Will Rogers Wiki, Bio, Age, Net Worth, and Other Facts

Below is a compiled list of the most interesting facts about Will Rogers. Check it out!

World-famous, widely popular American humorist of the vaudeville stage and of silent and sound films, Will Rogers graduated from military school, but his first real job was in the livestock business in Argentina, of all places. He transported pack animals across the South Atlantic from Buenos Aires to South Africa for use in the Boer War (1899-1902). He stayed in Johannesburg for a short while, appearing there in Wild West shows where he drew upon his expertise with horse and lasso. Returning to America, he brought his talents to vaudeville and by 1917 was a Ziegfeld Follies star. Over the years he gradually blended into his act his unique style of topical, iconoclastic humor, in which he speared the efforts of the powerful to trample the rights of the common man, while twirling his lariat and perhaps chewing on a blade of straw. Although appearing in many silents, he reached his motion-picture zenith with the arrival of sound. Now mass audiences could hear his rural twang as he delivered his homespun philosophy on behalf of Everyman. The appeal and weight of his words carried such weight with the average citizen that he was even nominated for governor of Oklahoma (which he declined).

Interesting Facts about Will Rogers

Served as Honorary Mayor of Beverly Hills, California, from 1926-1928.
Charter member of the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1955.
As host of the 1933 Academy Awards ceremony, he made a minor blunder when announcing the Best Director Award. After reading the nominees he told the winner, “Come and get it, Frank!” Frank Capra (nominated for Lady for a Day (1933)) was halfway to the podium before he realized Rogers meant Frank Lloyd (winner for Cavalcade (1933)). Capra could well afford to lick his wounds: He won the following year for It Happened One Night (1934) and became Academy President the year after that.
He was awarded 2 Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Radio at 6608 Hollywood Boulevard and for Motion Pictures at 6401 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
While growing up on the family ranch, he worked with cattle and learned to ride and lasso from a young age. He grew so talented with a rope, in fact, that he was placed in the Guinness Book of World Records for throwing three lassos at once. One went around the horse’s neck, another circled around the rider, and the third flew under the horse, looping all four legs together.
Attended Kemper Military School & College in Boonville, Missouri.
Pictured on a 3¢ US postage stamp in the Famous Americans series, issued 4 November 1948.
Cousin of Clu Gulager.
Inducted into The National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum Hall of Fame in 2011.
Pictured on a 15¢ US commemorative postage stamp in the Performing Arts and Artists series, 4 November 1979.
A friend, and frequent critic, of several U.S. Presidents, Rogers once visited Warren G. Harding (1865-1923, President 1921-1923) and said, “‘Morning, Mr. President! Would you like to hear the latest political jokes?” Harding replied, “You don’t have to, Will. I appointed them.”
Was portrayed by his son, Will Rogers Jr., in the movie, The Story of Will Rogers (1952).

Personal Quotes by Will Rogers

We are all here for a spell, get all the good laughs you can.
Will Rogers

In Hollywood the woods are full of people that learned to write but evidently can’t read. If they could read their stuff, they’d stop writing.
Will Rogers