- In 1929, Stanislaus Zbyszko filed suit against Hearst and the New York American, claiming that the newspaper destroyed his wife Anna's physical affection for him by printing his photograph beside one of a gorilla - as an argument for the theory of evolution. The caption read, "Stanislaus Zbyszko, the wrestler, not fundamentally different from the gorilla in physique." Zbyszko was awarded $25,000 by the court.
- The character Charles Foster Kane in Citizen Kane (1941) is based on him.
- Though Hearst and Millicent stayed married until his death -- they separated in 1926 -- he was devoted to his longtime mistress, the popular actress and comedienne Marion Davies, with whom he had a daughter, Patricia Lake.
- In 1924, silent film producer Thomas H. Ince died on a weekend yacht during a trip with Hearst and other Hollywood celebrities. While he officially died of a heart attack, rumors circulated that Hearst shot Ince accidentally because he took him for Charles Chaplin, who had been involved in an affair with his mistress Marion Davies. The film The Cat's Meow (2001) is based on this rumors.
- In the 1920s, Hearst built a castle on a 240,000 acre ranch at San Simeon, California, where he lived with Davies. The mansion had 165 rooms and 127 acres of gardens, terraces, pools, and walkways. The site, which Hearst called La Cuesta Encantada (The Enchanted Hill), hosted countless lavish parties with stars and politicians. Today, the site is a State Historical Monument and one of the most popular visitor destinations in California.
- Grandfather of Patricia Hearst and William R. Hearst III.
- Had five sons: George Randolph Hearst (born 1904), William Randolph Hearst Jr. (born 1908), John Hearst (born 1910) and twins Randolph Hearst and David Hearst (born 1915).
- Married Millicent Veronica Willson, a 21-year-old chorus girl, in New York City on the day before his 40th birthday.
- Newspaper publisher. Founder of the Hearst newspaper empire.
- Is portrayed by Kevin Tighe in Winchell (1998), by Jack Ritschel in Chaplin (1992), by Robert Mitchum in The Hearst and Davies Affair (1985), by Edward Herrmann in The Cat's Meow (2001), by Peter Gregory in And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003), by James Cromwell in RKO 281 (1999) and by Charles Dance in Mank (2020).
- Former father-in-law of Dorothy Hart, first wife of William Paley.
- Founder of International Film Service Company, a distribution company, in 1916. The company merged with Pathe Exchange later that year.
- Portrayed by Don Yanan in Hollywood Mouth (2008). Yanan also plays Hearst in the 40-minute film that is shown to visitors at Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California ("Hearst Castle Building the Dream").
- Great-grandfather of Steve Hearst.
- President of Cosmopolitan Productions (Cosmopolitan Pictures Corporation), a film production company formed to make movies for Hearst's mistress, Marion Davies.
- Following his death, he was interred at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Colma, California.
- He was a lifelong Democrat.
- He was portrayed by Pat Skipper in "Babylon" (2022).
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content