Howard Hill
Often billed as 'The World's Greatest Archer' for over two decades.
Howard Hill was born Lemuel Howard Hill on November 13, 1899, in Wilsonville, Alabama, the youngest of nine children. Growing up on a cotton farm, he started using a bow at age four and got his own homemade archery set at six. In high school, he excelled in baseball, basketball, football, and golf. He registered for the military in 1918 but never served because the war ended soon after. On his draft card, he signed as "Howard H. Hill," dropping his first name and adding a middle initial. He attended Auburn Polytechnic Institute for two years, paying his way by teaching archery in the summers. After marrying in 1922, he moved to Florida, worked as a machinist, and played semi-pro baseball. He eventually returned to archery, became a regular competitor, and by 1930 was manufacturing archery equipment in Opa-locka, Florida. His film work later took him and his wife to Los Angeles.
From the early 1930s into the 1950s, Hill was often billed as "The World's Greatest Archer." He set a record by winning 196 consecutive field archery competitions. In 1928, he set a world record for the farthest flight shot with a bow and arrow at 391 yards. He performed as a supporting actor, trick-shot artist, and technical adviser on archery for Hollywood films. In 1937, he played a Native American character in *The Singing Buckaroo*. The next year, he performed all the bow-and-arrow stunts for Errol Flynn's *The Adventures of Robin Hood*, also appearing as Owain the Welshman, and did stunt work for several other Flynn films. He produced 23 archery films for Warner Bros. and ten of his own, plus directed documentaries and instructional films on bowhunting. In the 1950s, he published two books: *Hunting the Hard Way* and *Wild Adventure*. As a bowhunter, he killed over 2,000 animals with his longbow, including a 10,000-pound African bull elephant—the first white man to do so with an arrow, using a 41-inch arrow and a 115-pound bow.
Hill enjoyed challenging trick shots, such as shooting an apple or prune off someone's head from 60 feet, then repeating the stunt with smaller items from greater distances. He also hit a coin flipped into the air and split a rolling wooden ball in half, often performing while standing on one leg or lying on the ground.
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- 1899-11-13
- Birth Place
- Wilsonville, Alabama, U.S.
- Death Date
- 1975-02-04
- Death Place
- Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
- Resting Place
- New Ashville Cemetery in Ashville, Alabama
- Years Active
- 1928–1952
- Occupation
- Professional Archer, Actor
- Spouse
- Elizabeth Hill / (1922-his death)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Howard Hill was born in Wilsonville, Alabama, in 1899, the youngest of nine children. Growing up on a cotton farm, he learned to use bows and arrows that his father made for him and his brothers. He began using a bow at age four and by age six received his own homemade archery set. After high school, he attended Auburn Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University) for two years, paying his way by giving archery lessons during summer vacations. Following his marriage in 1922, he moved to Florida, worked as a machinist, and played semi-pro baseball before returning to archery. By 1940 he had moved to Los Angeles, California, and identified his full-time occupation as a performer in motion pictures.
Hill performed in the 1937 Western The Singing Buckaroo as Maneeto, a Native American friend of the star. In 1938 he performed all bow-and-arrow stunts for Errol Flynn's The Adventures of Robin Hood, as well as portraying Owain the Welshman at the archery tournament. He also performed stunts and trick shots for other Flynn films including The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, Dodge City, and Virginia City. Hill produced 23 films about archery for Warner Bros. and 10 films of his own. As a bowhunter, he killed over 2,000 animals with his longbow, including a 10,000-pound African bull elephant, using a 41-inch arrow and a 115-pound bow.
Hill enjoyed making difficult trick shots, such as shooting an apple or prune off someone's head from 60 feet, hitting a small coin flipped into the air, and splitting a wooden ball in half while it rolled across the ground. He also performed shots standing on one leg or lying on the ground holding the bow with his feet. Some of his hunting trips were filmed, including Howard Hill vs. Lion and Howard Hill vs. Elephant.
Reader's Guide
Howard Hill's significance lies in his unprecedented competitive record and his role in popularizing archery through Hollywood films. His 196 consecutive field tournament wins remain a benchmark in the sport. His work as a stunt archer and technical adviser on films such as The Adventures of Robin Hood introduced millions to the visual drama of archery, particularly the iconic 'splitting-the-arrow' shot, which he performed in that film. In 2006, cast members of the television series MythBusters were unable to replicate the end-to-end splitting of an arrow and concluded that Hill probably used a bamboo shaft for the shot. Hill also produced numerous short documentaries and instructional films, and published two books on bowhunting in the 1950s. His hunting feats, including taking a 10,000-pound African bull elephant with a longbow, demonstrated the power and precision of traditional archery. He was inducted into three halls of fame: the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame (1971), the Archery Hall of Fame (1972), and the Bowhunters Hall of Fame (1975). Archery Toronto currently recognizes Hill as 'one of the three greatest archers of the last century', alongside Awa Kenzō and Byron Ferguson.
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