Vaudeville Star/Cowboy/Writer: Will Rogers was born in 1879 and gained fame from movies, personal appearances and his newspaper columns. he was known as the “Cowboy Philosopher” for his wit and wisdom from the Roaring 20’s through the Great Depression and beyond.
He was the son of a rancher who learned rope tricks, performed in vaudeville and Wild West Shows.
Rogers ran away from his wealthy father and became a cowboy on the Texas Panhandle then sailed to Argentina in 1902 and South Africa where he performed in Jack’s Wild West Circus as “The Cherokee Kid”, a rope artist and bronco buster. He returned to the U.S. in 1904.
He also appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies from 1916-25 at different times then moved to Hollywood where he became a star. His daily newspaper column was syndicated to 350 outlets and he wrote political commentary.
He died in a plane crash up in Alaska while traveling to Russia for a tour.