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)
Known For
Gone with the Wind
(1939)
Yankee Deserter
Yellow Sky
(1948)
Drunk (uncredited)
The Westerner
(1940)
Chickenfoot
My Lucky Star
(1938)
Louie
Queen Christina
(1933)
Swedish Soldier Betting on 6 (uncredited)
Angel and the Badman
(1947)
Frederick Carson
The Ox-Bow Incident
(1943)
Monty Smith
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
(1936)
1st Deputy (uncredited)
Broadway Serenade
(1939)
Reynolds, a Drunk
December 7th
(1943)
World War I Ghost Soldier
Dakota
(1945)
Captain Spotts
Virginia
(1941)
Thomas
Island of Lost Souls
(1932)
Capt. Donahue
The Virginian
(1946)
Panama Flo
(1932)
Al
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
(1923)
Emeralda's Torturer (uncredited)
Full Filmography
Acting
The Driver Of The Deadwood Coach
(1912)
Bad Bill - a Desperado
The Cave Men's War
(1913)
Red Axe
The Quicksands
(1914)
Captain Lanning - Osborn's Rival
The Chief of Police
(1914)
Daniels
The Plot at the Railroad Cut
(1914)
Benton, the Foreman
The Girl Detective: Old Isaacson's Diamonds
(1915)
Snake Henely
The Girl Detective: The Mystery of the Tea Dansant
(1915)
(Episode #1, 2, etc.)
Stingaree
(1915)
Howie - Stingaree's Partner
The Red Signal
(1915)
Chief Dispatcher
The Hazards of Helen: Episode13, The Escape on the Fast Freight
(1915)
A Trainman
The Vivisectionist
(1915)
Bart - Jardine's Servant
The Manager of the B & A
(1916)
Roger Oakley (as Paul C. Hurst)
A Lass of the Lumberlands
(1916)
Whispering Smith
(1916)
Murray Sinclair
Medicine Bend
(1916)
Murray Sinclair
Judith of the Cumberlands
(1916)
Blatchley Turrentine
The Diamond Runners
(1916)
Paul - the Brains of the I.D.B.
The Railroad Raiders
(1917)
Steve Arnold (as Paul C. Hurst)
The Hazards of Helen
(1917)
Benton - a Foreman
The Further Adventures of Stingaree
(1917)
Howie
Rimrock Jones
(1918)
Ike Bray
Lightning Bryce
(1919)
Powder Solvang
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
(1923)
Emeralda's Torturer (uncredited)
Blue Streak O'Neil
(1926)
The Fighting Ranger
(1926)
Roaring Road
(1926)
Checking Board Tabulator (uncredited)
The Red Raiders
(1927)
Sergeant Murphy
The Devil's Saddle
(1927)
'Swig' Moran
The Valley of the Giants
(1927)
Randeau
Outlaw's Paradise
(1927)
McDonald
Buttons
(1927)
Slugger McGlue
The Cossacks
(1928)
Sitchi
Lilac Time
(1928)
(uncredited)
The Racketeer
(1929)
Mehaffy - Policeman
The Lawless Legion
(1929)
Ramirez
The California Mail
(1929)
Rowdy Ryan
Tide of Empire
(1929)
Poppy
Sailor's Holiday
(1929)
Jimmylegs
Oh, Yeah!
(1929)
Railroad-Yard Superintendent
His First Command
(1929)
Sgt. Westbrook
Paradise Island
(1930)
Beauty
Borrowed Wives
(1930)
Bull Morgan
Hot Curves
(1930)
'Slug', Baseball Player
The Runaway Bride
(1930)
Sergeant Daly
Officer O'Brien
(1930)
Captain Antrim
Lucky Larkin
(1930)
Pete Brierson
Mountain Justice
(1930)
Lem Harland
Shadow of the Law
(1930)
Pete Shore
The Third Alarm
(1930)
'Beauty' Johnson
Swellhead
(1930)
Mugsy
The Secret Six
(1931)
Nick Mizoski - the Gouger
Bad Company
(1931)
Paul Hurst
Sweepstakes
(1931)
Bartender
The Single Sin
(1931)
Slug
The Secret Witness
(1931)
Officer Brannigan
The Public Defender
(1931)
Doc
Maker of Men
(1931)
Gabby
Kick In
(1931)
Detective Whip Fogarty
That's My Line
(1931)
Mexican Bandit
Island of Lost Souls
(1932)
Capt. Donahue
The Big Stampede
(1932)
'Arizona' Frank Bailey
The Thirteenth Guest
(1932)
Detective Grump
State's Attorney
(1932)
Police Captain Morgan
Men Are Such Fools
(1932)
Stiles
My Pal, the King
(1932)
Red
Hold 'Em Jail
(1932)
Butch
Panama Flo
(1932)
Al
The Phantom President
(1932)
Sailor (uncredited)
The Sphinx
(1933)
Detective Terrence Aloysius Hogan
Terror Aboard
(1933)
Boatswain
Tugboat Annie
(1933)
Sam
Queen Christina
(1933)
Swedish Soldier Betting on 6 (uncredited)
Saturday's Millions
(1933)
Doc Maloney, Trainer
Day of Reckoning
(1933)
Harry
Grand Slam
(1933)
Man Who Speaks Final Line of the Film
The Women in His Life
(1933)
Paul, Perez's Second Bodyguard
Midnight Alibi
(1934)
Babe the Butcher
A Very Honorable Guy
(1934)
Butler
Tomorrow's Youth
(1934)
Detective
Among the Missing
(1934)
Capt. W.F. 'Big Bill' Connors
Take the Stand
(1934)
Denny O'Brien
The Big Race
(1934)
Skipper O'Neal
The Ballad of Paducah Jail
(1934)
Escaped Felon
Charlie Chan's Courage
(1934)
Undetermined Role
The Gay Deception
(1935)
Bell Captain
Sequoia
(1935)
Bergman
Shadow of Doubt
(1935)
Lt. Sackville
Public Hero Number 1
(1935)
Rufe Parker
Maybe It's Love
(1935)
Expressman (uncredited)
The Daring Young Man
(1935)
Prison Guard
Carnival
(1935)
Policeman
Mississippi
(1935)
Hefty
Calm Yourself
(1935)
Detective Roscoe
I'd Give My Life
(1936)
"Sport" Conly
Robin Hood of El Dorado
(1936)
Wilson
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
(1936)
1st Deputy (uncredited)
North of Nome
(1936)
Carlson
To Mary - with Love
(1936)
Drunk
The Gay Desperado
(1936)
American Detective
Blackmailer
(1936)
Inspector Killian
Riffraff
(1936)
Belcher
Angel's Holiday
(1937)
Sgt. Murphy
Ali Baba Goes to Town
(1937)
Captain
Danger – Love at Work
(1937)
NYC policeman
Second Honeymoon
(1937)
Dennis Huggins
The Legion of Missing Men
(1937)
Muggsy
Wake Up and Live
(1937)
McCabe
She's No Lady
(1937)
Cop
The Lady Fights Back
(1937)
Maloney
Slave Ship
(1937)
Drunk
We Who Are About to Die
(1937)
Tip Fuller
You Can't Have Everything
(1937)
Truck Driver (uncredited)
You Can't Beat Love
(1937)
Foreman Butch Mehaffey
This Is My Affair
(1937)
Bowler
Wife, Doctor and Nurse
(1937)
Bill
Super-Sleuth
(1937)
Motorcycle Cop
Fifty Roads to Town
(1937)
Tom
Trouble in Morocco
(1937)
Tiger Malone
Alexander's Ragtime Band
(1938)
Bill Mulligan
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
(1938)
Florabelle's Father
Topper Takes a Trip
(1938)
Charlie - the Bartender
In Old Chicago
(1938)
Mitch
Island in the Sky
(1938)
Happy
Secrets of a Nurse
(1938)
Arlington Bysshe 'Slice' Cavanaugh
Prison Break
(1938)
Soapy
Hold That Co-ed
(1938)
Slapsy
My Lucky Star
(1938)
Louie
Josette
(1938)
A. Adolphus Heyman
No Time To Marry
(1938)
Sergeant
The Last Express
(1938)
Asst. Dist. Atty. Springer
Gone with the Wind
(1939)
Yankee Deserter
Broadway Serenade
(1939)
Reynolds, a Drunk
It Could Happen to You
(1939)
Sandy
Remember?
(1939)
Policeman
Bad Lands
(1939)
Curly Tom
Cafe Society
(1939)
Bartender
On Your Toes
(1939)
Variety Club Bartender
Each Dawn I Die
(1939)
Garsky
Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence
(1939)
Empire State Building Guard
Glove Slingers
(1939)
Chuck Brenner
Quick Millions
(1939)
Sheriff
The Westerner
(1940)
Chickenfoot
Tugboat Annie Sails Again
(1940)
Pete
Spring Parade
(1940)
Headwaiter
Edison, the Man
(1940)
Sheriff
Castle on the Hudson
(1940)
Guard (uncredited)
They Drive by Night
(1940)
Pete Haig (uncredited)
Torrid Zone
(1940)
Daniels
Goin' Fishin'
(1940)
Star Dust
(1940)
Mac, Amalgamated Lab Tech
South to Karanga
(1940)
Slats
Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring
(1941)
Page
Tall, Dark and Handsome
(1941)
Biff Sage
Caught in the Draft
(1941)
Sgt. Burns
Virginia
(1941)
Thomas
The Great Mr. Nobody
(1941)
Michael O'Connor
The Parson of Panamint
(1941)
Jake Waldren
This Woman Is Mine
(1941)
Second Mate Mumford
Petticoat Politics
(1941)
Slats O'Dell
Night in New Orleans
(1942)
Sergeant Casper Riordan
Dudes Are Pretty People
(1942)
Two-Gun
Sundown Jim
(1942)
Broderick
Pardon My Stripes
(1942)
Feets
The Ox-Bow Incident
(1943)
Monty Smith
December 7th
(1943)
World War I Ghost Soldier
Calaboose
(1943)
Ed the bartender
The Sky's the Limit
(1943)
Dock Foreman (uncredited)
Coney Island
(1943)
Louie
Hi'ya, Chum
(1943)
Archie Billings
Summer Storm
(1944)
Orloff
Girl Rush
(1944)
Muley
Something for the Boys
(1944)
Defense Plant Foreman (uncredited)
Barbary Coast Gent
(1944)
Jake Compton
The Ghost That Walks Alone
(1944)
Sheriff Slim Carson
Scared Stiff
(1945)
Sheriff
The Big Show-Off
(1945)
Herbert Trafagan, aka "The Devil", a wrestler
Dakota
(1945)
Captain Spotts
Midnight Manhunt
(1945)
Murphy
Steppin' in Society
(1945)
Cookie
The Plainsman and the Lady
(1946)
Al
Death Valley
(1946)
Sergeant Dailey
In Old Sacramento
(1946)
Stagecoach Driver
Murder in the Music Hall
(1946)
Hobarth
The Virginian
(1946)
Angel and the Badman
(1947)
Frederick Carson
Under Colorado Skies
(1947)
Lucky John Hawkins
Madonna of the Desert
(1948)
Pete Connors
Son of God’s Country
(1948)
Eli Walker
The Arizona Ranger
(1948)
Ben Riddle
Gun Smugglers
(1948)
Sergeant Hasty Jones
California Firebrand
(1948)
Chuck Waggoner
Yellow Sky
(1948)
Drunk (uncredited)
Heart of Virginia
(1948)
Whit Galtry
Who Killed Doc Robbin?
(1948)
Jailer
Ranger of Cherokee Strip
(1949)
Sheriff Jug Mason
Prince of the Plains
(1949)
Sheriff Hank Hartley
San Antone Ambush
(1949)
Happy Daniels
South of Rio
(1949)
Andy Weems
Pioneer Marshal
(1949)
Huck Homer
Law of the Golden West
(1949)
Otis Ellis
Outcasts of the Trail
(1949)
Doc Meadowlark
The Missourians
(1950)
John X. Finn
The Old Frontier
(1950)
Skipper Horton
The Vanishing Westerner
(1950)
Waldorf Worthington
Million Dollar Pursuit
(1951)
Ray Harvey
Big Jim McLain
(1952)
Mr. Lexiter
Toughest Man in Arizona
(1952)
The Sun Shines Bright
(1953)
Jimmy Bagby
Directing
The Red Signal
(1915)
Director
A Lass of the Lumberlands
(1916)
Director
The Railroad Raiders
(1917)
Director
The Further Adventures of Stingaree
(1917)
Director
Play Straight or Fight
(1918)
Director
The Woman in the Web
(1918)
Director
Lightning Bryce
(1919)
Director
The Tiger's Trail
(1919)
Director
Shadows of the West
(1921)
Director
King Fisher's Roost
(1921)
Director
South of Northern Lights
(1922)
Director
Rangeland
(1922)
Director
The Heart of a Texan
(1922)
Director
Table Top Ranch
(1922)
Director
Golden Silence
(1923)
Director
Branded a Bandit
(1924)
Director
The Passing of Wolf MacLean
(1924)
Director
Battling Bunyan
(1924)
Director
The Demon Rider
(1925)
Director
A Western Engagement
(1925)
Director
The Were-Tiger
(1925)
Director
The Fighting Cub
(1925)
Director
Haunted Range
(1926)
Director
Blue Streak O'Neil
(1926)
Director
The Midnight Message
(1926)
Director
The Fighting Ranger
(1926)
Director
The Law of the Snow Country
(1926)
Director
Roaring Road
(1926)
Director
Outlaw's Paradise
(1927)
Director
Production
Writing