Tom Chatterton on AllMovie

Distinguished-looking character actor Tom Chatterton was one of early Western star William S. Hart's first directors (His Hour of Manhood [1914], Jim Cameron's Wife [1914]) and was a top supporting star, himself, during the late '10s. After a long stint in vaudeville and legitimate theater, Chatterton returned as a Hollywood bit player in the late '30s, often cast in Western B- movies, usually playing professional men, doctors, lawyers, military officers, and the like. Among his more memorable performances was that of the aged lawman Bat Matson in the Sunset Carson oater Code of the Prairie (1944), a character undoubtedly inspired by Bat Masterson. He also played the sheriff in the 1947 serial Jesse James Rides Again. Chatterton died in Hollywood in 1952.