Will Rogers
William Penn Adair “Will” Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was a Cherokee-American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer and actor.
Will Rogers | |
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![]() Will Rogers | |
Born | William Penn Adair Rogers November 4, 1879 |
Died | August 15, 1935 | (aged 55)
Occupation | actor, comic, columnist, radio personality |
Spouse(s) | Betty (1908–1944) |
Children | William Vann "Bill" Mary Amelia James Blake Fred Stone |
Known as Oklahoma's favorite son,[1] Rogers was born to a well off Indian Territory family and learned to ride horses and use a lariat so well that he was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for throwing three ropes at once—one around the neck of a horse, another around the horse's rider, and a third around all four legs of the horse. During his life he traveled around the world three times, made 71 movies (50 silent films and 21 "talkies"),[2] wrote more than 4,000 nationally-syndicated newspaper columns,[3] making him a world-famous figure.
By the mid-1930s, Rogers was loved by the American people, and was the highest-paid movie star in Hollywood at the time. During an around-the-world trip with pilot Wiley Post, Rogers died when their small airplane crashed near Barrow, Alaska Territory in 1935.
Will Rogers Media
Will Rogers caricature on a print advertisement for the film Down to Earth, from The Film Daily, 1932
The White House on the Verdigris River, Will Rogers' birthplace, near Oologah, Oklahoma
Photograph by Underwood & Underwood, unknown date
Rogers (right) with Seattle Mayor Charles L. Smith about 1935
Rogers on the wing of a Lockheed floatplane, an amphibian or flying boat belonging to famed aviation pioneer Wiley Post, hours before their fatal crash on August 15, 1935
WPA poster, 1941
Citations
- ↑ Curtis, Gene (2007-06-05). "Only in Oklahoma: Rogers statue unveiling filled U.S. Capitol". Tulsa World. http://www.tulsaworld.com/webextra/itemsofinterest/centennial/centennial_storypage.asp?ID=070605_1_A4_cpRog15817. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
- ↑ Rogers State University (2007-04-18). "RSU and Will Rogers Museum to Discuss Possible Merger". Press release. Archived from the original on 2007-11-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20071107065122/http://www.rsu.edu/news/2007/04-18_willrogersmuseum.html. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
- ↑ Schlachtenhaufen, Mark (May 31, 2007). "Will Rogers grandson carries on tradition of family service". OkInsider.com. Oklahoma Publishing Company. Retrieved July 21, 2007.