William Lawrence Boyd was an American film actor who is known for portraying the cowboy hero Hopalong Cassidy.
Hopalong Cassidy is a fictional cowboy hero created in 1904 by the author Clarence E. Mulford, who wrote a series of short stories and novels based on the character. Mulford portrayed the character as rude, dangerous, and rough-talking. He was shot in the leg during a gun fight which caused him to walk with a little "hop", hence the nickname.
From 1935 to 1948, 66 American Western films were produced featuring the character Hopalong Cassidy, played in all the films by actor William Boyd. The films were at the time collectively known as "Hoppies". In the films, Hopalong, or "Hoppy", and his white horse, Topper, travel through the Old West while dispensing justice, usually with two companions: one young and trouble-prone with a weakness for damsels in distress, the other older, comically awkward and outspoken.
Hop-Along Cassidy is a 1935 American Western film that features the character Hop-Along Cassidy created by writer Clarence E. Mulford. This is the first of 66 Hopalong Cassidy films produced between 1935 and 1948 and all starring William Boyd in the title role. William Boyd was originally offered the role of Buck Peters, the ranch foreman, but he decided to take the role of Hop-Along instead.
Hopalong Cassidy Returns (1936) is a Western film sequel starring William Boyd, the seventh of the "Hopalong Cassidy" westerns.
False Paradise is a 1948 American western film directed by George Archainbaud and starring William Boyd, Andy Clyde and Elaine Riley. Boyd plays as western character Hopalong Cassidy. This film was the sixty-fifth of sixty-six Hopalong Cassidy movies and was the 11th of 12 Hopalong Cassidy Westerns produced by William Boyd for United Artists release.
Forty Thieves is a 1944 American Western film starring William Boyd in the lead role of Hopalong Cassidy. It was directed by Lesley Selander, produced by Harry Sherman and released by United Artists. This was the last Hopalong Cassidy film that producer Harry Sherman produced for United Artists.
Undercover Man is a 1942 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander and starring William Boyd. The film is a serial Western and part of the Hopalong Cassidy series. It is the 44th entry in a series of 66 films.
Doomed Caravan is a 1941 American western film directed by Lesley Selander and starring William Boyd, Andy Clyde and Minna Gombell. The film is a Western and part of the Hopalong Cassidy series released by Paramount Pictures. It is the 32nd entry in a series of 66 films.
Texas Trail is a 1937 American Western film directed by David Selman and starring William Boyd, Russell Hayden, and George "Gabby" Hayes.
Hoppy Serves a Writ is a 1943 Western film directed by George Archainbaud and starring William Boyd as Hopalong Cassidy, the 43rd of 66 Cassidy features. The supporting cast features his regular sidekicks Andy Clyde and Jay Kirby, as well as Victor Jory and George Reeves. The film remains noteworthy today as one of the earliest screen performances of unshaven newcomer Robert Mitchum, who made an impression upon the studio by generating a surprising fan mail response exactly as Clark Gable had after playing an extremely similar unshaven role in The Painted Desert, a Western starring William Boyd produced a dozen years earlier.
Riders of the Deadline is a 1943 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander and written by Bennett Cohen. The film stars William Boyd, Andy Clyde, Jimmy Rogers, Frances Woodward, Robert Mitchum, Richard Crane, Anthony Warde and William Halligan. The film was released on December 3, 1943, by United Artists.
The Dead Don't Dream is a 1948 American Western film directed by George Archainbaud and written by Francis Rosenwald. The picture stars William Boyd, Andy Clyde, Rand Brooks, Mary Ware, John Parrish and Leonard Penn, and was released in 1948 by United Artists.
Strange Gamble is a 1948 American Western film directed by George Archainbaud, written by Doris Schroeder, Bennett Cohen and Ande Lamb, and starring William Boyd, Andy Clyde, Rand Brooks, Elaine Riley, James Craven and Robert Williams. It was released on October 8, 1948, by United Artists.
Bar 20 Justice is a 1938 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander and written by Arnold Belgard and Harrison Jacobs. The film stars William Boyd, George "Gabby" Hayes, Russell Hayden, Gwen Gaze, William Duncan and Pat J. O'Brien. The film was released on June 28, 1938, by Paramount Pictures. This was the 16th entry in the "Hopalong Cassidy" western series.
Pride of the West is a 1938 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander and written by Nate Watt. The film stars William Boyd, George "Gabby" Hayes, Russell Hayden, Earle Hodgins, Charlotte Field and Billy King. The film was released on July 8, 1938, by Paramount Pictures. Pride of the West was the 17th installment in the Hopalong Cassidy series.
Silver on the Sage is a 1939 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander and written by Maurice Geraghty. Starring William Boyd, George "Gabby" Hayes, Russell Hayden, Ruth Rogers, Stanley Ridges, Frederick Burton and Jack Rockwell, it was released on March 31, 1939, by Paramount Pictures. Silver on the Sage was Hopalong Cassidy series entry number 25.
Border Vigilantes is a 1941 American Western film directed by Derwin Abrahams and written by J. Benton Cheney. The film stars William Boyd, Russell Hayden, Andy Clyde, Frances Gifford, Victor Jory, Ethel Wales and Morris Ankrum. The film was released on April 18, 1941, by Paramount Pictures.
Riders of the Timberline is a 1941 American western film directed by Lesley Selander and written by J. Benton Cheney. The film stars William Boyd, Andy Clyde, Tom Tyler, Brad King, Victor Jory, Eleanor Stewart, J. Farrell MacDonald and Anna Q. Nilsson. The film was released on September 17, 1941, by Paramount Pictures. This was the 38th entry in the "Hopalong Cassidy" western series.
Hopalong Cassidy is an American Western television series that ran from 1949 to 1952 on NBC, starring William Boyd as Hopalong Cassidy, a fictional gunslinger who had been created by writer Clarence E. Mulford. It was the first Western television series. The series began as simply broadcasts of edited versions of previous Hopalong Cassidy films, all of which had starred Boyd. Eventually, the series transitioned to original episodes, with a new cast of characters and actors, notably Edgar Buchanan as Hopalong's sidekick Red Connors. The show was created and produced by Boyd.
