Tall in the Saddle

Tall in the Saddle: The Life of Ben Johnson, Hollywood’s Real Cowboy is the definitive biography of Ben Johnson (1918–1996), the only man to win both an Academy Award and a world rodeo championship. Born on a historic Oklahoma ranch, Johnson could rope cattle before he could read, and his horsemanship took him straight to Hollywood when tycoon Howard Hughes needed horses for The Outlaw in 1943. What started as a behind-the-scenes gig turned into an acting career that spanned six decades.

Discovered by legendary director John Ford, Johnson became a fixture in classic Westerns alongside John Wayne, before stepping into more complex roles with filmmakers like Sam Peckinpah, Steven Spielberg, and Peter Bogdanovich—who guided him to his Oscar-winning performance in The Last Picture Show. Though he worked with Hollywood greats like Steve McQueen, Marlon Brando, and Clint Eastwood, Johnson remained rooted in the authenticity of the American West, both on and off screen. Drawing from a wealth of interviews with costars, directors, and rodeo companions, Kathryn Jones captures the grit, grace, and enduring legacy of a man who didn’t just play a cowboy—he was one. Tall in the Saddle is a rich, cinematic portrait of a Hollywood legend whose real-life story is as unforgettable as any role he played.

Author Biography

Kathryn Jones is a journalist, essayist, and poet whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Texas Monthly, and other publications, and in numerous anthologies, including A Uniquely American Epic: Intimacy and Action, Tenderness and Violence in Sam Peckinpah’s “The Wild Bunch.” She is author of two volumes of poetry about the beauty and brutality of nature. She was born in Hollywood and grew up in Texas, where she lives on a ranch southwest of Fort Worth. Jones was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters in 2016.