Tom Mix
Forest Lawn Glendale
Before he became
the silent screen's King of the Cowboys, Tom Mix was a bartender and
part-time sheriff in Dewey, OK. He joined a traveling Wild West
show that often provided horses and riders for Westerns, and Mix
made his screen debut in "Ranch Life in the Great Southwest" (1910).
Mix appeared in more than 100 short Westerns over the next few years,
many of which he also produced and directed. In 1917, Mix joined
Fox studios, and quickly became the most popular cowboy star of the
With the growing popularity of sound films in the late
1920s, Mix left the screen to tour with the Ringling Bros. Circus.
Mix made a handful of films in the early 1930s.
Mix was killed in an automobile accident in Arizona.
His grave marker includes a facsimile of his signature, and the "TM"
symbol that he wore on his belt buckle. Mix was reportedly buried
wearing the original belt buckle, which spelled out "Tom Mix" in diamonds.
Mix was born Thomas Hezikiah Mix on Jan. 6, 1880,
in Mix Run, PA. He died on Oct. 12, 1940, in Florence, AZ.
1880 - 1940
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