profile

    Elmer Clifton

    1890-03-12 (134 years old) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Born in Chicago, he was an actor in touring stock companies before making his screen debut in 1912. Joining D.W. Griffith's Fine Arts Studio in 1914, he was cast as Union officer Phil Stoneman in "The Birth of a Nation" (1915) and as The Rhapsodie in the Babylonian story of "Intolerance" (1916). He was also a second-unit director for those films. Promoted to director in 1917, Clifton supervised several successful Fine Arts comedies starring Dorothy Gish while continuing to serve as Griffith's assistant. Their association culminated with the blockbuster "Way Down East" (1920). Clifton shot much of its famous "Rescue from the ice" sequence and doubled for star Richard Barthelmess in the riskier scenes. He then left Griffith to form his own production company and had a smash hit with "Down to the Sea in Ships" (1922), a colorful whaling saga made on location in New England. It made a star of future "It Girl" Clara Bow, who appeared as a cross-dressing stowaway. In 1923 Clifton signed a lucrative seven-year contract with Fox and was poised to become one of Hollywood's major directors. Then tragedy struck. He was filming "The Warrens of Virginia" in Texas when his lead actress died from burns in an accident on the set. Although Clifton was blameless in the incident, he was fired by Fox and his career never regained its momentum.

    Movies

    poster
    Nina, the Flower Girl
    0 %|Jan 21, 1917
    Drama
    poster
    Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages
    71.04 %|Sep 4, 1916
    Drama, History
    poster
    Acquitted
    0 %|Feb 6, 1916
    poster
    The Missing Links
    0 %|Jan 16, 1916
    Mystery
    poster
    The Sable Lorcha
    0 %|Nov 28, 1915
    Adventure, Crime
    actor
    The Lily and the Rose
    0 %|Nov 6, 1915
    Drama
    actor
    The Fox Woman
    0 %|Jul 15, 1915
    Drama
    poster
    The Lost House
    0 %|Mar 25, 1915
    Drama
    poster
    The Birth of a Nation
    60.37 %|Feb 8, 1915
    Drama, History, War
    poster
    The Sisters
    0 %|Nov 29, 1914
    Drama
    actor
    The Folly of Anne
    0 %|Nov 14, 1914
    Drama
    poster
    Martin Eden
    0 %|Aug 16, 1914
    Drama
    poster
    I Am Not a Racist
    0 %|Invalid Date
    Comedy
    actor
    John Barleycorn
    0 %|Jan 1, 1914
    Drama

    Series