Rogers, Will

(William Penn Adair)

(1879-1935)

   A Cherokee born in the Indian Territory of Oklahoma, Will Rogers began his career as a cowboy in Texas in 1898. In 1902, he traveled to Argentina as a cowhand and then onto South Africa. It was in South Africa that he found work in a Wild West show riding and roping. He toured in New Zealand and Australia before returning to the United States. During performances with the Ziegfeld Follies in 1916, Rogers developed his style of humorous social commentary. In 1920, he began to write columns for the press, particularly for the Saturday Evening Post. In 1918, Rogers also began appearing in motion pictures. He made 48 silent comedies before turning to sound film in 1929. A series of movies in which he played different western personas appeared in the 1930s, including State Fair (1933), David Harum (1934), and Steamboat ’Round the Bend (1935). Rogers became a well-known radio personality during the 1930s, and his folksy wit and humorous observations on political and other matters seemed to capture a popular mood for nostalgia. When he died in an airplane crash in Alaska in 1935, he was heavily mourned.

   See also Cinema.