William Farnum (July 4, 1876 – June 5, 1953) was an American stage and screen actor, a major superstar of the silent era who became one of Hollywood’s first and most popular action heroes.
Born into an acting family, Farnum began his career on the stage, achieving major success in the title role of the original 1900 Broadway production of Ben-Hur. He transitioned to film in the 1910s and quickly became a sensation. As one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actors, he was a top box-office draw throughout the late 1910s and early 1920s in rugged adventures and Westerns.
Farnum’s most enduring legacy is the legendary, bare-knuckle brawl with actor Tom Santschi in the classic silent Western The Spoilers (1914). The brutal, realistic fight was so iconic that it set the standard for action choreography for decades, with Farnum himself later coaching Gary Cooper for the 1930 remake. Though an on-set injury curtailed his leading man status, he continued to work as a character actor, leaving behind a legacy as a true pioneer of the action film.
