Accident Or Murder?
The Suspicious Demise of Notorious Deadwood Pimp Al Swearengen
On HBO’s critically acclaimed series “Deadwood” talented actor Ian McShane plays the role of Al Swearengen proprietor of The Gem Saloon and antagonist to Seth Bullock played by Timothy Olyphant. Both characters are based on actual people. The show’s creators have stated that they attempted to make the character of Al more nuanced and sympathetic than the real man he was based on.
By most accounts, the real-life Al Swearengen was a vile reprehensible man. He was a bully as well as a serial abuser of women. He was married and divorced three times, with all three wives claiming he was physically violent and emotionally abusive. This pattern of abuse towards women would continue as owner of The Gem Theater in Deadwood.
Opened in 1877, The Gem was very profitable for Swearengen. It would host entertainment from singers, comedians, circus performers, actors, and…