Floyd Taliaferro Alderson (November 13, 1895 – February 10, 1980) was an American film actor who specialized in westerns. After serving in the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he began his career in the era of silent films, when he frequently used the name Wally Wales. Although he transitioned to sound, he was given smaller parts, and used the name Hal Taliaferro. He appeared in more than 220 films between 1921 and 1964. He lived his later years in Montana at his family ranch.

Biography

Born Floyd Taliaferro Alderson in 1895 in

Sheridan, Wyoming Sheridan is a town in the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Sheridan County. The town is located halfway between Yellowstone Park and Mount Rushmore by U.S. Route 14 and 16. It is the principal town of the Sheridan, Wyoming, Micropol ...

, he was raised on his family's ranch, near Birney in

Rosebud County, Montana Rosebud County is a county in the state of Montana. It was established February 11, 1901, and has Montana vehicle license plate prefix 29. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,329. Its county seat is Forsyth. Geography According to the ...

.University of Wyoming Archive Catalog description, Wally Wales PapersAnderson, Chuck, ''The Old Corral'', http://www.b-westerns.com/wales1.htm Young Alderson's first "outside" job was on a cattle drive for rancher

John B. Kendrick John Benjamin Kendrick (September 6, 1857 – November 3, 1933) was an American politician and cattleman who served as a United States senator from Wyoming and as the ninth Governor of Wyoming as a member of the Democratic Party. Early life ...

. He also drove a tourist stage for the Buffalo Bill Stage line before drifting west in 1915. He settled in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

where he worked as a wrangler on Universal's ranch. In 1917 during the

, Alderson joined the army and served in the American Expeditionary Forces in France. After his return to the US, he became involved in films as an actor. From 1921 through 1928 he appeared in twenty-two silent films (mainly Westerns), starring in many under the name Wally Wales. In 1929 he made the successful transition to sound, or "talkies". But gradually his star faded, and he began appearing in much smaller roles, usually as Hal Taliaferro. He retired from films in the early 1950s and returned to his family ranch in Montana. It was then known as the Bones Brothers Ranch. He built a cabin there and lived out his remaining active years painting landscapes. He died in a Sheridan, Wyoming nursing home from complications of a stroke and

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

in 1980, at age 84. In 2004 the Bones Brothers Ranch was listed on the National Register of Historical Places (NRHP).

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wales, Wally 1895 births 1980 deaths American male film actors Male actors from Wyoming People from Sheridan, Wyoming Male Western (genre) film actors Deaths from pneumonia in Wyoming 20th-century American male actors United States Army soldiers United States Army personnel of World War I Military personnel from Wyoming