Elmer Clifton Forsyth (March 14, 1890 – October 15, 1949) was an American director, screenwriter, and actor from the early silent days.

Early life

Elmer Clifton Forsyth was born in Toronto, Canada, to Cecil Carl Forsyth and Margaret Nicolle.

Career

A collaborator of D.W. Griffith, Clifton appeared in ''

The Birth of a Nation ''The Birth of a Nation'' is a 1915 American Silent film, silent Epic film, epic Drama (film and television), drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. The screenplay is adapted from Thomas Dixon Jr.'s 1905 novel and ...

'' (1915) and ''

Intolerance Intolerance may refer to: * Hypersensitivity or intolerance, undesirable reactions produced by the immune system * ''Intolerance'' (film), a 1916 film by D. W. Griffith * ''Intolerance'' (album), the first solo album from Grant Hart, formerly ...

'' (1916) before giving up acting in 1917 to concentrate on work behind the camera, with Griffith and Joseph Henabery as his mentors. His first feature-length solo effort as a director was ''The Flame of Youth'' with

Jack Mulhall John Joseph Francis Mulhall (October 7, 1887 – June 1, 1979) was an American film actor beginning in the silent film era who successfully transitioned to sound films, appearing in over 430 films in a career spanning 50 years. Early years Mu ...

. Clifton honed his talents during the late 1910s, directing vehicles for Mulhall and Herbert Rawlinson at Universal and then for Dorothy Gish for Famous Players–Lasky. Two of his projects with Gish, '' Nobody Home'' and '' Nugget Nell'', featured performances from pre-stardom

Rudolph Valentino Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor who starred in several well-known sile ...

. Most of this early output has been lost. He was the first filmmaker to discover the talents of Clara Bow, whom he cast in '' Down to the Sea in Ships'', released on March 4, 1923. The independently produced film was well reviewed for its visual authenticity. During the 1920s, Clifton directed films for several different studios. During the filming of '' The Warrens of Virginia'' ( 1924) for

Fox Film Corporation The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American independent company that produced motion pictures and was formed in 1914 by the theater "chain" pioneer William Fox (producer), William Fox. It was the corporate successor to ...

, lead actress Martha Mansfield suffered a fatal accident from burns when her costume caught fire. Clifton directed ''The Wreck of the Hesperus'' (1927) for Cecil B. deMille's production company, and filmed on location in the Grand Canyon for ''The Bride of the Colorado''. He also directed some Technicolor short films, including ''Manchu Love'' with an all-Asian cast. He directed serials for Weiss Bros., Columbia, and

Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

. His handling of the successful Columbia serial '' The Secret of Treasure Island'' (1938) earned him feature assignments at Columbia. During the 1940s Clifton was a staff director for PRC, working on action features and westerns. Like other silent-era veterans, he also worked in the low-budget "exploitation" field, directing '' Gambling with Souls'' (1936), '' Assassin of Youth'' (1937), '' Slaves in Bondage'' (1937), ''

City of Missing Girls A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

'' (1941), and ''Youth Aflame'' (1944). Clifton sometimes used the alias "Elmer S. Pond". Clifton experienced a cerebral thrombosis three days into filming '' Not Wanted'' (1949), and was unable to work anymore. Producer Ida Lupino took over the direction and completed the film without screen credit. Clifton died in 1949 of a

cerebral hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as hemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain (i.e. the parenchyma), into its ventricles, or into both. An ICH is a type of bleeding within the skull and one kind of stro ...

shortly after the film's release. Two of his 1949 productions, both inexpensive westerns produced by Raymond Friedgen, were released posthumously.

Personal life

Clifton married actress Helen Kiely on November 29, 1926. The couple had three children: Actress Dorinda Clifton, a daughter named Patricia, and a son named Michael.

Selected filmography

Partial filmography

Actor

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Clifton, Elmer 1890 births 1949 deaths Film directors from California American male film actors American male silent film actors Film serial crew 20th-century American male actors Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)