Ben Corbett

Ben Corbett (February 6, 1892 – May 19, 1961) was an American film actor renowned for his prolific work in Westerns and silent‑era productions. Born in Hudson, Illinois, Corbett grew up in a rural environment that fostered his skill with horses, eventually becoming a trophy‑winning rodeo participant. His expertise on horseback led him to Hollywood in the mid‑1910s, where he first worked as a riding double for stunt‑heavy pictures before transitioning to on‑screen roles. Over a career that spanned four decades—from 1915 to 1956 he appeared in more than 280 films, a testament to his reliability and the high demand for seasoned horsemen in the industry. Corbett’s early credits include silent shorts such as Lightning Bryce (1919) and An Eastern Westerner (1920), where his athleticism and daring riding stunts earned him a reputation as a go‑to performer for action sequences. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s he became a fixture in low‑budget Westerns, starring or supporting in titles like The Man from Wyoming (1924), The Red Raiders (1927), The Texas Tornado (1932), and The Outlaw Tamer (1935). Even as sound technology reshaped the industry, Corbett continued to work, appearing in later productions such as Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943) and Law Men (1944), often in uncredited but memorable cameo roles. Beyond his screen work, Corbett remained deeply connected to the rodeo community, leveraging his championship background to choreograph authentic horse‑riding scenes that added realism to countless Westerns. He retired from acting in 1956, having left an indelible mark on the genre’s golden age. Ben Corbett passed away in Hollywood, California, on May 19, 1961, at the age of 69, and is remembered today as a quintessential cowboy‑type actor whose contributions helped define early American cinema’s portrayal of the frontier.