George Bancroftan actor best remembered by most of us for his second tier character roles in later films, particularly his fine work as the warm-hearted marshal “Curly Wilcox” in John Ford’s Stagecoach (1939).In some of his better films, George Bancroft played a man who lived by a self-determined rough code, often sacrificing himself while keeping his inner nobility well hidden. His early fame may also have faded so much because of the relative obscurity of these important yet transitional movies at the end of the silent era.