He was described as "an extremely likeable little chap who combines the wonderful riding, lassoing, cow-punching stunts of the true westerner with the polished, quick-wittedness of the New York society man.

[2][3] There were more than 35 two-reel films featuring Hamilton as the "Shorty" character, a cowboy with a trained horse—his "remarkably intelligent horse, Beauty.

Hamilton was not the only big talent associated with the "Shorty" pictures; the films were produced by Thomas H. Ince, many were written by the noted screenwriter C. Gardner Sullivan,[4] and the directors included Francis Ford.

Aside from the trained horse, Hamilton's co-stars in the "Shorty" pictures included Enid Markey and Charles Ray.

[6] In March 1925, Hamilton died at age 45 when his automobile crashed into a steam shovel standing in a street in Hollywood.