Wyatt Earp became a saloon owner and consultant to Hollywood actors

Dodge City, Deadwood, and Tombstone are three American West towns with names that exude a certain panache. Wyatt Earp left his mark on all three in his roles as a lawman and a gambler. Earp, who is most known today for the gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, repeatedly into afoul of the law. Throughout his lengthy and colorful life, allying with favorable interests helped him evade indictment countless times.

Earp travelled to California after the events in Tombstone and refereed a heavyweight boxing competition there, reportedly rigging the fight. He then traveled to Alaska, where the Gold Rush did not bring him wealth. He ran a saloon and made a vain attempt at mining in California. He lived in Los Angeles during the start of the 1920s and socialized with movie stars and directors there.

Earp was consulted on various western films during the silent era by a number of early western actors. However, during his lifetime, no one showed any interest in Earp's own story. Actors Tom Mix and William S. Hart carried his coffin when he passed away in 1929.

Born: Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp, March 19, 1848 Monmouth, Illinois, U.S.
Died: January 13, 1929 (aged 80)Los Angeles, California, U.S.