Ethel Clayton
Ethel Clayton ( born November 8, 1882 in Champaign, Illinois, † June 6, 1966 in Oxnard, California ) was a famous American actress of the silent era.
Biography
Ethel Clayton studied at St. Elizabeth College. In 1908 she finished her studies thereat with a degree in philosophy and history. Later she worked in a stock company and played alongside the theater. There she was discovered for the silent film and turned under renowned directors such as Cecil B. DeMille, Robert G. Vignola, George Melford and Donald Crisp. In the years 1909 to 1948, she starred in more than 180 films.
Most silent films, in which participated Clayton, were far from being classics of the genre. But they played the manufacturing costs and also threw off profits. The red-haired Clayton was in the 1910s and 1920s to the Hollywood beauties, despite its size of only 1.65 meters.
Ethel Clayton was married twice, first marriage to actor and director Joseph Kaufman (1882-1918) and in a second marriage with actor Ian Keith ( 1899-1960 ). Her marriage to Keith was divorced on 31 January 1931 because of its brutality and excessive alcohol consumption. Both marriages were childless. She died 82 years old in St. John 's Hospital in Oxnard to a heart attack. Ethel Clayton has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.