Neal Hart

Neal Hart (April 7, 1879 – April 2, 1949) was an American actor and director of the silent era. Hart was born in Staten Island, New York. Before he began working in films, he was a city marshal, cowboy, and stage driver. He worked in entertainment as a member of a wild-west show.

Hart appeared in 125 films between 1916 and 1949. He also directed 23 films between 1919 and 1928. Until 1920 he worked at Universal as an actor, an assistant to director George Marshall, and a scenario writer. He went from Universal to Pinnacle Studios in 1920, adding producing to his writing and acting as he continued to work in Western films through the 1920s.

On April 2, 1949, Hart died at the Motion Picture Country Hospital in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. He was a distant cousin of William S. Hart who is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn, N.Y.