William Rogers, born November 4, 1897 in the Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory near what is now Oologah, Oklahoma, is known as "Oklahoma's Favorite Son". He made 71 films, most of them silent movies, and in the mid-thirties, was the highest paid actor in Hollywood. Both of his parents were of Cherokee ancestry.
He began his show business in South Africa as a trick roper and later went to Australia where he worked with the Wirth Brothers Circus. He returned to the US in 1904 and appeared at the St. Louis World's Fair. In April 1905, he was visiting Madison Square Gardens in NYC when a steer broke out and began climbing the viewing stands. Rogers used his roping skills to catch the animal, which delighted the crowd. He worked for the next ten years performing with his horse on the Victoria Roof in NYC.
He appeared in his first movie in Laughing Bill Hyde in 1918. His first sound film came in 1929 in They Had to See Paris.
In 1935, he asked Wiley Post, another Oklahoman, to fly him through Alaska in search of new material for his newspaper column. On August 15, after several stops in Alaska, they left Fairbanks for Point Barrow. About 20 miles south of Point Barrow, Wiley attempted to take off from a lagoon after asking for directions. The engine failed and the plane crashed into the water, killing both men instantly.
The international airport in Oklahoma City is named Will Rogers World Airport. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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