Ernest Marsh(II)

Ernest grew up in the Excelsior District of San Francisco, California. He was the star quarterback of the undefeated 1975 Championship Balboa High School football team, where he earned the title of Most Valuable Player and the prestigious Flecto Sports Award. After completing his time in J.R.O.T.C in high school, Ernest enlisted in the U.S. Army and California National Guard, serving as a Military Policeman and later becoming a Special Tactical Sniper for Governor Jerry Brown. Following his military service, Ernest graduated from Los Medanos College with a degree in Law Enforcement and embarked on a successful career in law enforcement and private security. He held various roles with the State of California, including Driver's License Examiner, DMV Administrator, Legislative Analyst, Administrative Hearing Officer, and Driver Safety Manager. Notably, he presided over two of Rodney King's DMV driver license cases and wrote the Diabetes Mellitus Medical Driving Guidelines. Ernest's desire to learn more about horsemanship and ranching led him to relocate to Texas, where he served as the Chief Investigator for the State of Texas, overseeing numerous Motor Vehicle Crimes and Anti-Terrorist Task Forces. During this time, he also taught part-time at the Texas Department of Public Safety Academy. Transitioning into horse and cattle ranching full-time, Ernest became a respected cowboy in Texas before eventually moving to Colorado working at Brighton Feed and Saddlery to continue his ranching and outdoor pursuits. Also, while in Colorado, Ernest was the State's Commercial Motor Vehicle Examiner. Retirement brought new opportunities for Ernest, as he delved into Living History Buffalo Soldier reenactments and later gained recognition and notoriety for his portrayal of legendary lawman Bass Reeves Deputy United States Marshal, both on stage and in film. In 2019, Ernest found his acting break during the Coronavirus Covid-19 Pandemic, appearing in multiple Western films and earning the title of Honorary Consul for the City of Tombstone, Arizona Tourism Office. As an American Guild of Variety Artists stage actor, he produced and performed one-man plays depicting Bass Reeves Deputy U.S. Marshal at prestigious venues like the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Grayson County, Texas Lincoln Reagan Dinner, Saint Jo, Texas Real West Symposium and many Texas Middle Schools. Continuing to expand his acting repertoire, Ernest also starred in an International Bass Reeves documentary for European network ARTE and collaborated with industry legends like Taylor Sheridan, Danny Boyle, Art Burton, and Kevin Costner. A member of AGVA and SAG-AFTRA Ernest combines his immense wealth of experiences to bring historical figures like James Pierson Beckwourth Frontiersman and Captain William Dominick Matthews 1st Kansas Colored Infantry to life on stage and screen. Ernest is a Certified NRA Weapons Instructor and a Scouts of America Merit Badge Counselor. Ernest's passion for period western living history and the 9th and 10th Buffalo Soldier Mounted Cavalry reenactments and acting shines through in all aspects of his diverse career. Ernest was inducted into the National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum Hall of Fame in 2023. In 2024, Ernest was appointed and commissioned as an Honorary Deputy United States Marshal by the honorable Ronald L. Davis, the Director of the U.S. Marshals Service, and John Garrison U.S. Marshal of the Eastern District of Texas Federal Court. Ernest with other notable persons spearheaded the Texas Historical Commission Marker recognition for Bass Reeves in Sherman, Grayson County, Texas. Ernest is filming a feature film titled Indian Territory, to be released soon, where he portrays Bass Reeves Deputy U.S. Marshal in a supporting role.