The 'brains' and 'action' heavies who had meaty roles and lots of dialog ... and the players who were fathers, ranch owners, lawman, mayors, judges, lawyers, storekeepers, newspaper editors, wardens, etc.

(Image courtesy of Jack Tillmany)

Ethan Laidlaw Full name: Ethan Allen Laidlaw 1899 - 1963

Ethan Laidlaw was born in Montana. He began his movie career in the mid 1920s, and he did silent westerns with Tom Mix, Bob Custer, Tom Tyler, Buzz Barton and others. When talkies arrived, Laidlaw continued to work at rather prolific levels - in westerns and other films - but his roles were most often bit parts/support and he was rarely credited.

He had 400+ films and TV appearances during a lengthy career that ran from about 1923 - 1963. Les Adams has Laidlaw working in about 300 sound films, of which 134 are westerns and 16 are serials. His work for Republic Pictures amounts to 22 films during the period from 1937 - 1947, and that number includes one serial and 18 westerns.

As with many other B western movie performers, Laidlaw went to work on television oaters, and he shows up in THE RIFLEMAN, HAVE GUN - WILL TRAVEL, lots more ... including about three dozen episodes of the Hugh O'Brian LIFE AND LEGEND OF WYATT EARP.

You may want to go to the In Search Of ... page on the Old Corral and then to the California Death Records database. There you will find a record for: Ethan A. Laidlaw, born 11/25/1899 in Missouri (incorrect), mother's maiden name of Olas, and he passed away in the Los Angeles area on 5/25/1963.

At the Find A Grave website link below, the marker for Laidlaw shows him as a World War II veteran in the U. S. Navy reserve. He may have served reserve time in California, but doubtful that he was on overseas duty due to his age and the quantity of his film roles during the World War II years. The information might be incorrect and Laidlaw may have done Navy duty during or after World War I.

  Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has information on Ethan Laidlaw: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0481756/

Boyd Magers has a biography of Ethan Laidlaw on his Western Clippings website. Boyd mentions that at the time of his death, he was married to Marie V. Laidlaw, a registered nurse. That may have been his second marriage based on the census info below. Go to: http://www.westernclippings.com/heavies/ethanlaidlaw_charactersheavies.shtml

Jim Tipton's Find A Grave website has a picture of the marker for Ethan A. Laidlaw at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=11473

Laidlaw did appear in about a half dozen of the Three Stooges comedies: http://www.threestooges.net/cast.php?id=246

(From Old Corral image collection) Above is a copy of a lobby card from FUGITIVE FROM SONORA (Republic, 1943) showing Lynn Merrick, star Don Barry and baddie Ethan Laidlaw.

Rick Albright was able to locate various information on Ethan Laidlaw:

• 1900 census: Butte, Silver Bow Co., MT. Ethan is 6 months old, born Nov. 1899 in MT, both parents born MN. His parents are Charles P. and Nellie, ages 36 and 29, and Ethan has a brother, Byron E., who is 3 years old. Ethan's dad is a stationary engineer. The house is at 314 E. Mercury St.
  
  
• 1910 census: same town and county: Ethan is 10, Byron is 13 and their parents are 46 and 36. Ethan's dad is an engineer at a laundry. Their home is on Highland Avenue.
  
  
• 1920 census: same town and county: Ethan (listed as E.A.) is listed as 23 and his widower dad is 50, both ages a bit off. There is a new brother, C.P., age 10. The dad is a stationary engineer at a steam laundry. The home is at 825 Highland Ave.
  
  
• 1930 census: Los Angeles, California. Ethan (misspelled Ethean) is renting at $55 a month in the Sun Ray Apartments at 4829 Lexington Ave. He is 29, married at age 21, actor in motion pictures. His wife, Mildred, 29, married at 21, born IL, lists no occupation. No children are in the home.
  
  
• Ethan's 1918 draft registration card confirms his birth on 25 Nov 1899 in MT, gives his age as 18 and says he works as a mechanical inspector for the Burroughs Adding Machine Company. His father, Charles Porter Laidlaw, is listed as his nearest relative and the home in Butte on Highland Avenue is his residence.
  
  
• A 1928 issue of the Montana Standard, a newspaper in Butte, tells of Ethan portraying a villain in a Bill Cody western called "Laddie Be Good", playing at the Ansonia Theatre. Ethan's connection to Butte is not mentioned.

(Courtesy of Les Adams) Above are Ethan Laidlaw and Perrin in a lobby card for RAINBOW RIDERS (Reliable, 1934), one of the Bud 'n' Ben featurettes/shorts which co-starred rotund Benny Corbett (photo inset, upper left). Standing between Laidlaw and Perrin is Mack V. Wright. In addition to some acting jobs, Wright spent time behind the camera as the director of oaters such as the Three Mesquiteers' ROARIN' LEAD and RIDERS OF THE WHISTLING SKULL, and was co-director/assistant director/second unit director of THE VIGILANTES ARE COMING and THE GREAT ADVENTURES OF WILD BILL HICKOK serials, several of the Rough Riders films, and more. (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from left to right are bartender Ethan Laidlaw, Charles Starrett, Forbes Murray, Edward LeSaint, Edmund Cobb and Edward Peil in Starrett's SPOILERS OF THE RANGE (Columbia, 1939). (From Old Corral image collection) Above is a 1953 re-release lobby card from the Three Mesquiteers THE NIGHT RIDERS (Republic, 1939). From left to right are Max Terhune, Ray Corrigan, John Wayne, Kermit Maynard, Ethan Laidlaw and on the far right is Tom Tyler. Below is a crop/blowup showing Maynard, Laidlaw and Tyler. (Courtesy of Belinda Kirkhuff) Above is a still from the Don Barry THE TULSA KID (Republic, 1940). From left to right are Matty Roubert, Fred 'Snowflake' Toones, Luana Walters, Ethan Laidlaw, George Douglas, Noah Beery Sr., John Beach and Jack Kirk. (Courtesy of Ken Jones) Above from L-to-R are Charles Soldani (AKA Chief Soldani), Emile Avery and Ethan Laidlaw in a scene from the Charles Starrett oater, HORSEMEN OF THE SIERRAS (1949).