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1[[quoteright:315:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gene_autry_photo.JPG]]
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3->''The man in the white cowboy hat was a hero to me\
4He was then, he is now, and I guess he always will be\
5And every so often I go back in time and I dream\
6And I see Gene Autry go ridin' across the big screen''
7-->--'''Music/MartyRobbins''', "Gene Autry, My Hero"
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9The Singing Cowboy and Star of ''Series/TheGeneAutryShow'', Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998) was a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He worked as an actual cowboy in his early life, and had playing and singing gigs dating from TheRoaringTwenties onward.
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11In 1937, Autry recorded an original song written by himself titled "That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine", which went on to become the first record ever to be certified in gold for over a million copies sold. In 1939, he received another gold record, this time for what would eventually become his SignatureSong: "Back in the Saddle Again".
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13Autry also acted in several {{Western}}s, both on TV and in the movies, and was the original owner of [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball Major League]] UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}}'s Los Angeles Angels. By the time he retired from show business in 1964, he had appeared in nearly 100 films and made over 600 records. His body of work is credited with help bringing CountryMusic to a national audience. He is to date the only person to have a Hollywood Walk of Fame Star awarded in each of its original five categories (film, television, music, radio, and live performance).[[note]]A "sports entertainment" category was added in 2021 to honor accomplishments by individual performers in the sports industry. With Autry's longtime ownership of the Angels, he would arguably qualify in that category as well.[[/note]]
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16!!Tropes associated with his work:
17* AsHimself: He played fictional versions of himself on ''The Gene Autry Show'' and in a number of films and radio programs.
18* ChristmasSongs: Autry recorded quite a few of of them, most notably the original hit versions of such favorites as "Literature/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer", "Frosty the Snowman", and "Here Comes Santa Claus" (the latter of which he helped write).
19* {{Cowboy}}: His persona saw him portray a singing cowboy in his various projects.
20* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Some of the recordings he did in the early '30s contained themes of bootlegging, corrupt police and women who worked in vice type occupations. These themes were largely absent in the work he did afterwards.
21* FriendlyRivalry: With fellow singing-cowboy star Creator/RoyRogers.
22* GriefSong: "That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine", a song about the narrator wishing that they could "turn back the pages of time" for their dying father. Doubles as a [[ParentalLoveSong Parental Love Song]].
23* SerialEscalation: The only performer ever to have all ''five'' possible stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, namely Film, Television, Radio, Musical Recording, and Other (referring to his performances as a trick rider on the rodeo circuit).
24* SingerSongwriter: Its estimated that over half of the 600 songs Autry recorded over his singing career were either written by himself or co-written with someone else.
25* {{Snowlems}}: "Frosty the Snowman" is about a snowman who comes to life thanks to a magic hat.
26* TitledAfterTheSong: Many of Autry's films were titled after songs that would appear in said-film.
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