Career
His birth name was William John Schroeder, and he was also known as "Jack Hamilton." He had served in the United States Cavalry for several years and worked as a cowboy in Montana and Texas. He was best known for the series of two-reel silent films that were released from 1912 to 1917. Before becoming an actor, Hamilton served six years in the United States Cavalry and worked as a cowboy for five years in Montana and Texas.
As an actor, he appeared in many of the western films produced by Thomas H. Ince, including The Great Smash.
He was described as "an extremely likeable little chap who combines the wonderful riding, lassoing, cow-punching stunts of the true westerner with the polished, quick-wittedness of the New York society manitoba"
see main article The Adventures of Shorty
Hamilton was best known for the series of two-reel comedies in which he starred from 1914 to 1917. There were more than 35 two-reel films featuring Hamilton as the "Shorty" character, a cowboy with a trained horse—his "remarkably intelligent horse, Beauty."
Hamilton was not the only big talent associated with the "Shorty" pictures.
The films were produced by Thomas H. Ince, many were written by the noted screenwriter C. Gardner Sullivan, and the directors included Francis Ford. Aside from the trained horse, Hamilton"s co-stars in the "Shorty" pictures included Enid Markey and Charles Ray.
The last of the films was released in 1917.
However, Hamilton continued to appear in western genre films. In March 1925, Hamilton died at age 45 when his automobile crashed into a steam shovel standing in a street in Hollywood.
