George Hayes is an American character actor, the most famous of Western-movie sidekicks of the 1930s and 1940s. He worked in a circus and played semi-pro baseball while a teenager. In 1914, he married Olive Ireland and the pair became successful on the vaudeville circuit. Retired in his forties, he lost much of his money in the 1929 stock market crash and was forced to return to work. He played scores of roles in Westerns and non-Westerns alike, finally in the mid-1930s settling in to an almost exclusively Western career. He gained fame as Hopalong Cassidy's sidekick Windy Halliday in films between 1936 and 1939. Leaving the Cassidy films in a salary dispute, he was legally precluded from using the Windy nickname, and so took on the sobriquet Gabby, and was so billed from about 1940. In his early films, he alternated between whiskered comic-relief sidekicks and clean-shaven bad guys, but by the later 1930s, he worked almost exclusively as a Western sidekick to stars such as John Wayne, Roy Rogers, and Randolph Scott. After his last film in 1950, he starred as the host of The Gabby Hayes Show. He died on February 9, 1969.
Known For
Tall in the Saddle
(1944)
Dave
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
(1936)
Farmer's Spokesman (uncredited)
Blue Steel
(1934)
Sheriff Jake Withers
Love Me Tonight
(1932)
Grocer (uncredited)
Full Filmography
Acting
Big News
(1929)
Hoffman
Rainbow Man
(1929)
Bill
She Who Gets Slapped
(1930)
Poker Player
Playing Around
(1930)
Railroad Ticket-Seller (uncredited)
For the Defense
(1930)
Ben (the waiter)
Top Speed
(1930)
Western Union Clerk
The Stolen Jools
(1931)
Projectionist
God's Country and the Man
(1931)
Stingaree Kelly
Cavalier of the West
(1931)
Sheriff Bill Ryan
Dragnet Patrol
(1931)
Private Detective
Oklahoma Jim
(1931)
Crooked Gambler
Big Business Girl
(1931)
Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
Dirigible
(1931)
Parade Official (uncredited)
The Nevada Buckaroo
(1931)
Cherokee Williams
Broadway to Cheyenne
(1932)
Walrus
Border Devils
(1932)
Squint Sanders
Love Me Tonight
(1932)
Grocer (uncredited)
The Night Rider
(1932)
Altoonie
Klondike
(1932)
Tom Ross
Wild Horse Mesa
(1932)
Slack
Riders of the Desert
(1932)
Hashknife Brooks
Play Girl
(1932)
Dance Hall Tobacconist (uncredited)
The Man from Hell's Edges
(1932)
Shamrock Cassidy
A Slip at the Switch
(1932)
Deputy Smoot
Hidden Valley
(1932)
Gavin Henchman - Dark Hat
Winner Take All
(1932)
Interne at Rosario Ranch (uncredited)
Texas Buddies
(1932)
Si Haller
Sally of the Subway
(1932)
Police Lieutenant Paxton
Self Defense
(1932)
Jury Foreman
The Fighting Champ
(1932)
Pete
The Boiling Point
(1932)
George Duncan
Ship of Wanted Men
(1933)
Crewman
Crashing Broadway
(1933)
J. Talbot Thorndyke
Trailing North
(1933)
Flash Ryan
The Phantom Broadcast
(1933)
Police Lieutenant
Breed of the Border
(1933)
Chuck Wiggins
Ranger's Code
(1933)
Baxter (as George Hayes)
The Sphinx
(1933)
Detective Casey
Skyway
(1933)
George Taylor
Galloping Romeo
(1933)
Grizzly
The Devil's Mate
(1933)
Collins
Riders of Destiny
(1933)
Charlie Denton
Fighting Texans
(1933)
Pop Martin
The Return of Casey Jones
(1933)
Timothy Shine
The Fugitive
(1933)
Judge Tyler
The Gallant Fool
(1933)
Dad Denton
'Neath the Arizona Skies
(1934)
Matt Downing
House of Mystery
(1934)
David Fells
City Limits
(1934)
Charlie Carter
The Lawless Frontier
(1934)
Dusty
Monte Carlo Nights
(1934)
Inspector Nick Gunby
Bandits of the Badlands
(1934)
Sheriff Jake Withers
The Shadow Gang
(1934)
Matt Matlock
The Star Packer
(1934)
Matt Matlock
Next Of Kin
(1934)
'Dusty'
Bedlam of Beards
(1934)
The Lucky Texan
(1934)
Jake 'Grandy' Benson
Randy Rides Alone
(1934)
- Marvin Black aka Mat Mathews/Matt the Mute
West of the Divide
(1934)
'Dusty'
The Brand of Hate
(1934)
Bill Larkins
Beggars in Ermine
(1934)
Joe Wilson
Blue Steel
(1934)
Sheriff Jake Withers
The Man from Utah
(1934)
Marshal George Higgins
Mystery Liner
(1934)
Joe, the Watchman
In Old Santa Fe
(1934)
Cactus
The Man from Hell
(1934)
Banker Colonel Campbell
The Headline Woman
(1935)
Duffy
Swifty
(1935)
Sheriff Dan Hughes (as George F. Hayes)
Justice of the Range
(1935)
John Coffin, known as Pegleg Sanderson
Rainbow Valley
(1935)
George Hale
Hitch Hike Lady
(1935)
Miner
The Throwback
(1935)
Ford Cruze
Bar 20 Rides Again
(1935)
Windy Halliday
Honeymoon Limited
(1935)
Pinkham
Hop-a-long Cassidy
(1935)
Uncle Ben
Smokey Smith
(1935)
Blaze Bart
$1,000 a Minute
(1935)
New Deal Watson
The Eagle's Brood
(1935)
Spike
Tombstone Terror
(1935)
Soupy Baxter
Death Flies East
(1935)
Wotkyns
The Lost City
(1935)
Butterfield
Texas Terror
(1935)
Sheriff Ed Williams
Thunder Mountain
(1935)
Foley
Ladies Crave Excitement
(1935)
McCloskey
The Hoosier Schoolmaster
(1935)
Pearson (as George Hayes)
The Outlaw Tamer
(1935)
Cactus Barnes (as Geo. S. Hayes)
Tumbling Tumbleweeds
(1935)
Dr. Parker
The Lawless Nineties
(1936)
Major Carter
The Plainsman
(1936)
Breezy
I Married a Doctor
(1936)
Train Station Agent
Call of the Prairie
(1936)
Shanghai McHenry
Song of the Trail
(1936)
Dan Hobson
Heart of the West
(1936)
Windy Jenkins
Hopalong Cassidy Returns
(1936)
Windy Halliday
Three on the Trail
(1936)
Windy Halliday
Valiant Is the Word for Carrie
(1936)
Bearded Man
The Texas Rangers
(1936)
Judge Snow
Valley of the Lawless
(1936)
Grandpaw Jenkins
Trail Dust
(1936)
Windy Halliday
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
(1936)
Farmer's Spokesman (uncredited)
Silver Spurs
(1936)
Drag Harlan
Rustlers' Valley
(1937)
Windy Halliday
Borderland
(1937)
Windy Halliday
Hills of Old Wyoming
(1937)
Windy Halliday
North of the Rio Grande
(1937)
Windy Halliday
Hopalong Rides Again
(1937)
Windy Halliday
Texas Trail
(1937)
Windy Halliday
Mountain Music
(1937)
Granpappy Burnside
Gold Is Where You Find It
(1938)
Enoch
Heart of Arizona
(1938)
Windy Halliday
The Frontiersmen
(1938)
Windy Halliday
Bar 20 Justice
(1938)
Windy Halliday
In Old Mexico
(1938)
Windy Halliday
Pride of the West
(1938)
Windy Halliday
In Old Monterey
(1939)
Gabby Whittaker
Saga of Death Valley
(1939)
Gabby
Let Freedom Ring
(1939)
Pop Wilkie
Days of Jesse James
(1939)
Gabby
Man of Conquest
(1939)
Lannie Upchurch
Fighting Thoroughbreds
(1939)
Gramps Montrose
Southward Ho!
(1939)
Gabby
The Arizona Kid
(1939)
Gabby Whittaker
In Old Caliente
(1939)
Gabby
Sunset Trail
(1939)
Windy Halliday
Silver on the Sage
(1939)
Windy Halliday
Renegade Trail
(1939)
Windy Halliday
Wall Street Cowboy
(1939)
Gabby
Melody Ranch
(1940)
Pop Laramie
The Ranger and the Lady
(1940)
Gabby Whittaker
Young Buffalo Bill
(1940)
Gabby Whittaker
Young Bill Hickok
(1940)
'Gabby' Whitaker
The Border Legion
(1940)
Honest John Whittaker
Colorado
(1940)
Gabby
The Carson City Kid
(1940)
Gabby Whittaker
Dark Command
(1940)
Andrew 'Doc' Grunch
Wagons Westward
(1940)
Hardtack
Nevada City
(1941)
Gabby Chapman
Robin Hood of the Pecos
(1941)
Gabriel Gabby Hornaday
Jesse James at Bay
(1941)
Sheriff Gabby Whitaker
Red River Valley
(1941)
Gabby Whittaker
In Old Cheyenne
(1941)
Arapaho Brown
Sheriff of Tombstone
(1941)
Gabby
Bad Man of Deadwood
(1941)
Prof. Mortimer 'Gabby' Blackstone
Sons of the Pioneers
(1942)
Gabby Whittaker
Romance on the Range
(1942)
Gabby
Sunset on the Desert
(1942)
Gabby Whittaker
Man from Cheyenne
(1942)
Gabby Whittaker
South of Santa Fe
(1942)
Gabby Whittaker
Ridin' Down the Canyon
(1942)
Gabby
Sunset Serenade
(1942)
Gabby
Heart of the Golden West
(1942)
Gabby
In Old Oklahoma
(1943)
Despirit Dean
Overland Mail Robbery
(1943)
Gabby
Calling Wild Bill Elliott
(1943)
Gabby Hayes
Wagon Tracks West
(1943)
Gabby
Bordertown Gun Fighters
(1943)
Gabby Hayes
The Man from Thunder River
(1943)
Gabby Whittaker
Death Valley Manhunt
(1943)
Gabby Hayes
Tucson Raiders
(1944)
'Gabby' Hopkins
Marshal of Reno
(1944)
Gabby
Mojave Firebrand
(1944)
Gabby Hayes
The Big Bonanza
(1944)
Hap Selby
Lights of Old Santa Fe
(1944)
Gabby Whittaker
Hidden Valley Outlaws
(1944)
Gabby Hayes
Tall in the Saddle
(1944)
Dave
Utah
(1945)
Gabby Whittaker
Sunset in El Dorado
(1945)
Gabby
Along the Navajo Trail
(1945)
Gabby Whittaker
Bells of Rosarita
(1945)
Gabby Whittake
Man from Oklahoma
(1945)
Gabby Whittaker
Don't Fence Me In
(1945)
Gabby Whittaker
Song of Arizona
(1946)
Gabby Whittaker
Rainbow Over Texas
(1946)
Sheriff 'Gabby' Whittaker
Roll on Texas Moon
(1946)
Gabby Whittaker
Heldorado
(1946)
Gabby Whittaker
Under Nevada Skies
(1946)
Gabby Whittaker
Home in Oklahoma
(1946)
Gabby Whittaker
Badman's Territory
(1946)
Honest Jim Badger / The Coyote Kid
My Pal Trigger
(1946)
Gabby Kendrick
Wyoming
(1947)
Windy Gibson
Trail Street
(1947)
Billy Jones
The Untamed Breed
(1948)
Windy Lucas
Return of the Bad Men
(1948)
John Pettit
Albuquerque
(1948)
Juke
El Paso
(1949)
Pesky Tees
The Cariboo Trail
(1950)
Grizzly
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
(1975)
Self (archive footage)
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
(1976)
(archive footage)