American character actor George "Gabby" Hayes is best remembered as the colorful, talkative, and fearless sidekick of such movie cowboy greats as William Boyd, Hoot Gibson, and finally, Roy Rogers. He started out in vaudeville and began appearing in 1920s westerns where he was typically cast as a villain in John Wayne films. Hayes became a comic cowboy sidekick in the mid-1930s. With his wild gray beard and toothless grin he is easily recognizable. He was given the moniker "Gabby" in 1938 after joining Republic Studios. Over his long career, Hayes appeared in over 200 westerns; in the 1950s, he headlined his own television show.