John Hart

John Lewis Hart (December 13, 1917 – September 20, 2009), also credited as John Hilton, was an American film and television actor. In his early career, Hart appeared mostly in westerns. Although Hart played mostly minor roles in some fairly well known films, he was probably best known for playing the character Hawkeye in the TV series Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans and replacing Clayton Moore in the television series The Lone Ranger for one season (1952–53), as well as playing Dr. Stein in the 1973 cult classic Blackenstein.

Career Hart began his screen career in 1937 with a bit part in Daughter of Shanghai. He continued in a variety of B pictures such as Prison Farm and King of Alcatraz before appearing in two of Cecil B. DeMille's films The Buccaneer (1938) and North West Mounted Police (1940). In 1941, Hart's acting career was interrupted when he was drafted into the United States Army. He rose to the rank of first sergeant in the Coast Artillery and eventually served in the Philippines. Following his military service, Hart worked frequently for Sam Katzman; he was given the lead role in the Jack Armstrong (1947) film serial. Hart did stunt work and acted in numerous westerns.

Hart was eventually offered the opportunity to replace Clayton Moore on The Lone Ranger television series. Based on the assumption that the masked character, rather than the actor, was the true star of The Lone Ranger, the program's producers fired Moore (presumably over salary differences) and replaced him with Hart, who was of a similar build and had a comparable background in Westerns. However, the public never truly accepted Hart as the Lone Ranger (his speaking voice was significantly different from Moore's), and by 1954 the producers returned Moore to the role. According to Clayton Moore's autobiography I Was That Masked Man, Moore never knew why he was replaced by Hart, and also stated that he had not sought a pay increase. Hart acted in minor roles in two episodes of The Lone Ranger before being asked to replace Clayton Moore for the entire third season. The episodes were "Rifles and Renegades" (#34) and "Sheriff at Gunstock" (#46).

Hart continued to act in films for more than two decades, appearing in films of several genres, almost always in supporting roles. Hart appeared twice on the TV series I Love Lucy as Lucy's old boyfriend and again in the Hollywood episodes as a lifeguard at the hotel pool. In 1955, Hart starred in the serial The Adventures of Captain Africa, which was originally intended to be a new movie about famous comic book hero The Phantom. However, licensing issues forced Columbia Pictures to re-film the entire serial and re-christen the hero "Captain Africa." Hart attended South Pasadena High School and later studied acting at the Pasadena Playhouse. He and his wife Beryl had a daughter, Robyn.

On September 20, 2009, Hart died from complications of dementia at his home in Playas de Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico at the age of 91. His ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean.

Selected filmography

1937: Daughter of Shanghai - Sailor (uncredited) 1938: The Buccaneer - (uncredited) 1938: Dangerous to Know - Minor Role (uncredited) 1938: Tip-Off Girls - Truck Driver (uncredited) 1938: Hunted Men - Young Man at Party (uncredited) 1938: Prison Farm - 'Texas' Jack 1938: King of Alcatraz - 1st Radio Operator 1938: Touchdown, Army - Cadet Battle (uncredited) 1938: Illegal Traffic - Davis 1939: Disbarred - First Reporter 1939: Persons in Hiding - Male Stenographer 1939: Million Dollar Legs - Haldeman (uncredited) 1939: $1,000 a Touchdown - Buck (uncredited) 1940: North West Mounted Police - Constable Norman (uncredited) 1946: Son of the Guardsman (Serial) - Martin, Bullard soldier (uncredited) 1947: Vacation Days - Big Jim 1947: Jack Armstrong (Serial) - Jack Armstrong 1947: The Vigilantes Return - Henchman (uncredited) 1947: Last of the Redskins - British Sergeant (uncredited) 1947: Brick Bradford (Serial) - Dent 1948: I Love Trouble - Police Detective (uncredited) 1948: Tex Granger: Midnight Rider of the Plains - Crane (uncredited) 1948: Waterfront at Midnight - Woody 1948: The Velvet Touch - Partygoer's Escort (uncredited) 1948: A Southern Yankee - Orderly (uncredited) 1948: Joe Palooka in Winner Take All - Army Sergeant George Malone (uncredited) 1948: The Plunderers - Tom Powers (uncredited) 1949: El Paso - Mr. Ritter (uncredited) 1949: Batman and Robin (Serial) - John Hench / Mechanic [Ch. 2] (uncredited) 1949: Special Agent - Ranch Foreman Frank Kent 1949: Joe Palooka in the Counterpunch - Pedro 1949: The Fighting Redhead - Faro Savage 1949: Cowboy and the Prizefighter - Mark Palmer 1950: Champagne for Caesar - Executive No. 4 1950: State Penitentiary - Sandy' OHara - Convict (uncredited) 1950: Atom Man vs. Superman (Serial) - Henchman in Car [Ch. 3] (uncredited) 1950: Chain Gang - Chain Gang Member (uncredited) 1950: Hit Parade of 1951 - Bandit (uncredited) 1950: Hot Rod - Policeman (uncredited) 1950: Pirates of the High Seas (Serial) - Jenkins - aka Earl Turner [Ch.1] (uncredited) 1950: Revenue Agent - U.S. Border Patroman (uncredited) 1950-1953: The Lone Ranger (TV Series) - The Lone Ranger / Duke / Guard 1951: Colorado Ambush - The Fair-Minded Gambler (uncredited) 1951: Belle Le Grand - Man (uncredited) 1951: Fury of the Congo - Guard (uncredited) 1951: Stagecoach Driver - Slim Cole 1951: Warpath - Sgt. Plennert 1951: The Longhorn - Moresby 1951: The Wild Blue Yonder - General (uncredited) 1951: Texas Lawmen - Marshal Dave (uncredited) 1951: Stage to Blue River - Frederick Kingsley 1952: Texas City - 1st Sergeant (uncredited) 1952: Waco - Texas Ranger Carmody (uncredited) 1952: Aladdin and His Lamp - Gate Guard (uncredited) 1952: Jungle Jim in the Forbidden Land - Commissioner's Secretary (uncredited) 1952: Wild Stallion - Cavalry Corporal (uncredited) 1952: Thief of Damascus - Soldier / Messenger (uncredited) 1952: Kansas Territory - U.S. Marshal Matt Furness 1952: Dead Man's Trail - Ranger Captain (uncredited) 1952: Caribbean - Stuart 1952: The Golden Hawk - Pirate Helmsman (uncredited) 1952: The Pathfinder - British Sergeant 1953: The Lone Ranger (TV Series Season 3) - The Lone Ranger 1953: Prince of Pirates - Captain of the Guards (uncredited) 1953: The Great Adventures of Captain Kidd (Serial) - Jenkins [Chs.4-6, 8-10] 1953-1955: I Love Lucy (TV Series) - Jim Stevens / Lifeguard / Tom Henderson 1954: Gunfighters of the Northwest (Serial) - Sgt. Dan Wells (uncredited) 1955: Dial Red O - Uniformed Deputy (uncredited) 1955: The Adventures of Captain Africa (Serial) - Captain Africa 1956: The Crooked Web - Charlie Holt (uncredited) 1956: Perils of the Wilderness - Henchman (uncredited) 1956: The Ten Commandments - Cretan Ambassador (uncredited) 1957: Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans (TV Series~39 episodes~lead character) - Nat 'Hawkeye' Cutler 1958: Wolf Dog - Andy Bates (uncredited) 1958-1962: Leave It to Beaver (TV Series) - Forest Ranger / Construction Worker / Troop #21 Scoutmaster Norton 1959: Diary of a High School Bride - Policeman #1 1959: Inside the Mafia - State Trooper (uncredited) 1959: Vice Raid - Final Thug at Malone's Office (uncredited) 1959: Rawhide – Slim in S2:E6, "Incident of the 13th Man" 1960: Rawhide – Posseman in S2:E19, "Incident of the Sharpshooter" 1960: Rawhide – Murdoch in S2:E22, "Incident of the Champagne Bottles" 1960: Rawhide – Nate Johnson in S3:E2, "Incident of the Challenge" 1960: Noose for a Gunman - Dave Barker - Avery Gunman (uncredited) 1960: Bat Masterson - Jacobs (outlaw) 1960: The Subterraneans - Cop (uncredited) 1960: Bells Are Ringing - Party Guest (uncredited) 1961: Go Naked in the World - Club Doorman (uncredited) 1961: Pete and Gladys (CBS, TV Series) - Mervin 1961: Rawhide – Sheriff in S3:E11, "Incident of the Broken Word" 1961: Rawhide – Prussel in S3:E17, "Incident of the New Start" 1961: Rawhide – Rep One in S4:E2, "The Sendoff" 1961: Rawhide – Sheriff in S4:E5, "The Lost Tribe" 1961: Rawhide – Spence in S4:E11, "The Gentlemen's Gentleman" 1961: Atlantis, the Lost Continent - Nobleman (uncredited) 1961: Ada - Politician at Rally (uncredited) 1961-1962: Rawhide – Narbo in S4:7 Episodes 1962: The Horizontal Lieutenant - Lieutenant (uncredited) 1962: Billy Rose's Jumbo - Marshall (uncredited) 1962: Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol as Billings, Stage Manager, Milkman 1963: The Courtship of Eddie's Father - State Trooper (uncredited) 1963: It Happened at the World's Fair - (uncredited) 1963: The Man from the Diners' Club (1963) - Motorcycle Patrolman (uncredited) 1963: Captain Newman, M.D. (1963) - Officer (uncredited) 1963: Rawhide – Narbo in S5:E31, "Abilene" 1964: Viva Las Vegas - Casino Patron (uncredited) 1964: Marnie - Dr. Gilliat - Minister (uncredited) 1964: 36 Hours - Lt. Cmdr. Perkins (uncredited) 1965: Rawhide – Harley Lear in S7:E13, "The Meeting" 1965: Rawhide – Narbo in S7:E22, "Prairie Fire" 1965: The Sandpiper - Trooper (uncredited) 1965: Zebra in the Kitchen - Zookeeper (uncredited) 1965: The Cincinnati Kid - Poker Player (uncredited) 1965: Day of the Nightmare - Dr. Philip Crane 1966: Hold On! - Detective 1966: Django spara per primo - (English version) 1967: Riot on Sunset Strip - Pritchard 1967: The Fastest Guitar Alive - Mint Guard (uncredited) 1968: Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? - Policeman (uncredited) 1970: The Phynx - The Lone Ranger 1971: Simon, King of the Witches - Doctor (uncredited) 1971: Refinements in Love - Jonas Brown Mart (uncredited) 1972: Bonnie's Kids 1972: The Roommates - Sam - Sheriff 1973: Santee - Cobbles 1973: Blackenstein - Dr. Stein 1974: Welcome to Arrow Beach - Doctor 1974: The Centerfold Girls - Sheriff (segment "The First Story") 1975: Gemini Affair - Bob 1976: Blood Voyage - Jules 1977: John Hus Theologian 1978: Invisible Strangler - Harbormaster 1978: Cheerleaders Beach Party - Mr. Langley 1978: Chips (TV series~S2 ep13) - boat owner 1981: The Greatest American Hero (TV Series) - Himself 1981: The Legend of the Lone Ranger - Lucas Striker 1982: Happy Days (TV Series) - Lone Ranger (final appearance)