Born on June 5, 1895, William Boyd would become the definitive face of early Hollywood heroism as the clean-cut, black-clad cowboy Hopalong Cassidy. He brought the beloved literary character to life in over 60 western films between the mid-1930s and late 1940s, permanently reshaping how American children viewed the legends of the frontier.
When Hollywood studios lost faith in the franchise and dropped it, Boyd made a brilliant and incredibly risky gamble by spending his life savings to buy the character rights. He went on to produce his own Cassidy films and pioneered the concept of multimedia character merchandising. His foresight paid off massively, turning him into one of television’s very first multi-millionaire icons as the character transitioned to the small screen.
