Final answer:
Wyatt Earp is the Old West lawman and gambler portrayed by various actors in films, reflecting the mix of fact and fiction in the mythology of the Wild West.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Old West lawman and gambler who has been portrayed by actors such as Henry Fonda, Burt Lancaster, James Garner, Kurt Russell, Kevin Costner, and Jimmy Stewart is Wyatt Earp. Earp's life and legend became a central figure in the mythology of the Wild West, often romanticized in movies and literature. Though the violent clashes of the Wild West were exaggerated in dime novels and later in films, they did reflect the struggles for resources and the lawlessness of certain areas at the time.
The Wild West saw sporadic violence in mining towns or during range wars, which became legendary in part through the retelling of stories about figures like Earp. The reality of Western life had both its harshness and its mundane challenges, which were often overshadowed by popular fictional accounts.