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Arguably the most famous lawman of the Old West, Wyatt Earp was a deputy marshal in Tombstone, Arizona, where the notorious October 26, 1881 gunfight at the O.K. Corral took place—the most talked about shoot-out in Wild West history!
Sheriff and lawman, Morgan Earp together with his brothers Virgil and Wyatt and Doc Holliday took part in the famous shoot-out at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone.
Deputy US marshal and Tombstone City marshal Virgil Earp, along with brothers Wyatt and Morgan and accompanied by Doc Holliday, was involved in the infamous confrontation at the O.K. Corral.
Gambler, gunfighter, and dentist Doc Holliday was not a lawman, but makes this list by virtue of the fact that he was present alongside the Earp brothers at the gunfight at the O.K. Corral on October 26, 1881.
Lawman and customs agent Pat Garrett is best known for killing Billy the Kid on July 14, 1881.
Actually born in Canada, Masterson combined his sheriff's duties with gambling and journalism.
A Scottish–American detective and spy, Pinkerton achieved fame as the founder of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, established in 1850.
Bass Reeves was the first black deputy US marshal west of the Mississippi River. During his career, he was credited with rounding up more than 3,000 felons.
Soldier, range detective, and Pinkerton agent, Tom Horn blurred the lines between upholding the law and breaking it. In 1902, he was convicted of murder and subsequently hanged.
Behan was present at the O.K. Corral shoot-out and later testified against the Earp brothers, supporting eyewitness statements that the victims had raised their hands and offered no resistance.
A gunman who played the roles of both lawman and outlaw during his lifetime, Brown became embroiled in the Lincoln County War (1878–1881) and even rode with Billy the Kid. Wearing a sheriff's badge, he later "cleaned up" the rough cattle town of Caldwell in Kansas.
A Canadian-American sheriff and US marshal, Bullock is forever associated with the town of Deadwood, South Dakota; he was there when Wild Bill Hickok was shot by Jack McCall, a murder that prompted his promotion as Deadwood's lawman.
Fugitive turned lawman Josiah Horner spent his career as a deputy US marshal under an assumed name—Frank M. Canton.
Fort Worth, Texas sheriff Jim Courtright enjoyed a fearsome reputation as a gunman, and successfully reduced the town's murder rate by more than half during his tenure.
Frank Dalton was the one member of the Dalton brothers who didn't choose a career in crime. Instead, he became a deputy US marshal answering to Judge Isaac Parker (the "Hanging Judge") for Oklahoma Territory. His siblings, the Dalton Gang, met a bloody end attempting to rob a bank in Coffeyville, Kansas in 1892.
Cowboy and gunfighter John Fisher served briefly in 1883 as acting sheriff of Uvalde County, Texas. His outlaw past, however, was never far behind him and he was ambushed and murdered in 1884.
A folk hero of the American West, James Butler Hickok was an everyman figure: soldier, spy, scout, lawman, gunfighter, gambler, showman, and actor.
The oldest brother of lawmen Bat and James Masterson, Ed served as deputy marshal and then marshal of Dodge City, Kansas.
Dave Allen Mather, also known by the nickname "Mysterious Dave," was a lawman in Dodge City, Kansas and Las Vegas, New Mexico.
William Owen "Buckey" O'Neill enjoyed a career as a sheriff, newspaper editor, miner, politician, gambler, and lawyer, mainly in Arizona, before becoming a captain in Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders.
One of the last survivors of the American Old West, Siringo was a lawman, detective, bounty hunter, and agent for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Originally from New York City where he worked as a police officer, Smith was briefly marshal of cattle town Abilene, Kansas. He implemented a law of "no guns in town limits," which was extremely unpopular with many of the cowboys that drifted through town.
Kurt Russell starred as Wyatt Earp in 'Tombstone' (1993), which has since become a cult classic.
Burt Lancaster portrayed Wyatt Earp in 'Gunfight at the O.K. Corral' (1957), a film loosely based on the October 26, 1881 shoot-out.
John Ford directed Henry Fonda as Wyatt Earp in 'My Darling Clementine' (1946), regarded by many critics as one of the best Westerns ever made.
Morgan Earp is portrayed by Linden Ashby in 'Wyatt Earp' (1994).
Mark Harmon of 'NCIS' fame plays Johnny Behan in 'Wyatt Earp' (1994).
In 'Gunfight at the O.K. Corral' (1957), Morgan Earp is played by DeForest Kelley, the actor better known as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in the films and TV series 'Star Trek' (1966–1991).
For some years afterwards, Dennis Quaid battled with anorexia nervosa brought on when he lost 18.5 kg (40 lbs) to play the tuberculosis-afflicted Doc Holliday in 'Wyatt Earp' (1994). He's seen here with Kevin Costner (Wyatt Earp) in a scene from the movie.
The Earp's ally Doc Holliday is portrayed by Jason Robards in 'Hour of the Gun' (1967).
Kirk Douglas is Doc Holliday in 1957's 'Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.' Since 2016, actor Tim Rozon has portrayed Doc Holliday in the TV show 'Wynonna Earp.'
The revisionist western drama 'Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid' (1973) sees James Coburn play the controversial lawman. The film is also known for Bob Dylan's role as Alias and his composition 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door.' In 1990, William Petersen appeared as Garrett in 'Young Guns II.'
In 'Trail Street' (1947), Randolph Scott plays Masterson, bringing law and order to the town of Liberal in Kansas.
Former Bond actor Timothy Dalton portrays Allan Pinkerton in 'American Outlaws' (2001), which stars Colin Farrell.
The critically acclaimed TV series 'Deadwood' (2004–2006) features a number of historical Old West figures, including Seth Bullock, portrayed by Timothy Olyphant.
The epic Western 'Heaven's Gate' (1980) features Frank M. Canton in several scenes. The lawman is played by Sam Waterston.
In 1955, the half-hour syndicated television series 'Stories of the Century,' starring Jim Davis (pictured here with Mary Castle) as railroad detective Matt Clark, aired the 'Jim Courtright Story,' with Robert Knapp in the title role.
Robert Lansing plays Frank Dalton in the NBC television series 'The Outlaws' in a two-part episode 'The Daltons Must Die,' which aired early in 1961. Pictured is Lansing (right) with 'Gunsmoke' star James Arness.
A suave Gene Barry plays the titular character in 'Bat Masterson,' a TV series that ran from 1958 to 1961.
English-American actor Alfred Molina co-stars as John King Fisher in 'Texas Rangers' (2001).
One of Hollywood's first cowboy actors, William S. Hart in fact personally knew Wild Bill Hickok. He was also best friends with Wyatt Earp. And the silent 'Wild Bill Hickok' (1923) is the first film to depict Wyatt Earp, played by actor Bert Lindley.
Actor Harry Lauter portrays Ed Masterson in 'The Gunfight at Dodge City' (1959), with Joel McCrea starring as Bat Masterson.
Hugh O'Brien starred in 'The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp' (1955-1961), a popular TV series based around the life and times of the legendary lawman. The actor is pictured with guest star Adele Mara.
Dave Mather is played by Douglas Kennedy in the TV show 'The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp' (1955-1961).
In one of his last acting roles, Ronald Reagan plays Smith in the 1965 'Death Valley Days' episode 'No Gun Behind His Badge.'
In 'Tombstone' (1993), Doc Holliday is portrayed by Val Kilmer.
Texas Ranger lieutenant and US marshal John Barclay Armstrong is chiefly remembered for his role in the pursuit and capture of the famous gunfighter John Wesley Hardin.
Robert Patrick plays Armstrong in the 2001 movie 'Texas Rangers.'
Charles Bronson portrays Wild Bill Hickok in 'The White Buffalo' (1977), which also examines the cowboy's later life.
Sam Elliott is in the saddle as "Buckey" O'Neill in 'Rough Riders' (miniseries, 1997).
In 'The Murder of Jesse James,' an episode of the TV series 'Timeless' (season one, episode 12), Bass Reeves is portrayed by Colman Domingo.
In Sergio Sollima's 1967 Spaghetti Western film 'Face to Face,' a character based on Siringo (but with his first name being spelled "Charley") is portrayed by William Berger. Siringo's appearance in the film is an anachronism, as the movie takes place in the American Civil War when the real Siringo was only a child.
Career lawman and later politician Bill Tilghman was a Dodge City marshal in the early 1880s. In 1915, his memoirs were made into a silent film, 'The Passing of the Oklahoma Outlaws,' which he directed and starred in as himself—the only real-life Old West lawman ever to appear in a movie!
See also: The most iconic stars of the silent film era.
Wyatt Earp's legendary reputation as the Old West's toughest and deadliest gunman has always been a hit with Hollywood. The most recent movie to feature his exploits is 'Wyatt Earp' (1994), with Kevin Costner in the titular role.
In 1993's 'Tombstone,' Morgan Earp is portrayed by Sam Elliott.
'Wild Bill' (1995) is a film about the last days of the fabled lawman. Jeff Bridges portrays the larger-than-life frontiersman.
'Tom Horn' (1980) is Steve McQueen's penultimate film and sees him playing the titular character. The film is based on Horn's own writings.
In the 1960s, James Garner took (left) on the role of Wyatt Earp in 'Hour of the Gun' (1967), a film regarded as the first to accurately portray the events at the O.K. Corral.
The American Wild West has proved a fertile backdrop for a host of Hollywood movies, and the stars of many have been the real-life lawmen that rode tall in the saddle, defending an untamed frontier from assorted outlaws and lowlifes. Indeed, these are the men that inspired the Western genre of film—and an impressive roll call of actors ended up portraying some of the most legendary law enforcement figures in Old West history.
Click through the following gallery for a 60-shot look at these gunslingers with a badge and the actors who've portrayed them.
A 60-shot look at Old West lawmen and the actors who've portrayed them
Famous gunslingers and their representation on the silver screen
CELEBRITY Westerns
The American Wild West has proved a fertile backdrop for a host of Hollywood movies, and the stars of many have been the real-life lawmen that rode tall in the saddle, defending an untamed frontier from assorted outlaws and lowlifes. Indeed, these are the men that inspired the Western genre of film—and an impressive roll call of actors ended up portraying some of the most legendary law enforcement figures in Old West history.
Click through the following gallery for a 60-shot look at these gunslingers with a badge and the actors who've portrayed them.