Tom Mix Rode Off Into Sunset in Arleta

Tom Mix is considered by many film buffs to be one of the westerns’ great stars, right up there with John Wayne and Gary Cooper.

The legendary actor gained fame in the silent film era, making more than 100 one- and two-reelers between 1911 and 1917 for the Selig Polyscope Co. He often was injured performing his own stunts in the action-packed films that were especially popular with children.

After Selig folded in 1917, Mix went to Fox and quickly became a huge star.

His films--exciting and well conceived with great attention to detail--were quite different from the slow pace established by veteran western actor William S. Hart.

In 1929, Mix took a break from the movies to tour for three years with the Ringling Bros. Circus. He made a few early talkies at Universal before retiring in 1934.

Born Thomas Hezikiah Mix in Mix Run, Pa., he was a skilled rider even as a kid. The studios hyped him as the son of a cavalry officer who saw action in several wars and was even a deputy marshal in Oklahoma.

Actually, according to a well-documented biography by a close relative, Mix’s father was really a poor lumberman and, although Mix served in the U.S. Artillery, he never saw battle.

He was briefly a Texas Ranger who won the national riding and rodeo championship in 1909.

In retirement, Mix bought a 17-acre estate at Canterbury Avenue and Osborne Street in Arleta in 1938. His plans for the property included a 10-acre orange grove and a stable for several horses, including his famed Tony.

Two years later, Mix died in an automobile accident at the age of 60. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale.