler
1945
Dakota
Captain Spotts
1945
My Pal, the King
Red
1932
The Ghost That Walks Alone
Sheriff Slim Carson
1944The Lady Fights Back
Maloney
1937
This Woman Is Mine
Second Mate Mumford
1941
Midnight Manhunt
Murphy
1945
Rimrock Jones
Ike Bray
1918
Barbary Coast Gent
Jake Compton
1944
Broadway Serenade
Reynolds, a Drunk
1939
State's Attorney
Police Captain Morgan
1932
Pioneer Marshal
Huck Homer
1949
A Very Honorable Guy
Butler
1934
It Could Happen to You
Sandy
1939
Hi'ya, Chum
Archie Billings
1943
Slave Ship
Drunk
1937
The Vanishing Westerner
Waldorf Worthington
1950
The Sphinx
Detective Terrence Aloysius Hogan
1933
Stingaree
Howie - Stingaree's Partner
1915
The Rainbow
Pat
1929
Swellhead
Mugsy
1930
The Runaway Bride
Sergeant Daly
1930
Calm Yourself
Detective Roscoe
1935
Riffraff
Belcher
1936
Men Are Such Fools
Stiles
1932
The Secret Six
Nick Mizoski - the Gouger
1931
Fifty Roads to Town
Tom
1937
Night in New Orleans
Sergeant Casper Riordan
1942
King Fisher's Roost
Director
1921King Fisher's Roost
Story
1921King Fisher's Roost
Scenario Writer
1921
The Legion of Missing Men
Muggsy
1937
Prince of the Plains
Sheriff Hank Hartley
1949
The Thirteenth Guest
Detective Grump
1932
The Midnight Message
Director
1926
Oh, Yeah!
Railroad-Yard Superintendent
1929
Island in the Sky
Happy
1938
Ranger of Cherokee Strip
Sheriff Jug Mason
1949
The Tiger's Trail
Director
1919
In Old Sacramento
Stagecoach Driver
1946
Blackmailer
Inspector Killian
1936
Spring Parade
Headwaiter
1940
California Firebrand
Chuck Waggoner
1948
Judith of the Cumberlands
Blatchley Turrentine
1916
That's My Line
Mexican Bandit
1931
Mississippi
Hefty
1935
The Driver Of The Deadwood Coach
Bad Bill - a Desperado
1912
The Arizona Ranger
Ben Riddle
1948
A Lass of the Lumberlands
1916A Lass of the Lumberlands
Director
1916
The Hazards of Helen
Benton - a Foreman
1917Play Straight or Fight
Director
1918
On Your Toes
Variety Club Bartender
1939
The Cave Men's War
Red Axe
1913
Josette
A. Adolphus Heyman
1938I'd Give My Life
"Sport" Conly
1936
The Public Defender
Doc
1931
The Cossacks
Sitchi
1928
Pardon My Stripes
Feets
1942
Shadow of Doubt
Lt. Sackville
1935
The Crow's Nest
Director
1922
The Gay Desperado
American Detective
1936
Remember?
Policeman
1939
Trouble in Morocco
Tiger Malone
1937
The Hazards of Helen: Episode13, The Escape on the Fast Freight
A Trainman
1915The Hazards of Helen: Episode13, The Escape on the Fast Freight
Producer
1915
Tugboat Annie
Sam
1933
The Demon Rider
Director
1925
Girl Rush
Muley
1944
The Woman in the Web
Director
1918
The Racketeer
Mehaffy - Policeman
1929
Officer O'Brien
Captain Antrim
1930
Shadows of the West
Director
1921
Quick Millions
Sheriff
1939
San Antone Ambush
Happy Daniels
1949South of Northern Lights
Director
1922
The Big Stampede
'Arizona' Frank Bailey
1932
The Red Raiders
Sergeant Murphy
1927
Gun Smugglers
Sergeant Hasty Jones
1948
Grand Slam
Man Who Speaks Final Line of the Film
1933
Maker of Men
Gabby
1931
The Line-Up
Detective Sgt. Doyle
1934
Under Colorado Skies
Lucky John Hawkins
1947
Lilac Time
(uncredited)
1928
The Devil's Saddle
'Swig' Moran
1927
Bad Lands
Curly Tom
1939
Cafe Society
Bartender
1939The Chief of Police
Daniels
1914The Law of the Snow Country
Director
1926
The Further Adventures of Stingaree
Howie
1917The Further Adventures of Stingaree
Director
1917The Man Who Would Not Die
1924The Man Who Would Not Die
Director
1924
Terror Aboard
Boatswain
1933
The Phantom President
Sailor (uncredited)
1932
The Plot at the Railroad Cut
Benton, the Foreman
1914
Hold 'Em Jail
Butch
1932
Tide of Empire
Poppy
1929
Angel's Holiday
Sgt. Murphy
1937
South to Karanga
Slats
1940
Prison Break
Soapy
1938
Saturday's Millions
Doc Maloney, Trainer
1933
The Manager of the B & A
Roger Oakley (as Paul C. Hurst)
1916
Scared Stiff
Sheriff
1945
My Lucky Star
Louie
1938
Midnight Alibi
Babe the Butcher
1934
Among the Missing
Capt. W.F. 'Big Bill' Connors
1934
Bad Company
Paul Hurst
1931
Goin' Fishin'
1940
The Old Frontier
Skipper Horton
1950
Star Dust
Mac, Amalgamated Lab Tech
1940
Battling Bunyan
Director
1924
Virginia
Thomas
1941
Sequoia
Bergman
1935
Take the Stand
Denny O'Brien
1934
Panama Flo
Al
1932
The Ballad of Paducah Jail
Escaped Felon
1934
Borrowed Wives
Bull Morgan
1930
Day of Reckoning
Harry
1933
Folly of Youth
Director
1925
Tomorrow's Youth
Detective
1934
The Girl Detective
Blair / Thompson / Michaels / Snake Henely / Mike Donegal / Bat Dorgan / Kelly / Dalton / Blake
1915
The Big Race
Skipper O'Neal
1934
Million Dollar Pursuit
Ray Harvey
1951
The Last Express
Asst. Dist. Atty. Springer
1938
Second Honeymoon
Dennis Huggins
1937
Paradise Island
Beauty
1930
Carnival
Policeman
1935
The Heart of a Texan
Director
1922The Heart of a Texan
Scenario Writer
1922
Sailor's Holiday
Jimmylegs
1929
Glove Slingers
Chuck Brenner
1939
North of Nome
Carlson
1936
Kick In
Detective Whip Fogarty
1931
His First Command
Sgt. Westbrook
1929
The Passing of Wolf MacLean
Director
1924The Diamond Runners
Paul - the Brains of the I.D.B.
1916
Table Top Ranch
Director
1922Table Top Ranch
Story
1922Table Top Ranch
Scenario Writer
1922The Were-Tiger
Director
1925
South of Rio
Andy Weems
1949
Heart of Virginia
Whit Galtry
1948
Lightning Bryce
Powder Solvang
1919Lightning Bryce
Director
1919
The Red Signal
Chief Dispatcher
1915The Red Signal
Director
1915
The Third Alarm
'Beauty' Johnson
1930
The Lawless Legion
Ramirez
1929
Branded a Bandit
Director
1924Branded a Bandit
Story
1924Branded a Bandit
Scenario Writer
1924
The Missourians
John X. Finn
1950
A Western Engagement
Director
1925
The Secret Witness
Officer Brannigan
1931
The California Mail
Rowdy Ryan
1929
Blue Streak O'Neil
1926Blue Streak O'Neil
Director
1926
The Single Sin
Slug
1931
Lucky Larkin
Pete Brierson
1930
The Railroad Raiders
Steve Arnold (as Paul C. Hurst)
1917The Railroad Raiders
Director
1917The Railroad Raiders
Writer
1917
Steppin' in Society
Cookie
1945
Mountain Justice
Lem Harland
1930
Haunted Range
Director
1926The Fighting Cub
Director
1925The Fighting Ranger
1926The Fighting Ranger
Director
1926Outlaw's Paradise
McDonald
1927Outlaw's Paradise
Director
1927