He was one of the few actors, much less cowboys, of the silent era to continue on well into the talkies. Beginning in films in 1912, Hoot Gibson made such a name for himself that Universal gave him his own studio, the Hoot Gibson Company to make "Gibson Westerns."
It was his ability to convincingly play both comedy and drama that led him to continue making pictures until 1944. He was a genuine cowboy, a well-loved actor, and in a class all of his own.