Will Rogers
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Will Rogers |
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Born: | November 4 1879 Oologah, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) |
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Died: | August 15 1935 (aged 55) Point Barrow, Alaska Territory |
Occupation: | actor, comic, columnist, radio personality |
Spouse: | Betty (1908–1944) |
Children: | William Vann "Bill" Mary Amelia James Blake Fred Stone |
William Penn Adair “Will” Rogers (November 4 1879 – August 15 1935) was a Cherokee-American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer and actor.
Known as Oklahoma's favorite son,[1] Rogers was born to a well off Indian Territory family and learned to ride horses and use a lariat so well that he was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for throwing three ropes at once—one around the neck of a horse, another around the horse's rider, and a third around all four legs of the horse. During his life he traveled around the world three times, made 71 movies (50 silent films and 21 "talkies"),[2] wrote more than 4,000 nationally-syndicated newspaper columns,[3] making him a world-famous figure.
By the mid-1930s, Rogers was loved by the American people, and was the highest-paid movie star in Hollywood at the time. During an around-the-world trip with piolt Wiley Post, Rogers died when their small airplane crashed near Barrow, Alaska Territory in 1935.
[change] Citations
- ↑ Curtis, Gene. "Only in Oklahoma: Rogers statue unveiling filled U.S. Capitol", Tulsa World, 2007-06-05. Retrieved on 2007-07-21.
- ↑ Rogers State University (2007-04-18). "RSU and Will Rogers Museum to Discuss Possible Merger". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-07-20.
- ↑ Schlachtenhaufen, Mark (2007-05-31). Will Rogers grandson carries on tradition of family service. OkInsider.com. Oklahoma Publishing Company. Retrieved on 21 July 2007.