Nope, not Tony the tiger, but Tony the horse. Tom Mix’s horse, that is. The same horse whose hoof prints are embedded in the Hollywood Walk of Fame right next to the actor’s cowboy boot prints and palm prints. But enough about Tony. Let’s talk about Tom.Thomas Edwin Mix (born 1880) was the star of over 336 early western movies between the years 1910 and 1935, with all but nine being silent features. He is considered Hollywood’s first “mega star” and his efforts defined the cowboy landscape that would soon follow.His first movie, Ranch Life in the Great Southwest, is where he showcased his talents as a cattle wrangler which ultimately kept opening doors for him when he made more than 160 films throughout the 1920s where he flaunted his screen-friendly stunts, horseback riding, cowboy garb, and showmanship. It was at the end of the decade that Mix transitioned from film star to circus attraction when he appeared with the Sells-Floto Circus in 1929, 1930, and 1931 commanding a huge weekly salary of 20,000.In 1932 Mix was approached by Universal Pictures to star in his first “talkie” movie of which he ultimately starred in nine, with his last being the 15-episode serial The Miracle Rider (in 1935) in which he received a hefty 40,000 for a mere four weeks of filming.Next there was a radio series that ran from the 1930s to the 1950s even though he never actually appeared in the broadcasts the production company merely used his name as a draw for listeners.Mix died in October 1940 in a car accident when he was driving in the high desert of Arizona when he was killed almost instantly.Tom Mix is commonly referred to as the King of Cowboys, and while most people immediately think of John Wayne when they hear this title, it’s important to know that John Wayne was a mere lad when Mix was mixing it up in Hollywood alongside a horse named Tony.