Will Rogers

Will Rogers (1879-1935), American humorist, actor, and writer, born on Oologah, Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma).

Born William Penn Adair Rogers to parents of Cherokee heritage, he made his vaudeville debut with a rope-throwing act in New York City in 1905. Later he achieved wide popularity through the humorous monologues with which he accompanied his rope tricks. After 1914 Rogers appeared in several of the annual Ziegfeld Follies in New York City. He also acted in numerous motion pictures and wrote a series of syndicated newspaper articles in which he poked fun at the great figures of the day and expounded his homespun philosophy.

His film career began in 1918 and encompassed more than 60 short and feature films. After the advent of sound in films, Rogers found a wide audience in such pictures as A Connecticut Yankee (1931), Down to Earth (1932), State Fair (1933), David Harum (1934), Life Begins at Forty (1935), and his three films under the direction of John Ford— Doctor Bull (1933), Judge Priest (1934), and Steamboat 'Round the Bend (released posthumously, 1935).

Rogers was killed when an airplane in which he was flying with celebrated American aviator Wiley Post crashed in Alaska. His writings include The Cowboy Philosopher on Prohibition (1919), Illiterate Digest (1924), and Will Rogers' Political Follies (1929).