- Born
- Died
- Birth nameThomas Hezikiah Mix
- Height6′ (1.83 m)
- The son of a lumberman, Tom Mix joined the army as a young man and was an artillery sergeant during the Philippine campaign from 1898 to 1901, though he never saw action. In fact, Mix deserted from the army and carefully kept the facts about his military service a closely guarded secret. About 1903 he was drum major with the Oklahoma Cavalry Band, playing in the St. Louis World's Fair. In 1904 he was a bartender and sheriff/marshal in Dewey, Oklahoma. He was in a series of Wild West shows, such as The Miller Bros. Wild West Show, from 1906-1909; the Widerman show in Amarillo, Texas; with wife Olive Mix in Seattle's Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition; and Will A. Dickey's Circle D Ranch. The latter supplied Selig Pictures with cowboys and Indians for movies and, in 1910, Mix was hired by Selig to provide and handle horses. His first movie was Ranch Life in the Great Southwest (1910). He continued with Selig until 1917, writing and directing as well as acting. He was signed by Fox Films in 1917 and remained with them until 1928, averaging five or so films a year. His popularity eclipsed all other great cowboy stars (Hoot Gibson and even the legendary William S. Hart) of the silent era and he earned--and spent--millions.
In addition to Mix's riding and shooting skills, the films also showcased the talents of his amazing horse, Tony the Horse. Sound and encroaching middle age were not favorable to Mix, and after making a handful of pictures during the sound era he left the film industry after 1935's serial, The Miracle Rider (1935) (a huge hit for lowly Mascot Pictures, grossing over $1 million; Mix earned $40,000), touring with the Sells Floto Circus in 1930 and 1931 and the Tom Mix Circus from 1936 to 1938. While Mix was a great showman, the combination of the Depression and the high overhead of his traveling shows conspired against his success. Mix developed a comical style, emphasizing fast action thrills to a greater extent than had been common in earlier westerns, and he did his own stunts. He was king of the cowboys during the 1920s and remained popular on radio and in comic books for more than a decade after his death. He died in an auto accident in 1940.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu> (qv's & corrections by A. Nonymous)
- SpousesMabel Irene (Hubbell) Ward(February 15, 1932 - October 12, 1940) (his death)Victoria Forde(May 5, 1918 - January 4, 1932) (divorced, 1 child)Olive Mix(January 10, 1909 - May 2, 1918) (divorced, 1 child)Jewel "Kitty" Perrine(December 20, 1905 - 1907) (divorced)Grace I. Allen(July 18, 1902 - 1903) (annulled)
- ParentsEdwin MixElizabeth Heistand
- Served as a pallbearer at the funeral of legendary western lawman Wyatt Earp in 1929.
- Never had kind words for John Wayne because, many believe, he was afraid that Wayne would push him out of the limelight. That hatred grew as Wayne's star rose and, due to the fact that Mix wouldn't take a pay cut to do radio, his own star began to fall. Asked by a journalist what he thought of Wayne, Mix only replied, "The only Christian words that I could use are 'no-talent upstart'." Wayne, for his part, had disliked Mix since Wayne's college days at USC, when Mix told several members of the football team (Wayne among them) to stop by Fox Studios and he would get them jobs in the movies. Wayne and several others did so a few weeks later, only to be informed that Mix had never told anyone at the studio about his promises of employment, and they were thrown off the lot. Wayne never forgave Mix.
- At one point during the height of his career, he had all his cars fitted with custom-manufactured tires specially molded to leave tracks with his initials TM in the road.
- On October 12, 1940, while driving his 1937 Cord Sportsman through the Arizona desert he took a turn too fast, a suitcase broke loose and struck him in the head and his car plunged into a ravine. The ravine was later named "The Tom Mix Wash" in his honor. A plaque at the location reads: "TOM MIX January 6, 1880 - October 12, 1940 Whose spirit left his body on this spot and whose characterization and portrayals in life served to better fix memories of the old west in the minds of living men.".
- He never thought much of his acting ability. Once when a director asked him to change expressions, he responded, "Which one do you want? One? Two? Or three?".
- [of his famous horse, Tony the Horse] I've owned Tony since he was born, 17 years ago. He is a good horse and will be for some time yet, as I have never extended him in work. He doesn't like this tour much, though, and has been getting cross about it. Several times he has tried to bite me within the last few days and once he succeeded.
- I try to make the pictures so that when a boy pays, say, 20 cents to see it, he will get 20 cents worth, not 10. If I drop, you see, it would be like putting my hand in his pocket and stealing a dime.
- Years ago I used to live in a cow-camp, where a bed and a knife, fork, spoon were all the things I could look forward to in the evening. Now I live in what is known as a gentleman's estate. There is a big house and a lawn in front of which Barnum and Bailey could put all their tents. There are tennis courts and a swimming pool with so many different-colored tiles that you feel ashamed to get in with only an ordinary bathing suit. I go back to this place in the evening and wander around. Nothing there but dignity.
- The Miracle Rider (1935) - $40,000
- Hidden Gold (1932) - $30,000
- The Rainbow Trail (1925) - $20,000 /week
- Stepping Fast (1923) - $4,000 /week
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