William Tell originally featured in 1400s stories and ballads. By the 1700s, the event had been included in a number of Swiss histories. The German author Friedrich von Schiller's drama Wilhelm Tell (1804), as well as the opera Guillaume Tell (1829) by the Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini, catapulted the Swiss hero to international recognition. Schiller's play was very popular among Germans who saw it for the first time. It was they who coined the term "Tell tale eyes" when viewing the character Wilhelm's face after he is hanged. This phrase later found its way into other languages including English. Later adaptations and sequels to Wilhelm Tell include Karl Gutzkow's 1836 novel William Tell. This book was followed by an Austrian operetta composed by Franz Xaver Bieber in 1856. The most recent adaptation of Tell's story is Ron Howard's 2004 film starring Jeff Bridges as Tell and Michael Beckley as Hundson. Tell's story has also been used as the basis for several films not related to Switzerland or Germany, such as Henry King's 1890 American film version of Schiller's play which stars Josephine Hill as Tell. Other notable movies based on Tell include Max Varnelis' 1955 Greek film and Yves Boissier's 2001 French film. In addition to the dramas and operas mentioned above, there have been many other works written about Tell over the years.