Rodeo Legend, Movie Star and Tank Veteran: ‘Hoot’ Gibson Could Do It All
Hoot Gibson was one of the 1920s most popular children s matinée heroes. His 30 year career was filled with western movie roles.
The most surprising thing about Edward “Hoot” Gibson was not that he was a Hollywood box-office draw or that he was a World War I tank corps veteran. The most surprising thing about Hoot was that his nickname had nothing to do with the rodeo, his first love.
Gibson learned to ride horses at a very young age, given that he was born on a Nebraska ranch in 1892. At the age of 7, his family moved to another ranch, this time in California, where he later took his skills to the local rodeo. He earned the nickname “Hoot,” because he used to hunt for hoot owls in Nebraska caves.