Movie Cowboy: Tom Mix was born in Pennsylvania in 1881 and became a major star of the silent era. He was a snappy dresser and sported two horses named Tony and Tony, Jr. which were trained to do a variety of tricks.
Mix trained at the Virginia Military Institute and served in the Spanish-American War, the Philippines, China and South Africa where he trained horses for the British during the Boer War. He competed and won in rodeos in 1909-11.
His first movie appearance was in 1910 in ‘Ranch Life in the great Southwest”. He had a film contract with Fox in 1918 and did his own stunts. His fan club in 1921 was two million strong.
When the silent era ended, Mix’s career came close to doing the same. He was working in a Circus and Wild West Show, then in 1932 he made a mini-comeback with “Destry Rides Again”, including nine other features.
His last film was “The Miracle Ride” and he again returned to touring with a circus before being killed in a car crash after a performance in Tucson.