Riley Hill (actor)

Riley Hill (born Roy Lawrence Harris, March 20, 1914 – September 16, 1993^{[citation needed]}) was an American actor who appeared in both film and television. Over the span of his career he appeared in 71 feature films and over a dozen television series.^[1]

Biography

Born Roy Lawrence Harris on March 20, 1914, in Fort Worth, Texas, his parents were Charlie Morris Harris and Mary Irene Bowers.^{[citation needed]} He began acting under his real name with a small role in the 1937 film, The Firefly. By the beginning of the next decade he was getting significant roles in Hollywood westerns such as Law of the Range (1941), Men of the Timberland (1941), Rawhide Rangers (1941), Texas Trouble Shooters (1942), and Arizona Stage Coach (1942).

Arizona Stage Coach would be the last picture he appeared in before, in 1942, his film career was interrupted by

The 1950s saw Hill continue in major supporting roles, along with the occasional starring role in B westerns, as well as lesser roles. He had one of the starring roles in 1950's Law of the Panhandle, and significant roles that same year in Six Gun Mesa and Fence Riders. After 1951 his roles began to diminish, although he did have a significant supporting role in the 1952 western, Target, and 1953's White Lightning.

With the advent of television, Hill began to transition to that medium. He appeared in

At some point in the early 1960s Hill moved to Tucson, Arizona. He only appeared in films which were shot in Arizona after this time. He had a significant role in The Trial of Billy Jack in 1974, and smaller roles in 1976's The Last Hard Men and several other films in the 1960s and 1970s. His last significant role, and second to last performance, was in When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder? (1979).

Filmography

(Per AFI database)^[1]

References

External links

• Riley Hill at
  IMDb
• Riley Hill's page on B-Westerns
• Riley Hill's page on Western Clippings