Willie M. Pickett (December 5, 1870 – April 2, 1932) was an African American cowboy, rodeo performer, and actor.

[5]) He was the second of 13 children born to Thomas Jefferson Pickett, a former enslaved man, and Mary "Janie" Gilbert.

[6][11] In 1905, Pickett joined the 101 Ranch Wild West Show that featured the likes of Buffalo Bill, Will Rogers, Tom Mix, Bee Ho Gray, and Zach and Lucille Mulhall; he performed under the name "The Dusky Demon.

"[7] Pickett was soon a popular performer who toured around the world and appeared in early motion pictures, such as a movie created by Richard E.

[12] Pickett's ethnicity resulted in his not being able to appear at many rodeos, so he often was forced to claim that he was of Comanche heritage in order to perform.

[19][20][21] The United States Postal Service chose to include Bill Pickett in the Legends of the West commemorative sheet unveiled in December 1993.

[23] In March 2015, the Taylor City Council announced that a street that leads to the rodeo arena will be renamed to honor Bill Pickett.

[25][26] On August 6, 2018, Bill Pickett was inducted into the Jim Thorpe Association's Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.

[29] In the 2021 film The Harder They Fall directed by Jeymes Samuel, a fictional character, a gunman named Bill Pickett, is played by actor Edi Gathegi.

[30] In the related film They Die by Dawn (2013), a character named Bill Picket is portrayed by Bokeem Woodbine.