- Clifton Young
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Clifton Young
Young as Bonedust in School's Out.Born Robert Howard Young
September 15, 1917
New York City, New York, U.S.Died September 10, 1951 (aged 33)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.Cause of death Hotel fire Occupation Child actor
ActorYears active 1925–1951 Robert Howard "Clifton" Young (September 15, 1917 – September 10, 1951) was an American film actor.
Contents
Career
Born Robert H. Young, the child actor played "Bonedust" in nineteen Our Gang films from 1925 to 1931, his most notable film being School's Out. As an adult, to avoid confusion with established star Robert Young, he took his mother's maiden name, Clifton (Eva Clifton) as his screen name. Clifton is a family name and originated as a stage name for British Actor, Frederick Clifton, who immigrated to the United States and settled in New York with his wife, Marie Glover.
Young became a contract player at Warner Bros., landing small parts in a number of 1940s film noir and western films. Notable credits include Nora Prentiss, Pursued, Possessed, Dark Passage, and Blood on the Moon.[1]
While at Warners Young was featured prominently in the Joe McDoakes comedy shorts. He played a variety of roles: a craven mobster in So You Want to Be a Detective, a department-store clerk in So You're Going on Vacation, and memorably as "Homer," Joe's brash, know-it-all office colleague in several McDoakes reels. Young often displayed excellent comedy timing in these films.
Death
One of Young's last films was the Roy Rogers western Trail of Robin Hood, in which he played a sneering villain. In 1951, Young died in a hotel fire that started when he fell asleep while smoking.[1]
References
- ^ a b Maltin, Leonard and Bann, Richard W. (1977, rev. 1992). The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang, p. 281. New York: Crown Publishing/Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0-517-58325-9
External links
Categories:- 1917 births
- 1951 deaths
- American child actors
- American film actors
- Our Gang
- American film actor, 1910s birth stubs
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