George Francis "Gabby" Hayes

 George Francis "Gabby" Hayes (May 7, 1885 – February 9, 1969)

He was best known for his numerous appearances in Western films as the colorful sidekick of the leading man. Hayes, in real life an intelligent, well-groomed and articulate man, was often cast as a grizzled codger who uttered phrases such as "consarn it", "yer durn tootin'", "dadgummit", "durn persnickety female", and "young whippersnapper." From 1935 to 1939, Hayes played the part of Windy Halliday, the sidekick to Hopalong Cassidy (played by William Boyd). In 1939, Hayes left Paramount Pictures in a dispute over his salary and moved to Republic Pictures. Paramount held the rights to the name Windy Halliday, so the nickname Gabby was created for Hayes's character. As Gabby Whitaker, he appeared in more than 40 films between 1939 and 1946, usually with Roy Rogers (44 times), but also with Gene Autry and Wild Bill Elliott, often working under the directorship of Joseph Kane. Hayes was also repeatedly cast as a sidekick of the Western stars Randolph Scott (six times) and John Wayne (15 times, some as straight or villainous characters). However, the Western film genre declined in the late 1940s, and Hayes made his last film appearance in The Cariboo Trail (1950).

He moved to television and hosted The Gabby Hayes Show, a Western series, from 1950 to 1954 on NBC and, in a new version in 1956, on ABC. Following his wife's death on July 5, 1957, Hayes lived in and managed a 10-unit apartment building he owned in North Hollywood, California. In early 1969, he entered Saint Joseph Hospital in Burbank, California, for treatment of cardiovascular disease. He died there on February 9, 1969, at the age of 83. He is interred at Forest Lawn–Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.