Wesley Ruggles Biography

Wesley Ruggles was an American film director best known for the classic Western movie ‘Cimarron.’ While the film earned him much popularity, success did not come to the man easily. Prior to making ‘Cimarron,’ he had already made around 50 films, most of which were unremarkable and were forgotten soon after their release. However, with the success of ‘Cimarron’ his career picked up and he went on to direct several other popular films like ‘No Man of Her Own’ and ‘I'm No Angel.’ Born in Los Angeles, he developed an early interest in cinema which was in its nascent stage while Wesley was growing up in the early 20th century. His brother, Charles, too was deeply interested in films and the two brothers forayed into this exciting new medium of entertainment that was emerging in America. Wesley began his acting career as a young man and appeared in a series of silent movies, sometimes together with Charlie Chaplin. Soon he ventured into direction which he found to be more interesting than acting. His early years as a director were very difficult; he did not enjoy success for a long time despite making several films. He first tasted success with the extravagant Western blockbuster ‘Cimarron’ which established him as a reputed director.