Barton "Bert" Cefus Dillard

Actor, Stuntman, Horse Trainer. He was best known for his roles in several classic westerns but most of them were uncredited. He will be best remembered for playing the role of 'Hank' in the short western film, "Law Of The Saddle" (1943). The film which was directed by Melville De Lay, which was written for the screen by Fred Myton, and which also starred Robert Livingston, Al St. John, and Betty Miles, tells the story of Kinney's racket who is trying to get elected Sheriff, let his outlaw gang clean up, and then move on to another town. The Lone Rider Rocky Cameron is called in and he is able to catch up with Kinney. But Kinney frames Rocky for murder and Rocky finds himself in jail.

He was born one of nine children as Barton Cefus Dillard in Equiela, Texas, to Sam Bennett Dillard (1877-1950), and his wife Robbie Lee Scott Dillard (1882-1943), on March 25, 1909.

He made his actual film debut playing the role of 'Cowhand in Town' in the western film, "The Prescott Kid" (1934), which also starred Tim McCoy, Sheila Bromley, and Joe Sawyer. Besides, "The Prescott Kid" (1934), and "Law Of The Saddle" (1943), his many other film credits include, "Texas Terror" (1935), "Rainbow Valley" (1935), "Smokey Smith" (1935), "The Desert Trail" (1935), "The Dawn Rider" (1935), "Men Of Action" (1935), "The Man From Guntown" (1935), "Stormy" (1935), "The Singing Vagabond" (1935), "The Cheyenne Tornado" (1935), "The Mysterious Avenger" (1936), "Rogue Of The Range" (1936), "Everyman's Law" (1936), "The Vigilantes Are Coming" (1936), "The Traitor" (1936), "Phantom Patrol" (1936), "Cavalry" (1936), "Lawless Land" (1936), "Two Gun Law" (1937), "Bar-Z Bad Men" (1937), "The Fighting Texan" (1937), "Yodelin' Kid From Pine Ridge" (1937), "Galloping Dynamite" (1937), "The Red Rope" (1937), "The Rangers Step In" (1937), "The Devil's Saddle Legion" (1937), "The Old Wyoming Trail" (1937), "Outlaws Of The Prairie" (1937), "The Lone Ranger" (1938), "Cattle Raiders" (1938), "Gunsmoke Trail" (1938), "Stagecoach Days" (1938), "The Colorado Trail" (1938), "Come On, Rangers!" (1938), "The Little Adventuress" (1938), "Red River Range" (1938), "The Thundering West" (1939), "The Phantom Stage" (1939), "The Lone Ranger Rides Again" (1939), "Zorro's Fighting Legion" (1939), "Drums Of Fu Manchu" (1940), "Wagons Westward" (1940), "Deadwood Dick" (1940), "Gun Code" (1940), "Riders Of Black Mountain" (1940), "Lone Star Raiders" (1940), "Wyoming Wildcat" (1941), "The Lone Rider Rides On" (1941), "Saddlemates" (1941), "Law Of The Range" (1941), "The Son Of Davy Crockett" (1941), "Tonto Basin Outlaws" (1941), "Cowboy Serenade" (1942), "South Of Santa Fe" (1942), "Billy The Kid Trapped" (1942), "Rolling Down The Great Divide" (1942), "Boot Hill Bandits" (1942), "Billy The Kid's Smoking Guns" (1942), "Tumbleweed Trail" (1942), "Law And Order" (1942), "Sheriff Of Sage Valley" (1942), "Prairie Pals" (1942), "Overland Stagecoach" (1942), "The Mysterious Rider" (1942), "Outlaws Of Boulder Pass" (1942), "The Valley Of Vanishing Men" (1942), "Lost Canyon" (1942), "Border Patrol" (1943), "Western Cyclone" (1943), "Wolves Of The Range" (1943), "A Lady Takes A Chance" (1943), "Black Market Rustlers" (1943), "Devil Riders" (1943), "Frontier Outlaws" (1944), "Thundering Gun Slingers" (1944), "Outlaw Trail" (1944), "Valley Of Vengeance" (1944), "Spook Town" (1944), "Fuzzy Settles Down" (1944), "Marshal Of Reno" (1944), "Silver City Kid" (1944), "Sheriff Of Sundown" (1944), "The Return Of The Durango Kid" (1945), "The Cizco Kid In Old New Mexico" (1945), "Both Barrels Blazing" (1945), "Gangster's Den" (1945), "The Daltons Ride Again" (1945), "Lightning Raiders" (1946), "Gentlemen With Guns" (1946), "Ghost Of Hidden Valley" (1946), "The Desert Horseman" (1946), "Conquest Of Cheyenne" (1946), "Jesse James Rides Again" (1947), "The Valiant Hombre" (1948), "Ghost Of Zorro" (1949), "Colorado Territory" (1949), "Covered Wagon Raid" (1950), "Beyond The Purple Hills" (1950), "Three Desperate Men" (1950), and his last film role playing a 'Dealer' in the western film, "In Old Amarillo" (1951), which also starred Roy Rogers, Trigger, and Estelita Rodriguez.

He passed away from a sudden heart attack while working as a horse trainer in the tack room at a race track in Ruidoso Downs, Mexico, on June 19, 1960, at the age of 51. He is buried in San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, California, in the same cemetery as his brother, the western actor Charles Arthur "Art" Dillard who passed away only five days later on March 30, 1960, at the age of 52, also from a sudden heart attack. He was married twice, first to Rose M. Danna-Dillard (1911-), with whom he had three children, Burt Dillard Jr. (1933-), Helen Robin Dillard (1934-2001), and Catherine Ann Dillard (1939-2003), and secondly to Angie Rostella Bogdanovich Cefus (1930-2016).

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: May 3 2022, 19:01:37 UTC