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Ethel Clayton
Actor

Ethel Clayton

8 Nov 1882Born
6 Jun 1966Died
83Age at death
105Credits

Biography

From Wikipedia

Ethel Clayton (November 8, 1882 — June 6, 1966) was an American actress of the silent film era.

Clayton's screen debut came in 1909, in a short called Justified. She jockeyed her early film appearances with a burgeoning stage career. Her pretty blond looks were reminiscent of the famous Gibson Girl drawings by Charles Dana Gibson. On the stage she appeared mainly in musicals or musical reviews such as The Ziegfeld Follies of 1911.

Read the full biography

These musical appearances indicate a singing talent Clayton may have possessed but went unused in her many silent screen performances.

In 1912 she appeared in "The Country Boy" on stage at the Lyceum Theatre in Rochester New York and made her feature length film debut in For the Love of a Girl. The film was directed by Barry O'Neil. She was cast with Harry Myers, Charles Arthur, and Peter Lang. She was also directed by William Demille, Robert G. Vignola, George Melford, Donald Crisp, Dallas M. Fitzgerald, and Clifford Sanforth. Like many silent film actors Clayton's career was hurt by the coming of sound to motion pictures. She continued her career in small parts in movies until she retired in 1948. Her screen credits number more than 180.

Clayton was first married to actor-director Joseph Kaufman until his death in 1918 in the Spanish Influenza epidemic. She later married silent film actor and former star Ian Keith twice and they divorced twice. In both cases Clayton cited cruelty and excessive drinking. Clayton and Keith were first married in Minneapolis in 1928 and first separated on January 13, 1931.

Ethel Clayton died on June 6, 1966 at St. John's Hospital in Oxnard, California, aged 83. She was buried at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park in Ventura, California.

For her contributions to the motion picture industry, Ethel Clayton has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Known for

Filmography

The 80 most recent of 105 credits.

  1. 1943True to LifeFilm: Woman (uncredited)
  2. 1943Mardi GrasFilm: Mardi Gras Woman
  3. 1943DixieFilm: Woman (uncredited)
  4. 1942The Major and the MinorFilm: Ball Guest (uncredited)
  5. 1942Beyond the Blue HorizonFilm: Guest at Chase's Residence (uncredited)
  6. 1941New York TownFilm: (uncredited)
  7. 1941West Point WidowFilm: Nurse
  8. 1940Love Thy NeighborFilm: Minor Role
  9. 1939GeronimoFilm
  10. 1939King of ChinatownFilm: Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
  11. 1939The Sap Takes a WrapFilm: Mrs. Wallace
  12. 1939Cafe SocietyFilm: Woman
  13. 1939Boy TroubleFilm
  14. 1938Say It in FrenchFilm: Bit Part (uncredited)
  15. 1938If I Were KingFilm: Old Woman (uncredited)
  16. 1938Men with WingsFilm: Woman
  17. 1938You and MeFilm: Employment Agency Clerk (uncredited)
  18. 1938Cocoanut GroveFilm: Undetermined Role
  19. 1937Wells FargoFilm: Pioneer Woman
  20. 1937Hold 'Em NavyFilm: Girl
  21. 1937ExclusiveFilm
  22. 1937Artists & ModelsFilm: Seamtress (uncredited)
  23. 1937Easy LivingFilm: Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
  24. 1937Turn Off the MoonFilm: Lady (uncredited)
  25. 1937Make Way for TomorrowFilm: Customer (uncredited)
  26. 1937Waikiki WeddingFilm: Tourist (uncredited)
  27. 1937Rich RelationsFilm: Mrs. Blair
  28. 1936The Accusing FingerFilm
  29. 1936Hollywood BoulevardFilm: Undetermined Minor Role (uncredited)
  30. 1936Yours for the AskingFilm: Casino Patron (uncredited)
  31. 1933Let's Fall in LoveFilm: Star
  32. 1933Private JonesFilm: Mrs. Winthrop (uncredited)
  33. 1933SecretsFilm: Audrey Carlton
  34. 1932The All-AmericanFilm: Mrs. Bowen
  35. 1932The Crooked CircleFilm: Yvonne
  36. 1932Thrill of YouthFilm: Alice Fenwick
  37. 1930Call of the CircusFilm
  38. 1929Hit the DeckFilm: Mrs. Payne
  39. 1927The Princess on BroadwayFilm: Mrs. Seymour
  40. 1927The Princess from HobokenFilm: Mrs. O'Brien
  41. 1926His New York WifeFilm: Alicia Duval
  42. 1926Risky BusinessFilm: Mrs. Stoughton
  43. 1926Sunny Side UpFilm: Cissy Cason
  44. 1926Merry WidowerFilm: The Hunter's Wife
  45. 1926The Bar-C MysteryFilm: Mrs. Lane
  46. 1925Lightnin'Film: Margaret Davis
  47. 1925Wings of YouthFilm: Katherine Manners
  48. 1923The Remittance WomanFilm: Marie Campbell
  49. 1923Can a Woman Love Twice?Film: Mary Grant
  50. 1922If I Were QueenFilm: Ruth Townley
  51. 1922For the DefenseFilm: Anne Woodstock
  52. 1922The CradleFilm: Margaret Harvey
  53. 1922Her Own MoneyFilm: Mildred Carr
  54. 1921Exit the VampFilm: Marion Shipley
  55. 1921BeyondFilm: Avis Langley
  56. 1921WealthFilm: Mary McLeod
  57. 1921ShamFilm: Katherine Van Riper
  58. 1921The Price of PossessionFilm: Helen Carston
  59. 1920The Sins of RosanneFilm: Roseanne Ozanne
  60. 1920A City SparrowFilm: Milly West
  61. 1920Crooked StreetsFilm: Gail Ellis
  62. 1920The Ladder of LiesFilm: Edith Parrish
  63. 1920A Lady in LoveFilm: Barbara Martin
  64. 1920Young Mrs. WinthropFilm: Constance Winthrop
  65. 1920The 13th CommandmentFilm: Daphne Kip
  66. 1919More Deadly Than the MaleFilm: Helen O'Hara
  67. 1919A Sporting ChanceFilm: Carey Brent
  68. 1919Men, Women, and MoneyFilm: Marcel Middleton
  69. 1919Pettigrew's GirlFilm: Daisy Heath
  70. 1919Maggie PepperFilm: Maggie Pepper
  71. 1918The Mystery GirlFilm: Countess Therese
  72. 1918Women's WeaponsFilm: Anne Elliot
  73. 1918The Witch WomanFilm: Marie Beaupre
  74. 1918Stolen HoursFilm: Diana Lester
  75. 1917The Dormant PowerFilm
  76. 1917The Woman BeneathFilm: Betty Fairchild
  77. 1917The Stolen ParadiseFilm
  78. 1917Yankee PluckFilm: Polly Pollard
  79. 1917Man's WomanFilm: Violet Galloway
  80. 1917The Web of DesireFilm: Grace Miller

Biography and credits from TMDB. This website uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.