36 Facts About Tom Mix

Tom Mix appeared in 291 films, all but nine of which were silent films.

Tom Mix was Hollywood's first Western star and helped define the genre as it emerged in the early days of the cinema.

Tom Mix grew up in nearby DuBois, where his father, a stable master for a wealthy lumber merchant, taught him to ride and love horses.

Tom Mix spent time working on a local farm owned by John DuBois, a lumber businessman.

Tom Mix was listed as AWOL on November 4,1902, but was never court-martialed.

In 1905, Tom Mix married Kitty Jewel Perinne, and this marriage ended within a year.

Tom Mix next married Olive Stokes on January 10,1909, in Medora, North Dakota.

In 1905, Tom Mix rode in President Theodore Roosevelt's inaugural parade with a group of 50 horsemen led by Seth Bullock, which included several former Rough Riders.

Years later, Hollywood publicists muddled this event to imply that Tom Mix had been a Rough Rider himself.

Tom Mix went to Oklahoma and lived in Guthrie, working as a bartender and other odd jobs.

Tom Mix was briefly night marshal of Dewey, in 1911.

Tom Mix worked at the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch, one of the largest ranching businesses in the United States, covering 101,000 acres, hence its name.

Tom Mix stood out as a skilled horseman and expert shot, winning national riding and roping contests at Prescott, Arizona, in 1909, and Canon City, Colorado, in 1910.

Tom Mix began his film career as a supporting cast member with the Selig Polyscope Company.

Tom Mix performed in more than 100 films for Selig, many of which were filmed in Las Vegas, New Mexico.

Tom Mix made more than 160 cowboy films throughout the 1920s.

In 1913, Tom Mix moved his family to a ranch he purchased in Prescott named Bar Circle A Ranch.

Tom Mix's performances were realistic with action stunts, horseback riding, attention-grabbing cowboy costumes, and showmanship.

Tom Mix called Kennedy a "tight-assed, money-crazy son of a bitch".

Tom Mix became friends with Wyatt Earp, who lived in Los Angeles and occasionally visited Hollywood western movie sets.

Tom Mix was a pallbearer at Earp's funeral in January 1929.

The newspapers reported that Tom Mix cried during his friend's service.

Tom Mix appeared with the Sells-Floto Circus in 1929,1930, and 1931 at a reported weekly salary of $20,000.

Tom Mix acted in nine films for Universal, but because of injuries he received while filming, he was reluctant to do any more.

Tom Mix's last screen appearance was a 15-episode sound Mascot Pictures serial, The Miracle Rider ; he received $40,000 for the four weeks of filming.

In one episode, Tom Mix was filmed descending from the top of the rock, with boot holes carved into it to assist him in making the descent.

Tom Mix returned to circus performing, now with his eldest daughter Ruth, who appeared in some of his films.

Tom Mix had reportedly made over $6 million during his 26-year film career.

Tom Mix never appeared on these broadcasts and was instead played by radio actors: Artells Dickson, Jack Holden, Russell Thorsen and Joe "Curley" Bradley.

On October 12,1940, after visiting Pima County Sheriff Ed Echols in Tucson, Arizona, Tom Mix headed north towards Phoenix on US Highway 80 About eighteen miles south of Florence, Tom Mix came upon construction barriers at a bridge washed away by a flash flood.

Tom Mix's funeral took place at the Little Church of the Flowers in Glendale, California, on October 16,1940, and was attended by thousands of people.

Tom Mix is buried in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery.

Tom Mix was the acknowledged "King of Cowboys" when Ronald Reagan and John Wayne were young, and the influence of his screen persona can be seen in their approach to portraying cowboys.

Between 1980 and 2004,21 Tom Mix festivals were held during the month of September, most of them in DuBois, Pennsylvania.

Tom Mix was often portrayed in comic books, primarily during the heyday of Western-themed comics, the 1940s and 1950s.

Tom Mix was first featured in 11 issues of Dell Comics' The Comics from 1937 to 1938.