John Hart
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John Lewis Hart, also credited as John Hilton was an American film and television actor. In his early career, Hart appeared mostly in Westerns. Although Hart played mostly minor roles in some fairly well known films, he was probably best known for having replaced Clayton Moore in 1952 in the television series, The Lone Ranger for one season from 1952 until 1953. Hart began his screen career in 1937 with a bit part in Daughter of Shanghai. He continued in a variety of B pictures such as Prison Farm and King of Alcatraz before appearing in two of Cecil B. DeMille's films The Buccaneer and North West Mounted Police. In 1941, Hart's acting career was interrupted when he was drafted into the United States Army. He rose to the rank of first sergeant in the Coast Artillery and eventually served in the Philippines. Following his military service, Hart worked frequently for Sam Katzman; he was given the lead role in the Jack Armstrong film serial. Hart did stunt work and acted in numerous Westerns Hart was eventually offered the opportunity to replace Clayton Moore on The Lone Ranger television series. Based on the assumption that the masked character, rather than the actor, was the true star of The Lone Ranger, the program's producers fired Moore (presumably over salary differences) and replaced him with Hart, who was of a similar build and had a comparable background in Westerns. However, the public never truly accepted Hart as the Lone Ranger, and by 1954 the producers returned Moore to the role. According to Clayton Moore's autobiography I Was That Masked Man, Moore never knew why he was replaced by Hart, and also stated that he had not sought a pay increase. Hart acted in minor roles in two episodes of The Lone Ranger before being asked to replace Clayton Moore for the entire third season. The episodes were "Rifles and Renegades" (#34) and "Sheriff at Gunstock" (#46). Hart continued to act in films for more than two decades, appearing in films of several genres, almost always in supporting roles. Hart appeared twice in on the TV series I Love Lucy as Lucy's old boyfriend and again in the Hollywood episodes as a lifeguard at the hotel pool. In 1955, Hart starred in The Adventures of Captain Africa, which was originally intended to be a new movie about famous comic book hero The Phantom. However, licensing issues forced Columbia Pictures re-film the entire serial and re-christen the hero "Captain Africa." Hart also had numerous supporting roles in the Highway Patrol TV series. In 1965 Hart made two brief appearances on the TV series Perry Mason, including the role of title character and murder victim Jamison Selff in "The Case of the Wrathful Wraith." In the 1970 film The Phynx, Hart played the Lone Ranger alongside Jay Silverheels as Tonto, spoofing their characters. Hart's last theatrical film appearance was in 1981's The Legend of the Lone Ranger in which he appeared as a newspaper editor. He appeared in the television series Happy Days as the Lone Ranger in the episode "Hi Yo, Fonzie Away". In this episode Fonzie, played by Henry Winkler, meets his childhood hero, the Lone Ranger, for his birthday. Hart's other major late appearance was in an episode of The Greatest American Hero, My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys, where Hart gives the title character an inspiring speech about heroism.
Known for
Credits
The Ten Commandments (1956)
as Cretan Ambassador (uncredited)
Marnie (1964)
as Dr. Gilliat (uncredited)
The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
as Poker Player (uncredited)
Viva Las Vegas (1964)
as Casino Patron (uncredited)
36 Hours (1964)
as Lt. Cmdr. Perkins (uncredited)
The Sandpiper (1965)
as Trooper (uncredited)
North West Mounted Police (1940)
as Constable Norman
The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963)
as State Trooper (uncredited)
Vice Raid (1959)
as Blond Gunman at Office Door
The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981)
as Lucas Striker
Special Agent (1949)
as Ranch Foreman Frank Kent (as John Hilton)
Atlantis: The Lost Continent (1961)
as Nobleman (uncredited)
Warpath (1951)
as Sgt. Plennert
Go Naked in the World (1961)
as Club Doorman (uncredited)
The Phynx (1970)
as Lone Ranger
Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? (1968)
as Policeman (uncredited)
The Astral Factor (1978)
as Harbormaster
Only with Married Men (1974)
as Minister
El Paso (1949)
Actor
Gemini Affair (1975)
as Bob
Champagne for Caesar (1950)
as Executive No. 4
The Gift of Love (1978)
as Justice of the Peace
The Centerfold Girls (1974)
as Sheriff
Prince of Pirates (1953)
as Captain of the Guards (uncredited)
Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962)
as Billings / Stage Manager / Milkman (voice)
Welcome to Arrow Beach (1974)
as Doctor
Kate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid (1978)
as Jake Terry
Bonnie's Kids (1973)
as Sheriff with Sunglasses
Illegal Traffic (1938)
as Davis
Caribbean (1952)
as Stuart
The Longhorn (1951)
as Moresby
The Fighting Redhead (1949)
as Faro Savage
Hold On! (1966)
as Detective #2
The Roommates (1973)
as Sheriff Sam
The Pathfinder (1952)
as British Sergeant
The Subterraneans (1960)
as Cop (uncredited)
Revenue Agent (1950)
as U.S. Border Patroman
Daughter of Shanghai (1937)
as Sailor (uncredited)
Prison Farm (1938)
as 'Texas' Jack
Noose for a Gunman (1960)
as Dave Barker - Avery Gunman (uncredited)
The Crooked Web (1955)
Actor
The Living Bible (1952)
as Matthew
Dial Red O (1955)
as Uniformed Deputy (uncredited)
Son of the Guardsman (1946)
as Martin, Bullard soldier (uncredited)
Last of the Desperados (1955)
as ?
Riot on Sunset Strip (1967)
as Pritchard
Kansas Territory (1952)
as Matt Furness
The Great Adventures of Captain Kidd (1953)
as Mate Jenkins
Fury of the Congo (1951)
as Guard
King of Alcatraz (1938)
as 1st Radio Operator
Joe Palooka in Winner Take All (1948)
as Army Sergeant George Malone
Jungle Jim in the Forbidden Land (1952)
as Commissioner's Secretary
Hope & Fury: MLK, the Movement and the Media (2018)
as Self (archive footage)
The Great Ice Rip-Off (1974)
as Klein Salesman
Persons in Hiding (1939)
as Male Stenographer
The Man Who Loved Redheads (1955)
as Sergei
Blackenstein (1973)
as Dr. Stein
Hunted Men (1938)
as Young Man at Party
Vacation Days (1947)
as Big Jim
Blood Voyage (1976)
as Jules
$1,000 a Touchdown (1939)
as Buck (uncredited)
Stage to Blue River (1951)
as Frederick Kingsley
Stagecoach Driver (1951)
as Slim Cole
Wolf Dog (1958)
as Andy Bates (uncredited)
Adventures of Captain Africa (1955)
as Captain Africa
The Bible According to Hollywood (1994)
as Self
Day of the Nightmare (1965)
as Dr. Philip Crane
Mondo Inferno (1964)
as Commentator
The Long Rifle and the Tomahawk (1964)
as Nat 'Hawkeye' Cutler
Cowboy and the Prizefighter (1949)
as Mark Palmer
Disbarred (1939)
as First Reporter
The Diary of a High School Bride (1959)
as Policeman
Jack Armstrong (1947)
as Jack Armstrong
Joe Palooka in the Counterpunch (1949)
as Pedro
Along the Mohawk Trail (1957)
as Nat 'Hawkeye' Cutler
Brick Bradford (1947)
as Dent