Eugenia M. Clinchard (July 5, 1904 – May 15, 1989) was an American child actress of the

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

era of the early 20th century. She appeared in numerous productions by

Essanay Studios Essanay Studios, officially the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company, was an early American motion picture studio. The studio was founded in 1907 in Chicago by George Kirke Spoor and Gilbert M. Anderson, originally as the Peerless Film Manufactu ...

, including eleven Western films starring

Broncho Billy Anderson Gilbert M. "Broncho Billy" Anderson (born Maxwell Henry Aronson; March 21, 1880 – January 20, 1971) was an American actor, writer, film director, and film producer, who was the first star of the Western film genre. He was a founder and star ...

. She was the mother of radio host

Wally George Wally George (born Walter George Pearch, Jr.; December 4, 1931 – October 5, 2003) was an American conservative radio and television commentator. Calling himself the "Father of Combat TV," he was a fixture on Southern California television ...

, whose daughter is actress

Rebecca De Mornay Rebecca De Mornay (born August 29, 1959) is an American actress. Her breakthrough film role came in 1983, when she starred in '' Risky Business''. De Mornay is also known for her roles in '' The Slugger's Wife'' (1985), '' Runaway Train'' (1985 ...

Early life

Clinchard was the daughter of Frederick Balbach Clinchard and his wife Elsie B. (née Honnef), and was born on July 5, 1904 in

Alameda County, California Alameda County ( ) is a List of counties in California, county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 1,682,353, making it the 7th-most populous county in the state and List ...

, where the family was living in 1910. Clinchard was raised in

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

with her brother named Frederick "Fred" Clinchard. Her father was originally from the

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

area. In her late teens, she met and married a shipping company owner, Walter G Pearch. With him, she gave birth to a son, George Walter Pearch, also known as

, the "Father of Combat TV." She was the grandmother of actress

and musician

Lizzie Grey Stephen M. Perry (August 13, 1958 – August 5, 2019), who used the stage name Lizzie Grey, was an American musician. He is perhaps best known for his membership as a guitarist in the heavy metal band London and for co-writing the Mötley Crü ...

. In her later years, she lived in

Sherman Oaks, California Sherman Oaks (founded in 1927) is a neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles, California within the San Fernando Valley region. The neighborhood includes a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, which gives Sherman Oaks a lower population density ...

Career

Clinchard began acting at age 3, and by age 5 she was working the

Vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

circuit throughout the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

. Around this time, she caught the eye of

, credited with starting the western genre of film in Hollywood, and she joined his

. Clinchard went on to play a part in eleven Broncho Billy

silent films A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, wh ...

, including ''Broncho Billy and the Sheriff's Kid'' and ''A Child of the West''.

Death

Clinchard died in

Panorama City, Los Angeles Panorama City is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the San Fernando Valley. It has a generally young age range as well as the highest population density in the Valley. More than half of the neighborhood's population was b ...

, California on May 15, 1989.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clinchard, Eugenia 1904 births 1989 deaths Actors from Alameda County, California American child actresses American film actresses American silent film actresses American vaudeville performers Actresses from Oakland, California 20th-century American actresses People from Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles