Gordon Westcott

Gordon Westcott (born Myrthus Hickman, November 6, 1903 – October 30, 1935) was an American film actor.

Gordon Westcott
From Murder in the Clouds (1934)
Born	Myrthus Hickman (1903-11-06)November 6, 1903 St. George, Utah, U.S.
Died	October 30, 1935(1935-10-30) (aged 31) Hollywood, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1927–1935
Spouse(s)	Margaret Cardon (1922–19??; divorced) Hazel Beth McArthur (19??–1935; his death)
Children	2, including Helen Westcott

Biography

Born in St. George, Utah, in 1903, Westcott studied architecture at the University of Chicago, where he was also lightweight boxing champion of the university.[1]

Westcott acted on stage in New York, Utah, and California, before he made the move to film.[2]

He became a contract player with Warner Brothers and appeared in 37 films between 1928 and 1935,[3] starring alongside such up and comers as Bette Davis, Loretta Young and James Cagney.

After appearing in a string of Pre-Code productions, and working with such directors as William A. Wellman, Busby Berkeley and William Dieterle, his film career ended with his death on October 30, 1935 from a skull fracture[4] sustained in a polo accident that occurred three days earlier. He was 31 years old and survived by his second wife and two children.[5]

Family

His son, from a brief 1922 marriage to Margaret Cardon Hickman (1902–1991), was Louis C. Hickman (1922–2016). His daughter, by Hazel Bethea McArthur, was actress Helen Westcott (1928–1998).

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1928	Our Dancing Daughters	Diana's Party Friend	Uncredited
1929	Queen Kelly	Lackey	(unbilled), Uncredited
1931	Enemies of the Law	Blackie
1932	Merrily We Go to Hell	Party Boy	Uncredited
1932	Guilty as Hell	Dr. Goodman	Uncredited
1932	Devil and the Deep	Lt. Toll
1932	Love Me Tonight	Credit Manager of the Association of Retail Merchants	Uncredited
1932	Heritage of the Desert	Snap Naab
1933	The Crime of the Century	Gilbert Reid
1933	He Learned About Women	Eddie Clifford
1933	The Working Man	Fred Pettison
1933	Lilly Turner	Rex Durkee
1933	Private Detective 62	Bandor
1933	Heroes for Sale	Roger	[6]
1933	Voltaire	The Captain
1933	Footlight Parade	Thompson
1933	The World Changes	John Nordholm
1933	Convention City	Phil Lorraine / Frank Wilson
1934	Dark Hazard	Joe
1934	I've Got Your Number	Nicky
1934	Fashions of 1934	Harry Brent
1934	Registered Nurse	Jim Benton
1934	Fog Over Frisco	Joe Bello
1934	The Circus Clown	Frank
1934	Call It Luck	'Lucky' Luke Bartlett
1934	Kansas City Princess	Jimmy the Dude aka Frankie Smith
1934	The Case of the Howling Dog	Arthur Cartwright
1934	6 Day Bike Rider	Harry St. Clair
1934	Murder in the Clouds	George Wexley
1935	The White Cockatoo	Dr. Roberts
1935	A Night at the Ritz	Joe Scurvin
1935	Go into Your Dance	Fred
1935	Going Highbrow	Sam Long
1935	Front Page Woman	Maitland Coulter
1935	Bright Lights	Wellington
1935	Two-Fisted	George Parker
1935	This Is the Life	Ed Revier	(final film role)

References

1. "Fight Training Is Aid to Actor Now". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. August 31, 1927. p. 25. Retrieved July 5, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Gordon Wescott [sic] Dies from Skull Injury". The Oshkosh Northwestern. Wisconsin, Oshkosh. Associated Press. October 31, 1935. p. 4. Retrieved July 5, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Hunter, James Michael (2013). Mormons and Popular Culture: The Global Influence of an American Phenomenon. ABC-CLIO. pp. 253–254. ISBN 9780313391675. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
4. "Polo Game Injuries Take Actor's Life". Star Tribune. Minnesota, Minneapolis. Associated Press. October 31, 1935. p. 12. Retrieved July 5, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "The Ogden Standard-Examiner from Ogden, Utah on October 31, 1935 · Page 18". newspapers.com.
6. "Warner Brothers film release; aired on TCM, 12 January 2013

External links

• Gordon Westcott on IMDb
• Gordon Westcott at Find a Grave