Ruth Miller
Who was William Boyd (actor) 's spouse from 1921 to 1924?
William Boyd ( actor ) William Lawrence Boyd ( June 5 , 1895 – September 12 , 1972 ) was an American film actor who is known for portraying the cowboy hero Hopalong Cassidy . Biography . Boyd was born in Hendrysburg , Ohio , and reared in Cambridge , Ohio and Tulsa , Oklahoma , living in Tulsa from 1909 to 1913 . He was the son of a day laborer , Charles William Boyd , and his wife , the former Lida Wilkens ( aka Lyda ) . Following his fathers death , he moved to California and worked as an orange picker , surveyor , tool dresser and auto salesman . In Hollywood , he found work as an extra in Why Change Your Wife ? and other films . During World War I , he enlisted in the army but was exempt from military service because of a weak heart . More prominent film roles followed , including his breakout role as Jack Moreland in Cecil B . DeMilles The Road to Yesterday ( 1925 ) which starred also Joseph Schildkraut , Jetta Goudal , and Vera Reynolds . Boyds performance in the film was praised by critics , while movie-goers were equally impressed by his easy charm , charisma , and intense good-looks . Due to Boyds growing popularity , DeMille soon cast him as the leading man in the highly acclaimed silent drama film , The Volga Boatman . Boyds role as Feodor impressed critics , and with Boyd now firmly established as a matinee idol and romantic leading man , he began earning an annual salary of $100,000 . He acted in DeMilles extravaganza The King of Kings ( in which he played Simon of Cyrene , helping Jesus carry the cross ) and DeMilles Skyscraper ( 1928 ) . He then appeared in D.W . Griffiths Lady of the Pavements ( 1929 ) . Radio Pictures ended Boyds contract in 1931 when his picture was mistakenly run in a newspaper story about the arrest of another actor , William Stage Boyd , on gambling and liquor charges . Although the newspaper apologized , explaining the mistake in the following days newspaper , Boyd said , The damage was already done . William Stage Boyd died in 1935 , the same year William L . Boyd became Hopalong Cassidy , the role that led to his enduring fame . But at the time in 1931 , Boyd was virtually broke and without a job , and for a few years he was credited in films as Bill Boyd to prevent being mistaken for the other William Boyd . Hopalong Cassidy . In 1935 , Boyd was offered the supporting role of Red Connors in the movie Hop-Along Cassidy , but he asked to be considered for the title role and won it . The original character of Hopalong Cassidy , written by Clarence E . Mulford for pulp magazines , was changed from a hard-drinking , rough-living red-headed wrangler to a cowboy hero who did not smoke , swear , or drink alcohol ( his drink of choice being sarsaparilla ) and who always let the bad guy start the fight . Although Boyd never branded a cow or mended a fence , cannot bulldog a steer and disliked Western music , he became indelibly associated with the Hopalong character and , like the cowboy stars Roy Rogers and Gene Autry , gained lasting fame in the Western film genre . Boyd estimated in 1940 that he had starred in 28 outdoor films in which he fired 30,000 shots and killed at least 100 varmints . He wore out 12 costumes and 60 ten-gallon hats , rode his horse Topper more than 2000 miles and rode herd on 5000 head of cattle . A score or more of heroines had been saved , but were never kissed . The films were more polished and impressive than the usual low-budget program westerns . The Hopalong Cassidy adventures usually boasted superior outdoor photography of scenic locations and name supporting players familiar from major Hollywood films . Big-city theaters , which usually wouldnt play Westerns , noticed the high quality of the productions and gave the series more exposure than other cowboy films could hope for . Paramount Pictures released the films through 1941 . United Artists produced them from 1943 . The producer Harry Pop Sherman wanted to make more ambitious epics and abandoned the Hopalong Cassidy franchise . Boyd , determined to keep it alive , produced the last 12 Cassidy features himself on noticeably lower budgets . By this time , interest in the character had waned , and with far fewer theaters still showing the films , the series ended in 1948 . Boyd insisted on buying the rights to all of the Hopalong Cassidy films . Harry Sherman no longer cared about the property—he thought both the films and the star were played out—and regarded Boyds all-consuming interest with skepticism . Boyd was so single-minded about his mission that he sold or mortgaged almost everything he owned to meet Shermans price of $350,000 for the rights and the film backlog . Hoppy rides again . In 1948 Boyd , now regarded as a washed-up cowboy star and with his fortunes at their lowest ebb , brought a print of one of his older pictures to the local NBC television station and offered it at a nominal rental , hoping for new exposure . The film was received so well that NBC asked for more , and within months Boyd released the entire library to the national network . They became extremely popular and began the long-running genre of Westerns on television . Boyds desperate gamble paid off , making him the first national TV star and restoring his personal fortune . Like Rogers and Autry , Boyd licensed much merchandise , including such products as Hopalong Cassidy watches , trash cans , cups , dishes , Topps trading cards , a comic strip , comic books , cowboy outfits , home-movie digests of his Paramount releases via Castle Films , and a new Hopalong Cassidy radio show , which ran from 1948 to 1952 . The actor identified with his character , often dressing as a cowboy in public . Although Boyds portrayal of Hopalong made him very wealthy , he believed that it was his duty to help strengthen his friends—Americas youth . The actor refused to license his name for products he viewed as unsuitable or dangerous and turned down personal appearances at which his friends would be charged admission . Boyd appeared as Hopalong Cassidy on the cover of numerous national magazines , including Look ( August 29 , 1950 ) and Time ( November 27 , 1950 ) . For Thanksgiving in 1950 , he led the Carolinas Carrousel Parade in Charlotte , North Carolina , and drew an estimated crowd of 500,000 persons , the largest in the parades history . Boyd eventually started U.S . Television Office to handle the legacy of Hopalong Cassidy . This company continues to hold full rights to the Cassidy name , trademark , films , and television material . Boyd had a cameo role as himself in Cecil B . DeMilles 1952 circus epic , The Greatest Show on Earth . DeMille reportedly asked Boyd to take the role of Moses in his remake of The Ten Commandments , but Boyd felt his identification with the Cassidy character would make it impossible for audiences to accept him as Moses . Personal life . Boyd was married five times , first to wealthy heiress Laura Maynard , then to the actresses Ruth Miller , Elinor Fair , Dorothy Sebastian and Grace Bradley . His only son , William Wallace Boyd , whose mother was Boyds second wife , Ruth Miller , died of pneumonia at age 9 months . After his retirement from the screen , Boyd invested both time and money in real estate and moved to Palm Desert , California . He refused interviews and photographs in later years , preferring not to disillusion his millions of fans who remembered him as a screen idol . Boyd was a lifelong Republican and supported the campaign of Dwight Eisenhower during the 1952 presidential election . For his contributions to the film industry , Boyd has a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1734 Vine Street . In 1995 , he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City , Oklahoma . The inner sleeve of the original American Pie album by Don McLean featured a free verse poem written by McLean about Boyd , with a picture of Boyd in full Hopalong regalia . This sleeve was removed within a year of the albums release . The words to this poem appear on a plaque at the hospital where Boyd died . In 1972 , Boyd died from complications related to Parkinsons disease and congestive heart failure . He was survived by his fifth wife , the actress Grace Bradley Boyd , who died on September 21 , 2010 on her 97th birthday . He is buried in the Sanctuary of Guiding Love alcove in the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park ( Glendale ) . Selected filmography . - Old Wives for New ( 1918 ) – Minor Role ( uncredited ) - Was He Guilty ? ( 1919 ) – ( uncredited ) - The Six Best Sellers ( 1920 ) – Holsappel ( uncredited ) - Why Change Your Wife ? ( 1920 ) – Naval Officer at Hotel ( uncredited ) - The City of Masks ( 1920 ) – Carpenter - Something to Think About ( 1920 ) – ( uncredited ) - A City Sparrow ( 1920 ) – Hughie Ray - The Life of the Party ( 1920 ) – One of Learys Office Staff ( uncredited ) - The Junklings ( 1921 ) – Dan Stuart - Paying the Piper ( 1921 ) – ( uncredited ) - Forbidden Fruit ( 1921 ) – Billiards Player ( uncredited ) - Brewsters Millions ( 1921 ) – Harrison - A Wise Fool ( 1921 ) – Gerard Fynes - Moonlight and Honeysuckle ( 1921 ) – Robert V . Courtney - The Affairs of Anatol ( 1921 ) – Guest ( uncredited ) - After the Show ( 1921 ) – ( uncredited ) - Exit the Vamp ( 1921 ) – Robert Pitts - Fools Paradise ( 1921 ) – ( uncredited ) - Saturday Night ( 1922 ) – Party Guest ( uncredited ) - Moran of the Lady Letty ( 1922 ) – Ramons Friend at Homecoming ( uncredited ) - Bobbed Hair ( 1922 ) – Dick Barton - Nice People ( 1922 ) – Oliver Comstock - On the High Seas ( 1922 ) – Dick Deveraux - Manslaughter ( 1922 ) – ( uncredited ) - The Young Rajah ( 1922 ) – Stephen Van Kovert - Michael OHalloran ( 1923 ) – Douglas Bruce - Hollywood ( 1923 ) – Himself - Adams Rib ( 1923 ) – Party Guest ( uncredited ) - The Temple of Venus ( 1923 ) – Stanley Dale - Enemies of Children ( 1923 ) - Triumph ( 1924 ) – Minor Role ( uncredited ) - Changing Husbands ( 1924 ) – Conrad Bradshaw - Tarnish ( 1924 ) – Bill - Feet of Clay ( 1924 ) – Young Society Man ( uncredited ) - Forty Winks ( 1925 ) – Lt . Gerald Hugh Butterworth - The Midshipman ( 1925 ) – Spud - The Road to Yesterday ( 1925 ) – Jack Moreland - Steel Preferred ( 1925 ) – Wally Gay - The Volga Boatman ( 1926 ) – Feodor - Eves Leaves ( 1926 ) – Bill Stanley - The Last Frontier ( 1926 ) – Tom Kirby - Her Man o War ( 1926 ) – Jim Sanderson - Jim , the Conqueror ( 1926 ) – Jim Burgess - Wolves of the Air ( 1927 ) – Jerry Tanner - The Yankee Clipper ( 1927 ) – Captain Hal Winslow - The King of Kings ( 1927 ) – Simon of Cyrene - Two Arabian Knights ( 1927 ) – W . Daingerfield Phelps III - Dress Parade ( 1927 ) – Vic Donovan - The Night Flyer ( 1928 ) – Jim Bradley - Skyscraper ( 1928 ) – Blondy - The Cop ( 1928 ) – Pete Smith - Power ( 1928 ) – Husky - Lady of the Pavements ( 1929 ) – Count Karl Von Arnim - The Leatherneck ( 1929 ) – William Calhoun - The Flying Fool ( 1929 ) – Bill Taylor - High Voltage ( 1929 ) – Bill - His First Command ( 1929 ) – Terry Culver - Officer OBrien ( 1930 ) – Bill OBrien - The Painted Desert ( 1931 ) – Bill Holbrook - Beyond Victory ( 1931 ) – Sergeant Bill Thatcher - The Big Gamble ( 1931 ) – Alan Beckwith - Suicide Fleet ( 1932 ) – Baltimore Clark - Carnival Boat ( 1932 ) – Buck Gannon - Flaming Gold ( 1932 ) – Dan Manton - Men of America ( 1932 ) – Jim Parker - Lucky Devils ( 1933 ) – Skipper Clark - Emergency Call ( 1933 ) – Joe Bradley - Cheaters ( 1934 ) – Steve Morris - Port of Lost Dreams ( 1934 ) – Lars Christensen - Hop–Along Cassidy ( 1935 ) – Bill Hopalong Cassidy - The Eagles Brood ( 1935 ) – Bill Hopalong Cassidy - Racing Luck ( 1935 ) – Dan Morgan - Bar 20 Rides Again ( 1935 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Heart of the West ( 1936 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Call of the Prairie ( 1936 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Three on the Trail ( 1936 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Federal Agent ( 1936 ) – Bob Woods - Burning Gold ( 1936 ) – Jim Thornton - Go–Get–Em–Haines ( 1936 ) – Steve Haines - Hopalong Cassidy Returns ( 1936 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Trail Dust ( 1936 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Borderland ( 1937 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Hills of Old Wyoming ( 1937 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - North of the Rio Grande ( 1937 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Rustlers Valley ( 1937 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Hopalong Rides Again ( 1937 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Texas Trail ( 1937 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Partners of the Plains ( 1938 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Cassidy of Bar 20 ( 1938 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Heart of Arizona ( 1938 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Bar 20 Justice ( 1938 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Pride of the West ( 1938 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Sunset Trail ( 1938 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - In Old Mexico ( 1938 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - The Frontiersmen ( 1938 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Silver on the Sage ( 1939 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Renegade Trail ( 1939 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Range War ( 1939 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Law of the Pampas ( 1939 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Santa Fe Marshal ( 1940 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - The Showdown ( 1940 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Hidden Gold ( 1940 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Stagecoach War ( 1940 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Three Men from Texas ( 1940 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Doomed Caravan ( 1941 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - In Old Colorado ( 1941 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Border Vigilantes ( 1941 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Pirates on Horseback ( 1941 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Wide Open Town ( 1941 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Stick to Your Guns ( 1941 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Riders of the Timberline ( 1941 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Twilight on the Trail ( 1941 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Outlaws of the Desert ( 1941 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Secrets of the Wasteland ( 1941 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Undercover Man ( 1942 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Lost Canyon ( 1942 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Hoppy Serves a Writ ( 1943 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Border Patrol ( 1943 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Leather Burners ( 1943 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Colt Comrades ( 1943 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Bar 20 ( 1943 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - False Colors ( 1943 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Riders of the Deadline ( 1943 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Lumberjack ( 1944 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Mystery Man ( 1944 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Texas Masquerade ( 1944 ) - Hopalong Cassidy - Forty Thieves ( 1944 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - The Devils Playground ( 1946 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Fools Gold ( 1946 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Unexpected Guest ( 1947 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Dangerous Venture ( 1947 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - The Marauders ( 1947 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Hoppys Holiday ( 1947 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Silent Conflict ( 1948 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - The Dead Dont Dream ( 1948 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Sinister Journey ( 1948 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Borrowed Trouble ( 1948 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - False Paradise ( 1948 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - Strange Gamble ( 1948 ) – Hopalong Cassidy - The Greatest Show on Earth ( 1952 ) – Hopalong Cassidy ( uncredited ) - Little Smokey : The True Story of Americas Forest Fire Preventin Bear ( 1953 , Short ) – Hopalong Cassidy ( narrator ) - Hopalong Cassidy ( 1949–1954 , TV Series ) – Hopalong Cassidy Further reading . - Boyd , Grace Bradley ; Cochran , Michael ( 2008 ) Hopalong Cassidy : An American Legend . York , Pennsylvania : Gemstone . . External links . - William Boyd as Hopalong Cassidy - Hopalong Cassidy Music - Photos of William Boyd - Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture entry