Occupation Actress Name Ethel Clayton Siblings Donald Clayton | Years active 1909–1948 Role Actress | |
Movies When the Earth Trembled, Crooked Streets Similar People Ian Keith, Joseph Kaufman, Robert G Vignola, George Melford, Jesse L Lasky | ||
Ethel Clayton (November 8, 1882 – June 6, 1966) was an American actress of the silent film era.
Contents
Career
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 brunette 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. 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.
Personal life
In 1931, Clayton obtained a California Superior Court order enjoining her former business partner, W.L. Rucker, from disposing of 316 pearls. Clayton and Rucker agreed to purchase a cosmetics business and the pearls had been entrusted to Rucker to raise money. The deal fell through and he refused to return the jewels. Rucker admitted to possessing the pearls but claimed they had been pledged as security for a $125 loan. The pearls were valued at $20,000.
Marriages
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.
Death
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.
1909 to 1914
1915
1916
1917
1918
1919
1920
1921
1922
1923
1925
1926
1927
1928 to 1947
Filmography
Actress
1947
The Perils of Pauline as
Lady Montague in Show (uncredited)
1944
Henry Aldrich's Little Secret as
Minor Role (uncredited)
1943
True to Life as
Bit Role (uncredited)
1943
Mardi Gras (Short) as
Mardi Gras Woman (uncredited)
1943
Dixie as
Woman (uncredited)
1943
Lady Bodyguard as
Woman (uncredited)
1942
Lucky Jordan as
Minor Role (uncredited)
1942
The Major and the Minor as
Cadet Ball Guest (uncredited)
1942
Beyond the Blue Horizon as
Guest at Chase's Residence (uncredited)
1941
New York Town as
Minor Role (uncredited)
1941
West Point Widow as
Nurse (uncredited)
1940
Love Thy Neighbor as
Minor Role (uncredited)
1939
Geronimo as
Settler (uncredited)
1939
Grand Jury Secrets (uncredited)
1939
I'm from Missouri as
Bit (uncredited)
1939
King of Chinatown as
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
1939
The Sap Takes a Wrap (Short) as
Mrs. Wallace
1939
Cafe Society as
Woman (uncredited)
1939
St. Louis Blues as
Dancer (uncredited)
1939
Boy Trouble as
Small Town Woman (uncredited)
1939
Paris Honeymoon as
Undetermined Role (uncredited)
1939
Ambush as
Bank Customer (uncredited)
1938
Tom Sawyer, Detective as
Bit (uncredited)
1938
Artists and Models Abroad as
Woman (uncredited)
1938
Ride a Crooked Mile as
Prison Visitor (uncredited)
1938
Say It in French as
Bit Part (uncredited)
1938
The Arkansas Traveler as
Townswoman (uncredited)
1938
If I Were King as
Old Woman (uncredited)
1938
Sing, You Sinners as
Minor Role (uncredited)
1938
Men with Wings as
Woman (uncredited)
1938
You and Me as
Employment Agency Clerk (uncredited)
1938
Cocoanut Grove as
Undetermined Role (uncredited)
1938
Bulldog Drummond's Peril as
Minor Role (uncredited)
1938
Scandal Street as
Bit Role (uncredited)
1938
The Big Broadcast of 1938 as
Woman (uncredited)
1938
The Buccaneer as
Woman Selecting Perfumes (uncredited)
1937
Wells Fargo as
Pioneer Woman (uncredited)
1937
Bulldog Drummond's Revenge as
Minor Role (uncredited)
1937
Hold 'Em Navy as
Girl
1937
Partners in Crime as
Minor Role (uncredited)
1937
Souls at Sea as
Passenger (uncredited)
1937
Blonde Trouble as
Townswoman (uncredited)
1937
Artist and Models as
Seamtress (uncredited)
1937
Exclusive as
Matron (uncredited)
1937
Easy Living as
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
1937
Turn Off the Moon as
Lady (uncredited)
1937
Make Way for Tomorrow as
Customer (uncredited)
1937
King of Gamblers as
Matron (uncredited)
1937
Waikiki Wedding as
Tourist (uncredited)
1937
Rich Relations as
Mrs. Blair
1936
The Accusing Finger as
Undetermined Role (uncredited)
1936
Easy to Take as
Relative (uncredited)
1936
Hollywood Boulevard as
Ethel Clayton (uncredited)
1936
Yours for the Asking as
Casino Patron (uncredited)
1933
Let's Fall in Love as
Star (uncredited)
1933
The Whispering Shadow as
The Countess Helen [Chs. 5-8]
1933
Private Jones as
Mrs. Winthrop (uncredited)
1933
Secrets as
Audrey Carlton
1932
The All-American as
Mrs. Bowen
1932
The Crooked Circle as
Yvonne
1932
Thrill of Youth as
Alice Fenwick
1932
Hotel Continental as
Mrs. Underwood
1930
Call of the Circus as
The Woman
1929
Hit the Deck as
Mrs. Payne
1927
Mother Machree as
Undetermined Role (uncredited)
1927
The Princess on Broadway as
Mrs. Seymour
1927
The Princess from Hoboken as
Mrs. O'Brien
1926
His New York Wife as
Alicia Duval
1926
Risky Business as
Mrs. Stoughton
1926
Sunny Side Up as
Cissy Cason
1926
Merry Widower (Short) as
The Hunter's Wife
1926
The Bar-C Mystery as
Mrs. Lane
1925
Lightnin' as
Margaret Davis
1925
Wings of Youth as
Katherine Manners
1925
The Mansion of Aching Hearts as
Pauline Craig
1923
The Remittance Woman as
Marie Campbell
1923
Can a Woman Love Twice? as
Mary Grant
1922
If I Were Queen as
Ruth Townley
1922
For the Defense as
Anne Woodstock
1922
The Cradle as
Margaret Harvey
1922
Her Own Money as
Mildred Carr
1921
Exit the Vamp as
Marion Shipley
1921
Beyond as
Avis Langley
1921
Wealth as
Mary McLeod
1921
Sham as
Katherine Van Riper
1921
The Price of Possession as
Helen Carston
1920
Suppose Nobody Cared (Short) as
Stenographer
1920
The Sins of Rosanne as
Roseanne Ozanne
1920
A City Sparrow as
Milly West
1920
Crooked Streets as
Gail Ellis
1920
The Ladder of Lies as
Edith Parrish
1920
A Lady in Love as
Barbara Martin
1920
Young Mrs. Winthrop as
Constance Winthrop
1920
The 13th Commandment as
Daphne Kip
1919
More Deadly Than the Male as
Helen O'Hara
1919
A Sporting Chance as
Carey Brent
1919
Men, Women, and Money as
Marcel Middleton
1919
The Woman Next Door as
Mrs. Randolph Schuyler / Vicky Van
1919
Pettigrew's Girl as
Daisy Heath
1919
Maggie Pepper as
Maggie Pepper
1918
The Mystery Girl as
Countess Therese, aka Driver ''Driver 477''
1918
Women's Weapons as
Anne Elliot
1918
A Soul Without Windows as
Hopama
1918
The Girl Who Came Back as
Lois Hartner
1918
The Man Hunt as
Betty Hammond
1918
Journey's End as
Aline Marsden
1918
The Witch Woman as
Marie Beaupre
1918
The Whims of Society as
Nora Carey
1918
Stolen Hours as
Diana Lester
1917
Easy Money as
Lois Page
1917
The Dormant Power as
Christine Brent
1917
The Woman Beneath as
Betty Fairchild
1917
Souls Adrift as
Elma Raybourne
1917
The Stolen Paradise as
Joan Merrifield
1917
Yankee Pluck as
Polly Pollard
1917
Man's Woman as
Violet Galloway
1917
The Web of Desire as
Grace Miller
1917
The Bondage of Fear as
Vesta Wheatley
1916
The New South as
Georgia Gwynne, as an adult
1916
Beyond the Wall as
Helen Carlton / Virginia Carlton
1916
The Hidden Scar as
Janet Hall
1916
Husband and Wife as
Doris Baker
1916
A Woman's Way as
Marion Livingston
1916
His Brother's Wife as
Helen Barton
1916
Dollars and the Woman as
Madge Hilyer
1916
Ophelia (Short) as
Ophelia
1915
The Great Divide as
Ruth Jordan
1915
The Orgy (Short) as
Nan Fuller - Pemberton's Ward
1915
In Spite of Him (Short) as
Elsie Biddle
1915
The Mirror (Short) as
The Mountain Girl
1915
It Was to Be (Short) as
Anne Winton
1915
The Deception (Short) as
Frances Wharton
1915
A Day of Havoc (Short) as
Estelle Adair
1915
The Earl's Adventure (Short) as
Sylvia Vantine
1915
When the Light Came In (Short) as
Julia
1915
Money! Money! Money! (Short) as
May
1915
The Darkness Before Dawn (Short) as
Elsie Moore
1915
The Sporting Duchess as
Lady Muriel Desborough
1915
In the Dark (Short) as
Julia Duval - Actress
1915
The College Widow as
Jane Witherspoon
1915
Just Look at Jake (Short) as
Elsie Bond
1915
Capturing the Cook (Short) as
Mabel Dinsmore
1915
The Unmarried Husband (Short) as
Nell - the Actress Wife
1915
Monkey Business (Short) as
Gerald's Fiancée
1915
The Blessed Miracle (Short) as
Gail Bowman - the Wife
1915
Here Comes the Bride (Short) as
Reed's Stenographer
1915
Mazie Puts One Over (Short) as
Mazie
1915
A Woman Went Forth (Short) as
Ethel Rogers
1915
The Millinery Man (Short) as
Nora Lyman
1915
It All Depends (Short) as
Clara Dean
1915
His Soul Mate (Short) as
Nellie - the Stenographer
1915
The Furnace Man (Short) as
Marjorie Gordon
1915
The Attorney for the Defense (Short) as
Ruth Wingate
1914
The Fortune Hunter as
Betty Graham
1914
The House Next Door as
Ulrica Cotswolt
1914
The Wolf as
Jules' Sweetheart
1914
A Daughter of Eve (Short) as
Janet Dayton
1914
The Gamblers as
Catherine Spencer Darwin
1914
The Daughters of Men as
Louise Stolbeck
1914
The Catch of the Season (Short) as
Frances Dean
1914
The Lion and the Mouse as
Shirley Rossmore / Sarah Green
1913
The Doctor's Romance (Short) as
The Nurse
1913
The Smuggler's Daughter (Short) as
Jean Girot - the Smuggler's Daughter
1913
The Scapegrace (Short) as
Agnes Donald
1913
Partners in Crime (Short) as
Esther Jansen
1913
When the Earth Trembled (Short) as
Dora Sims
1913
The Momentous Decision (Short) as
Harry's Wife
1913
His Code of Honor (Short) as
Mary Dennis
1913
A Deal in Oil (Short) as
Ethel Hammond - Harry's Sweetheart
1913
The Scarf Pin (Short) as
Mary Forrest - the Wife
1913
Self Convicted (Short)
1913
Seeds of Wealth (Short) as
Aline Maxwell
1913
The Burning Rivet (Short) as
Margaret Sullivan - Dan's Daughter
1913
Mary's Temptation (Short) as
Mary Wilmer
1913
The Police Inspector (Short)
1913
When Tony Pawned Louisa (Short) as
Louisa
1913
The New Gown (Short) as
Elsie Biddle - the Wife
1913
The Price Demanded (Short) as
Rose Delane
1913
Home, Sweet Home (Short) as
Nell Barbour - John's Wife
1913
A Hero Among Men (Short) as
Ethel Menten
1913
The Faith of a Girl (Short) as
Laura Mills - Jim's Sweetheart & Wife
1913
Heroes One and All (Short) as
Jane Smiley
1913
Friend John (Short) as
Ruth Rogers - the Quaker Maid
1913
His Children (Short) as
Ethel Wynn
1913
Art and Honor (Short) as
Grace Hawkins
1912
Home Sweet Home (Short) as
Mabel McCullum
1912
The Wonderful One-Horse Shay (Short) as
Ethel Hubbard
1912
An Irish Girl's Love (Short) as
Kathleen
1912
Just Maine Folks (Short) as
Ethel
1912
Pilgrim's Progress as
Elizabeth - Bunyon's Wife
1912
The Last Rose of Summer (Short) as
Ethel Boradon
1912
The Doctor's Debt (Short) as
Ethel Jordan
1912
A Romance of the Coast (Short) as
Ethel Drayton
1912
For the Love of a Girl (Short) as
Ethel
1910
The Tout's Remembrance (Short) as
Agnes Dudley - the Storekeeper's Daughter
1909
The Twelfth Juror (Short)
1909
The Brothers (Short) as
Ethel Daily
1909
Gratitude (Short) as
Mrs. Ralph Farson
1909
Justified (Short) as
Mrs. John Seymour
Self
1922
Screen Snapshots, Series 2, No. 22-F (Documentary short) as
Self
1917
The Volunteer as
Self - Cameo Appearance
Archive Footage
1931
The House That Shadows Built (Documentary)
References
Ethel Clayton Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA