Randolph Scott
Known for: Acting
George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American actor, best known for his roles in Western films. His career spanned from 1928 to 1962, during which he appeared in over 100 films, with more than 60 of them being Westerns. Scott was raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, in a wealthy family. His father, George Grant Scott, was the first certified public accountant (CPA) in North Carolina, and his mother, Lucille Crane Scott, came from a prominent Virginia family. He attended private schools and excelled in sports, including football, baseball, horse racing, and swimming. During World War I, Scott enlisted in the North Carolina National Guard and later served in France as part of the U.S. Army’s 2nd Trench Mortar Battalion. After the war, he trained as an artillery officer before returning to the United States. Scott initially pursued a career in textile engineering, but his interest in acting led him to Hollywood in the late 1920s. He landed minor roles before securing a contract with Paramount Pictures, where he met Cary Grant on the set of Hot Saturday (1932). The two actors became close companions, sharing a home for several years, which led to speculation about their relationship. Scott and Grant lived together for over a decade, first in a Los Angeles apartment, then in a Beverly Hills home, and later in a Santa Monica beach house. Their close bond was widely discussed in Hollywood, with some believing they were romantically involved, though neither actor ever publicly confirmed this. Photos from the time show them laughing, exercising, cooking, and spending time together, fueling further speculation. Scott’s career flourished in the 1930s and 1940s, with roles in dramas, comedies, musicals, war films, and adventure movies. However, it was in the Western genre that he truly became a box-office star, particularly in the 1950s. His collaborations with director Budd Boetticher in films like Ride Lonesome (1959) and Comanche Station (1960) are considered classics of the genre. Scott was married twice: first to Marion DuPont (1936–1939) and later to Patricia Stillman (1944–1987), with whom he adopted two children. Despite his Hollywood success, he was known for his private nature, preferring to avoid industry events and publicity. After retiring in 1962, Scott focused on business investments, amassing a fortune that allowed him to live comfortably until his passing on March 2, 1987, at the age of 89. Scott remains one of Hollywood’s greatest Western stars, with his stoic, rugged persona influencing generations of actors. His films continue to be celebrated for their authentic portrayal of the American frontier.
Filmography
Film
Ride the High Country
Gil Westrum
1962
Film
Ten Wanted Men
John Stewart
1955
Film
7 Men from Now
Ben Stride
1956
Film
Westbound
Capt. John Hayes
1959
Film
The Man Behind The Gun
Major Ransome Callicut
1953
Film
Decision at Sundown
Bart Allison
1957
Film
Jesse James
Marshall Will Wright
1939
Film
My Favorite Wife
Steve Burkett
1940
Film
The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender
Self (archive footage)
1997
Film
So Red the Rose
Duncan Bedford
1935
Film
Buchanan Rides Alone
Tom Buchanan
1958
Film
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
Anthony Kent
1938
Film
The Doolins of Oklahoma
Bill Doolin / Bill Daley
1949
Film
Western Union
Vance Shaw
1941
Film
Captain Kidd
Adam Mercy / Adam Blayne
1945
Film
The Tall T
Pat Brennan
1957
Film
Thunder Over the Plains
Capt. David Porter
1953
Film
Gunfighters
Brazos Kane
1947
Film
When the Daltons Rode
Tod Jackson
1940
Film
Coroner Creek
Chris Danning
1948
Film
La Classe américaine
Joël (archive footage)
1993
Film
Ride Lonesome
Ben Brigade
1959
Film
Murders in the Zoo
Jack Woodford
1933
Film
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood
Self (archive footage)
2018
Film
The Spoilers
McNamara
1942
Film
The Desperadoes
Sheriff Steve Upton
1943
Film
The Stranger Wore a Gun
Jeff Travis
1953
Film
Sugarfoot
Jackson 'Sugarfoot' Redan
1951
Film
Riding Shotgun
Larry Delong
1954
Film
To the Shores of Tripoli
Dixie Smith
1942
Film
Shoot-Out at Medicine Bend
Capt. Buck Devlin
1957
Film
The Last of the Mohicans
Hawkeye
1936
Film
Hello, Everybody!
Hunt Blake
1933
Film
7th Cavalry
Capt. Tom Benson
1956
Film
Return of the Bad Men
Vance
1948
Film
Man in the Saddle
Owen Merrit
1951
Film
Rage at Dawn
James Barlow
1955
Film
Canadian Pacific
Tom Andrews
1949
Film
A Lawless Street
Marshal Calem Ware
1955
Film
Comanche Station
Jefferson Cody
1960
Film
Virginia City
Vance Irby
1940
Film
Gung Ho!
Colonel Thorwald
1943
Film
Half Marriage
Night Club Patron
1929
Film
Susannah of the Mounties
Monty
1939
Film
Abilene Town
Marshall Dan Mitchell
1946
Film
Belle Starr
Sam Starr
1941
Film
Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade
Self (archive footage)
2004
Film
The Walking Hills
Jim Carey
1949
Film
Carson City
Silent Jeff Kincaid
1952
Film
The Wolf of Wall Street
Broker's Assistant
1929
Film
Belle of the Yukon
Honest John Calhoun aka Gentleman Jack
1944
Film
Colt .45
Steve Farrell
1950
Film
To the Last Man
Lynn Hayden
1933
Film
The Bounty Hunter
Jim Kipp / James Collins
1954
Film
Sharp Shooters
Foreign Serviceman in Moroccan Cafe (uncredited)
1928
Film
Weary River
Audience Member (0:56) (uncredited)
1929
Film
Dynamite
Coal Miner
1929
Film
Follow the Fleet
Bilge Smith
1936
Film
China Sky
Dr. Gray Thompson
1945
Film
Bombardier
Buck Oliver
1943
Film
The Nevadan
Andrew Barclay
1950
Film
Legends of the West
Wyatt Earp in 'Frontier Marshall' (archive footage) (uncredited)
1992
Film
Follow the Boys
Randolph Scott (uncredited)
1944
Film
Pirate Party on Catalina Isle
Randolph Scott
1935
Film
Coast Guard
Thomas 'Speed' Bradshaw
1939
Film
Fighting Man of the Plains
Jim Dancer
1949
Film
Heritage of the Desert
Jack Hare
1932
Film
Starlift
Randolph Scott
1951
Film
Frontier Marshal
Wyatt Earp
1939
Film
Trail Street
Bat Masterson
1947
Film
Village Tale
T.N. 'Slaughter' Somerville
1935
Film
She
Leo Vincey
1935
Film
Hangman's Knot
Major Matt Stewart
1952
Film
Badman's Territory
Sheriff Mark Rowley
1946
Film
Mae West and the Men Who Knew Her
Self (archive footage)
1994
Film
Home on the Range
Tom Hatfield
1935
Film
Sky Bride
Captain Frank Robertson
1932
Film
Roberta
John Kent
1935
Film
Fort Worth
Ned Britt
1951
Film
20,000 Men a Year
Brad Reynolds
1939
Film
Corvette K-225
Lt. Cm. McClain
1943
Film
High, Wide and Handsome
Peter Cortlandt
1937
Film
Go West Young Man
Bud Norton
1936
Film
Christmas Eve
Jonathan 'Johnny'
1947
Film
A Successful Calamity
Larry Rivers
1932
Film
Born Reckless
Dick Milburn (uncredited)
1930
Film
Man of the Forest
Brett Dale
1933
Film
Tall Man Riding
Larry Madden
1955
Film
The Road to Reno
Steve Fortness
1938
Film
Pittsburgh
Cash Evans
1942
Film
Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)
Self
1936
Film
Paris Calling
Nick
1941
Film
Supernatural
Grant Wilson
1933
Film
Albuquerque
Cole Armin
1948
Film
Santa Fe
Britt Canfield
1951
Film
Buffalo Stampede
Tom Doan
1933
Film
Wild Horse Mesa
Chane Weymer
1932
Film
And Sudden Death
Police Lt. James Knox
1936
Film
Sunset Pass
Ash Preston
1933
Film
The Cariboo Trail
Jim Redfern
1950
Film
The Fighting Westerner
Larry Sutton
1935
Film
The Last Round-up
Jim Cleve
1934
Film
Why Be Good?
Man Dancing at The Boiler (uncredited)
1929
Film
The Texans
Kirk Jordan
1938
Film
Three Of A Kind
Himself
1941
Film
Home Sweet Homicide
Lt. Bill Smith
1946
Film
The Black Watch
Black Watch Soldier (uncredited)
1929
Film
Hot Saturday
Bill Fadden
1932
Film
Wagon Wheels
Clint Belmet
1934
Film
Broken Dreams
Dr. Robert Morley
1933
Film
The Far Call
Helms
1929
Three Lives
Self
1953
Film
Cocktail Hour
Morgan
1933
Film
Sailor's Holiday
(uncredited)
1929