Clifton Young

Robert Howard Young (September 15, 1917 – September 10, 1951) professionally known as Clifton Young, was an American film actor.

For the Nevada politician, see Clarence Clifton Young.

Clifton Young
Clifton Young as "Bonedust" in his first sound film, School's Out.
Born	Robert Howard Young (1917-09-15)September 15, 1917 Schenectady, New York
Died	September 10, 1951(1951-09-10) (aged 33) Los Angeles, California
Cause of death	Hotel fire
Occupation	child actor actor
Years active	1925-1951

Early years

Young was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward A. Young. His father started him in vaudeville when he was 5 years old. When he was 7, he began acting in Our Gang comedies.[1]

Career

Young 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.

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.[2]

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.

One of Young's last films was the Roy Rogers western Trail of Robin Hood, in which he played a sneering villain.

Death

Young died on September 10, 1951, in a hotel fire that started when he fell asleep while smoking.[2]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1927	Three's a Crowd	Minor Role - as Bobby Young	Uncredited
1928	The Circus Kid	Boy at Orphanage	Uncredited
1931	Sidewalks of New York	Street Gang Member	Uncredited
1935	Bright Lights	Piano Player at Party	Uncredited
1936	Small Town Girl	Boy in Car in Montage	Uncredited
1936	The Lonely Trail	Murdered Rancher's Son	Uncredited
1936	Hearts in Bondage	Young man waiting to enlist	Uncredited
1936	The President's Mystery	Townsman	Uncredited
1945	The Master Key	Loft Building Henchman	Serial, Uncredited
1946	Two Guys from Milwaukee	Joe - Motorcycle Cop	Uncredited
1946	Cloak and Dagger	American Commander	Uncredited
1946	Deception	Taxi Driver	Uncredited
1947	The Unfaithful	Charlie	Voice, Uncredited
1947	Nora Prentiss	Policeman arresting Truck Driver	Uncredited
1947	That Way with Women	Irate Baseball Fan	Uncredited
1947	Pursued	The Sergeant
1947	Possessed	Interne
1947	Dark Passage	Baker
1947	Always Together	Reporter	Uncredited
1947	My Wild Irish Rose	Joe Brennan
1948	The Treasure of the Sierra Madre	Flophouse Bum	Uncredited
1948	Two Guys from Texas	Announcer	Uncredited
1948	Blood on the Moon	Joe Shotten
1948	Whiplash	Gunman	Uncredited
1949	My Dream Is Yours	Schwab's Counterman	Voice, Uncredited
1949	Illegal Entry	Billy Rafferty
1949	Calamity Jane and Sam Bass	Link
1949	Abandoned	Eddie
1950	Bells of Coronado	Ross
1950	Backfire	Cabby	Uncredited
1950	Borderline	Suspect Questioned by Whittaker	Uncredited
1950	A Woman of Distinction	Chet - Photographer	Uncredited
1950	Salt Lake Raiders	Luke Condor
1950	Union Station	Ambulance Driver	Uncredited
1950	The Return of Jesse James	Bob Ford
1950	Trail of Robin Hood	Mitch McCall
1951	Up Front	Clerk	Uncredited
1951	The Redhead and the Cowboy	Southern Spy	Uncredited
1951	Love Nest		Uncredited
1952	Zombies of the Stratosphere	Ross - Smuggler Boss	Serial, [Ch. 4], Uncredited, (final film role)

References

1. "Actor Clifton Young Dies in Hotel Fire". The Gazette. Canada, Montreal. Associated Press. September 11, 1951. p. 14. Retrieved September 10, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
2. 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

• Clifton Young on IMDb
• Clifton Young at Find a Grave