Bill Cody (actor)

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Bill Cody

Born	William Joseph Cody, Jr. January 5, 1891(1891-01-05) St. Paul, Minnesota
Died	January 24, 1948 (aged 57) Santa Monica, California
Occupation	Film actor

Bill Cody, born William Joseph Cody Jr., (January 5th, 1891 – January 24th, 1948) was a Hollywood B-western actor of the 1920s, 1930s and into the 1940s, and father to Bill Cody, Jr..

Cody, often called "the reel Bill Cody", began his acting career in the early days of film, and just happened to have the same name as "Buffalo" Bill Cody, although being of no relation. The name was, initially, what drew producers to Cody. However, he soon proved to be a worthwhile endeavor.

Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Cody had attended Saint Thomas Military Academy, and later St. Johns University. Immediately out of college, he joined the Metropolitan Stock Company, touring the U.S. and Canada. This eventually led him to Hollywood. In 1922 he began working as a stuntman.

[edit] Acting career

Jesse Goldburg, liking Cody, signed him to an eight series film deal for the 1924-1925 season. Golburg's company, Independent Pictures, although known for being made for as little money as possible, had gained a good reputation for having good casting and locations for their films. The first of the series starring Cody was Dangerous Days, directed by J.P. McGowan. That was followed by The Fighting Sheriff, with the rest of the series out over the next six months.

Following the Independent Pictures series, Cody starred in two films for Associated Exhibitors, The Galloping Cowboy and King of the Saddle, both released in 1926. That same year he starred in Arizona Whirlwind for another company. In 1927 he starred in Born to Battle, which gave him an opportunity to exhibit his horse riding skills and to use a bull whip on screen.

His first talking film was Under Texas Skies in 1930. Many former silent film stars failed to be accepted by the public with the advent of sound pictures, and many could not make a successful transition. However, Cody's pace never slowed down, and he was in demand immediately following his first "talky".

Monogram Pictures signed Cody to an eight film series, along with child actor Andy Shuford, which was called "the Bill and Andy series". The first Monogram film to be released was Dugan of the Badlands, directed by Robert Bradbury. Cody starred in a number of films for Monogram during this period, through to the end of 1932, alongside, usually, Tom Tyler.

Cody did not film anything in 1933, instead working for a traveling wild west show as its star attraction. He returned in 1934, starring in Border Menace, a film by Aywon Pictures, which received terrible reviews. Aywon followed that with Border Guns, which did somewhat better. Cody then worked for a time in the Downie Bros. Circus, replacing Jack Hoxie as the star attraction.

Late that same year, producer Ray Kirkwood of Spectrum Pictures signed Cody to a contract. In four of the series episodes, Cody's son, Bill Cody, Jr., played a role, specifically in The Vanishing Riders. Cody had two sons, Bill Jr. and Frank. Only Bill Jr. would act, though only briefly and in his youth, and both sons would later serve honorably during World War II.

Cody's career slowed for a time, and his roles became less, but he still had success throughout his lifetime. He played the lead role in the RKO film The Fighting Gringo in 1939, and that same year played a small role in what has been called John Wayne's breakout role, Stagecoach, directed by the legendary John Ford. He later had bit roles in two cliffhangers, G-Men vs the Black Dragon and The Masked Marvel, both in 1943.

Cody died at age 57 in 1948, while living in Santa Monica, California.