Ernest Hilliard
American actor (1890-1947)
Ernest Hilliard (January 31, 1890 – September 3, 1947) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 90 films between 1921 and 1947. He was born in New York City and died in Santa Monica, California, from a heart attack.
In March 1925 Hilliard spent three days in a Cuban jail after he was arrested for kissing a Cuban woman in an automobile during a carnival parade. He jumped onto the running board of one of the parade's cars, in which rode two women and their two male escorts, who were lawyers. A news report said, "The actor waved his arms and carried on as the Ciuban boys do in their wooing of girls, while the mardi gras merrymaking is in progress." After Americans intervened on Hilliard's behalf, President Zayas pardoned him.
The public source identifies “Ernest Hilliard” as american actor (1890-1947). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Ernest, Hilliard and American.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Ernest Hilliard”, the useful work is to connect “american actor (1890-1947)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 5, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q11285698. VIAF identifies the subject as 49536404. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1890, 1947, 1921 and 1925.
Later biographies can compress uncertainty and repeat inherited reputations, so apparently settled claims may still require comparison. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Ernest Hilliard”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Ernest Hilliard primary sources, Ernest Hilliard archive and Ernest research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Ernest Hilliard”?
- How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
- Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Ernest Hilliard” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.