Born: July 23, 1901 – Died: December 6, 1992
Born Norton Earl Worden in Rolfe, Iowa, during his parents' visit to a relative's home there, Hank Worden was an American character actor primarily known for his roles in Westerns, often portraying comic or rustic characters. Raised on a cattle ranch near Glendive, Montana, he had a diverse background that included working as an engineer after studying at Stanford and the University of Nevada, and training as an Army pilot. However, his true calling in the entertainment industry became evident through his appearances in Broadway plays and numerous films, where he developed lasting friendships with notable directors and actors. Born in 1901 and passing away in 1992, Hank Worden left an indelible mark on the world of cinema with his distinctive presence and memorable performances.
Early Life and Career
Hank Worden had a humble upbringing, raised on a cattle ranch near Glendive, Montana. After completing his education at Stanford and the University of Nevada, where he studied engineering, he embarked on a career as an Army pilot. However, his time in flight school was cut short, and he ultimately found his true passion in the entertainment industry.
Worden's journey in show business began with appearances in Broadway plays, including "Green Grow the Lilacs," which later served as the basis for the musical "Oklahoma." He later moved on to work as a cab driver in New York City before finding employment on dude ranches and as a trail guide at the Grand Canyon.
His breakthrough in the film industry came through his friendships with notable directors and actors. Worden's first professional role came in the Broadway production of "Green Grow the Lilacs," where he caught the attention of influential movie producers. He went on to appear in over 200 film and television projects throughout his career.
Although he had a prolific career spanning several decades, Worden is perhaps best known for his role as Mose Harper in the classic western film "The Searchers" (1956), directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne. The film became a defining moment in his career, showcasing his comedic talents and solidifying his status as a notable character actor.
While not widely recognized with major awards, Hank Worden made a lasting impact on Hollywood and the entertainment industry. His distinctive appearance and memorable performances in Westerns, often in comic or rustic roles, endeared him to audiences and established him as a beloved character actor. Worden was married to Louise Eaton until her death, and he adopted a daughter named Dawn Henry.
In addition to his acting career, Worden had a passion for rodeos and was an accomplished saddle bronc rider. Though he broke his neck in a horse fall during his twenties, he was unaware of the injury until his forties. This perseverance and passion for his craft translated into his on-screen presence.
Hank Worden's impact on Hollywood extends beyond his film and television roles. He is considered an icon and legend among Western film enthusiasts, and his unique persona continues to captivate audiences to this day. Though he may not have garnered the same level of fame as leading actors, Worden's contributions as a character actor made him an integral part of the entertainment industry's history.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1990–1991 | Twin Peaks (TV Series) | Waiter |
| 1990 | Cop Rock (TV Series) | 2nd Elderly Man |
| 1990 | Almost an Angel | Pop |
| 1990 | Big Bad John | Good Ole Boy |
| 1988 | Once Upon a Texas Train (TV Movie) | Old Timer (as Hank Warden) |
| 1986 | Knight Rider (TV Series) | Slim |
| 1985 | Space Rage | Old Codger |
| 1985 | Runaway Train | Old Con (as Norton E. 'Hank' Warden) |
| 1984 | UFOria | Colonel |
| 1984 | The Ice Pirates | Elderly Jason |
| 1983 | The Yellow Rose (TV Series) | Old Man |
| 1983 | Please Don't Eat the Babies | Gramps Jebediah |
| 1982 | Flush | Unknown |
| 1982 | Hammett | Pool Room Attendant |
| 1981 | Soggy Bottom, U.S.A. | Old Geezer |
| 1981 | Scream | John |
| 1980 | Bronco Billy | Station Mechanic |
| 1978 | They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way | Butch Collins |
| 1978 | Every Which Way But Loose | Trailer Court Manager |
| 1978 | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | Old Lonely Hearts Club Band |
| 1978 | Big Wednesday | Shopping Cart (as Hank Warden) |
| 1977 | Which Way Is Up? | The Flunky |
| 1977 | Smokey and the Bandit | Trucker (uncredited) |
| 1977 | The Legend of Frank Woods | Slim |
| 1975 | Sky Heist (TV Movie) | Old Coot |
| 1974 | Eve of Aunt Agnes | Unknown |
| 1974 | Gunsmoke (TV Series) | Claude |
| 1974 | The Hanged Man (TV Movie) | Ab Wickes |
| 1973 | Cahill U.S. Marshal | Albert, Valentine Stationmaster |
| 1972 | Rolling Man (TV Movie) | Unknown |
| 1972 | McCloud (TV Series) | Elderly Patient (uncredited) |
| 1971 | Night Gallery (TV Series) | The Bore (segment "Hell's Bells") |
| 1971 | Black Noon (TV Movie) | Joseph |
| 1971 | Bedknobs and Broomsticks | Old Home Guardsman (uncredited) |
| 1971 | Big Jake | Hank |
| 1971 | Zachariah | Old Cowboy (uncredited) |
| 1970 | Rio Lobo | Hank - Hotel Clerk (uncredited) |
| 1970 | Chisum | Stationmaster Elwood |
| 1969 | The Virginian (TV Series) | Calico (uncredited) |
| 1968–1969 | Green Acres (TV Series) | Man | Farmer |
| 1969 | True Grit | R. Ryan - Undertaker (uncredited) |
| 1969 | Big Daddy | Unknown |
| 1969 | The Beverly Hillbillies (TV Series) | Harry |
| 1968 | The Outcasts (TV Series) | Willie (uncredited) |
| 1968 | Lancer (TV Series) | Store Owner |
| 1966–1968 | Petticoat Junction (TV Series) | Band Member | Luke | Roy Turlock ... |
| 1967 | The President's Analyst | Dirty Old Man (uncredited) |
| 1967 | Iron Horse (TV Series) | Ed Fenton |
| 1967 | Hondo (TV Series) | Miner (uncredited) |
| 1967 | Hondo and the Apaches (TV Movie) | Miner (uncredited) |
| 1967 | Good Times | Kid |
| 1965–1967 | Daniel Boone (TV Series) | Hansom Cab Driver | Blue Belly |
| 1960–1966 | Bonanza (TV Series) | Dave | Ned Birch - Old Miner | Station Attendant |
| 1965 | The Loved One | Man in Retirement Village Photo (uncredited) |
| 1963 | The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (TV Series) | Chief Hunting Hawk |
| 1963 | McLintock! | Curly Fletcher |
| 1962 | The Music Man | Undertaker (uncredited) |
| 1960–1961 | Wagon Train (TV Series) | Trader | Hank |
| 1961 | One-Eyed Jacks | Doc |
| 1960 | Rawhide (TV Series) | Driver | Wendell |
| 1960 | The Alamo | Parson |
| 1960 | Sergeant Rutledge | Laredo (uncredited) |
| 1957–1959 | Tales of Wells Fargo (TV Series) | Lonnie | Hank, Livery Stable | Slender Old Timer |
| 1959 | The Horse Soldiers | Deacon Clump |
| 1959 | Steve Canyon (TV Series) | Ben Shaw |
| 1959 | Bronco (TV Series) | Jake |
| 1956–1958 | The Sheriff of Cochise (TV Series) | Joe Heap | Teen's Father |
| 1958 | The Toughest Gun in Tombstone | Liveryman (uncredited) |
| 1958 | Bullwhip | Tex |
| 1958 | The Notorious Mr. Monks | Pete |
| 1958 | Sing Boy Sing | Girl's Father at Police Station (uncredited) |
| 1957 | Tales of the Texas Rangers (TV Series) | Sheriff (uncredited) |
| 1957 | The Adventures of Jim Bowie (TV Series) | Street Hawker |
| 1957 | Forty Guns | Marshal John Chisum |
| 1957 | The Buckskin Lady | Lon |
| 1949–1957 | The Lone Ranger (TV Series) | Bruckner | Stage Driver Jud | Stage Driver Ike ... |
| 1957 | Dragoon Wells Massacre | Hopi Charlie |
| 1957 | Wire Service (TV Series) | Leo Costigan |
| 1957 | Spoilers of the Forest | Pat Casey |
| 1957 | Climax! (TV Series) | Hank, the bartender (uncredited) |
| 1957 | The Quiet Gun | Sampson |
| 1956 | Accused of Murder | Les Fuller |
| 1956 | Thunder Over Arizona | Old Jonas (uncredited) |
| 1956 | The Searchers | Mose Harper |
| 1956 | Meet Me in Las Vegas | Joe (uncredited) |
| 1955 | The Indian Fighter | Crazy Bear | Guardhouse Keeper |
| 1955 | The Magical World of Disney (TV Series) | Fiddler |
| 1955 | The Vanishing American | Shoie (uncredited) |
| 1955 | The Road to Denver | Shad Ewing (uncredited) |
| 1955 | Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier | Cave bar patron (uncredited) |
| 1955 | Where's Raymond? (TV Series) | Unknown |
| 1954 | The Outcast | Bartender (uncredited) |
| 1954 | Ma and Pa Kettle at Home | Indian (uncredited) |
| 1953 | Crime Wave | Sweeney (uncredited) |
| 1953 | Schlitz Playhouse (TV Series) | Unknown |
| 1953 | Powder River | Joe (uncredited) |
| 1952 | The Lawless Breed | Kansas City Barfly (uncredited) |
| 1952 | Sky Full of Moon | Cowhand (uncredited) |
| 1952 | Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation | (uncredited) |
| 1952 | Apache War Smoke | Amber |
| 1952 | The Big Sky | Poordevil |
| 1952 | Woman of the North Country | Tom Gordon |
| 1952 | Boots Malone | Gas Station Mechanic (uncredited) |
| 1951 | The Man with a Cloak | First Carriage Driver (uncredited) |
| 1951 | Joe Palooka in Triple Cross | Hard-of-Hearing Farmer |
| 1951 | The Stu Erwin Show (TV Series) | Clem the Milkman |
| 1951 | Comin' Round the Mountain | Target Judge |
| 1951 | Sugarfoot | Johnny-Behind-the-Stove |
| 1950 | Frenchie | Mr. Grady (uncredited) |
| 1950 | Curtain Call at Cactus Creek | Townsman |
| 1950 | Wagon Master | Luke Clegg |
| 1950 | Father Is a Bachelor | Finnegan (uncredited) |
| 1950 | When Willie Comes Marching Home | American Legionnaire Band Leader (uncredited) |
| 1949 | Home for Christmas (Short) | Hiram |
| 1949 | The Silver Theatre (TV Series) | Hiram |
| 1949 | Roseanna McCoy | Jacob (uncredited) |
| 1949 | The Fighting Kentuckian | Abner Todd (uncredited) |
| 1949 | Hellfire | Witness (uncredited) |
| 1949 | Streets of Laredo | Texas Ranger (uncredited) |
| 1949 | Red Canyon | Charley (uncredited) |
| 1949 | Cover Up | Undertaker (as Worden Norten) |
| 1948 | Yellow Sky | Rancher, Bank Customer (uncredited) |
| 1948 | Whispering Smith | Murray's Ranchhand (uncredited) |
| 1948 | 3 Godfathers | Deputy Curly |
| 1948 | Red River | Simms Reeves |
| 1948 | Tap Roots | Cropper (uncredited) |
| 1948 | Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin' | Clem (uncredited) |
| 1948 | The Sainted Sisters | Taub Beasley |
| 1948 | Fort Apache | Southern Recruit |
| 1948 | Lightnin' in the Forest | Bartender |
| 1948 | Hazard | Man in Cheap Hotel (uncredited) |
| 1948 | The Man from Texas | Churchgoer (uncredited) |
| 1948 | Slippy McGee | Station Wagon Driver (uncredited) |
| 1947 | High Wall | Diner Customer (uncredited) |
| 1947 | Prairie Express | Deputy Clint |
| 1947 | The Secret Life of Walter Mitty | Western Character (uncredited) |
| 1947 | Angel and the Badman | Townsman (uncredited) |
| 1947 | The Sea of Grass | Bill - Salt Fork Townsman (uncredited) |
| 1947 | The Shocking Miss Pilgrim | Office Clerk (uncredited) |
| 1946 | Duel in the Sun | Party Guest (uncredited) |
| 1946 | Undercurrent | Telegram Delivery Man (uncredited) |
| 1946 | The Missing Lady | Flophouse Bum (uncredited) |
| 1946 | Lawless Breed | Deputy Sheriff |
| 1946 | Frontier Gunlaw | Pete (uncredited) |
| 1945 | Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood | Joe (uncredited) |
| 1945 | The Bullfighters | Mr. McCoy (uncredited) |
| 1944 | National Barn Dance | Farmer at Barn Dance (uncredited) |
| 1944 | The Great Moment | Morton's Sign Painter - replaced Roscoe Ates (uncredited) |
| 1944 | Lumberjack | Lumberjack (uncredited) |
| 1944 | Wyoming Hurricane | Cowboy (uncredited) |
| 1944 | Rationing | Man at Wedding (uncredited) |
| 1944 | None Shall Escape | German Motorcycle Soldier (uncredited) |
| 1943 | The Woman of the Town | The Barber (uncredited) |
| 1943 | Jack London | New Year's Eve Party Guest (uncredited) |
| 1943 | Canyon City | Barfly (uncredited) |
| 1943 | Flesh and Fantasy | Circus Spectator (uncredited) |
| 1943 | So Proudly We Hail! | Soldier on Troop Ship (uncredited) |
| 1943 | Black Market Rustlers | Slim |
| 1943 | A Lady Takes a Chance | Waiter (uncredited) |
| 1943 | Tenting Tonight on the Old Camp Ground | Sleepy Martin |
| 1943 | Mountain Rhythm | Party Guest (uncredited) |
| 1942 | Deep in the Heart of Texas | Townsman (uncredited) |
| 1942 | Just Off Broadway | Comedian in Wings (uncredited) |
| 1942 | Riding the Wind | Duff Bricker (as Hank Warden) |
| 1942 | Cowboy Serenade | Opie (uncredited) |
| 1942 | Code of the Outlaw | Lars (uncredited) |
| 1941 | Dude Cowboy | Man with Toothache (uncredited) |
| 1941 | Sierra Sue | Carnival Spectator (uncredited) |
| 1941 | Last of the Duanes | Loafer (uncredited) |
| 1941 | The Little Foxes | Loafer at Train Station (uncredited) |
| 1941 | Love at First Fright (Short) | Hank Hatrack (uncredited) |
| 1941 | Robbers of the Range | Stagecoach Attendant (uncredited) |
| 1941 | Border Vigilantes | Aunt Jennifer's Wagon Driver (uncredited) |
| 1941 | Mad About Moonshine (Short) | Hillbilly |
| 1941 | Ride, Kelly, Ride | Slim (uncredited) |
| 1940 | Triple Justice | Townsman Outside Saloon (uncredited) |
| 1940 | Ride, Tenderfoot, Ride | Henry Haggerty (uncredited) |
| 1940 | Brigham Young | Mormon Cheering Porter (uncredited) |
| 1940 | The Range Busters | Cowhand (uncredited) |
| 1940 | Cross-Country Romance | Wedding Witness (uncredited) |
| 1940 | Winners of the West | Drunk [Chs. 3, 5] (uncredited) |
| 1940 | Prairie Law | Jacobs - Homesteader (uncredited) |
| 1940 | Gaucho Serenade | Farmer Driving Jalopy (uncredited) |
| 1940 | Beyond Tomorrow | Hospital Visitor (uncredited) |
| 1940 | Shooting High | Townsman (uncredited) |
| 1940 | Riders of Pasco Basin | Townsman (uncredited) |
| 1940 | Rancho Grande | Cowhand (uncredited) |
| 1940 | Molly Cures a Cowboy (Short) | Fiddle Player (uncredited) |
| 1940 | Viva Cisco Kid | Deputy (uncredited) |
| 1940 | Northwest Passage | Ranger Tying Oars (uncredited) |
| 1939 | Bandits and Ballads (Short) | Barfly (uncredited) |
| 1939 | Reno | Townsman (uncredited) |
| 1939 | Chip of the Flying U | Cowhand (uncredited) |
| 1939 | Oklahoma Frontier | Townsman (uncredited) |
| 1939 | Cupid Rides the Range (Short) | Jake Loomis (uncredited) |
| 1939 | Timber Stampede | Photographer (uncredited) |
| 1939 | The Night Riders | Rancher (uncredited) |
| 1939 | Rollin' Westward | Slim Regan |
| 1939 | Sundown on the Prairie | Henchman Hank |
| 1939 | Stagecoach | Cavalryman (uncredited) |
| 1938 | Ghost Town Riders | Tom 'Cherokee' Walton |
| 1938 | The Cowboy and the Lady | Cowhand Leonard (uncredited) |
| 1938 | Where the Buffalo Roam | Man at Dance (uncredited) |
| 1938 | The Stranger from Arizona | Skeeter |
| 1938 | Rollin' Plains | Henchman Squint (uncredited) |
| 1938 | Flaming Frontiers | Henchman [Ch. 11] (uncredited) |
| 1938 | Western Trails | Townsman (uncredited) |
| 1938 | The Last Stand | Rustler Playing Fiddle at Campfire (uncredited) |
| 1938 | Frontier Town | Henchman Buck (uncredited) |
| 1937 | The Singing Outlaw | Bixby Cowhand (uncredited) |
| 1937 | Sudden Bill Dorn | Barfly (uncredited) |
| 1937 | Tex Rides with the Boy Scouts | Henchman (uncredited) |
| 1937 | Boss of Lonely Valley | Hank - Wagon Driver (uncredited) |
| 1937 | Hollywood Round-Up | Saloon Set Extra (uncredited) |
| 1937 | Moonlight on the Range | Ranch Hand (uncredited) |
| 1937 | The Mystery of the Hooded Horsemen | Deputy (as Heber Snow) |
| 1937 | The Californian | Ruiz Man (uncredited) |
| 1937 | Riders of the Dawn | Deputy (uncredited) |
| 1937 | Riders of the Rockies | Henchman (uncredited) |
| 1937 | Sing, Cowboy, Sing | Henchman (as Heber Snow) |
| 1937 | Hittin' the Trail | Sidekick Hank (as Heber Snow) |
| 1937 | Trouble in Texas | Hank - a Dancer (uncredited) |
| 1936 | The Plainsman | Deadwood Townsman (uncredited) |
| 1936 | Come and Get It | Lumberjack (uncredited) |
| 1936 | Ghost-Town Gold | Mr. Crabtree (uncredited) |
| 1936 | For the Service | Henchman (uncredited) |
| 1935 | Barbary Coast | Barfly | Townsman (uncredited) |
General:
Posted Using InLeo Alpha
