Lester Cuneo(1888-1925)
- Actor
- Producer
A stage actor since his early teenage years, Lester Cuneo made his
first film, a comedy short, in 1910. It was quite successful, and he
soon began appearing in a series of comedy shorts, which he also
directed. Tiring of comedies, he decided to make himself a cowboy star
and turned to making westerns. He was also successful in that endeavor,
and soon became one of the country's first western stars. Unlike many
other cowboy actors, however, Cuneo also played dramatic parts in other
pictures. His career was interrupted by World War I, and after
completing his military service, he returned to Hollywood and resumed
his career in Westerns. He formed his own production company and made
his own films, and his character was known as "The Smiling Daredevil."
His pictures were initially successful, but their success didn't last
long. Cuneo's career went downhill, and after a series of personal and
professional failures, he shot himself to death in 1925.
