Clara Horton

Clara Marie Horton (July 29, 1904 – December 4, 1976)^[1] was an American actress of the silent film era.

Clara Horton
Horton, ca. 1920
Born	Clara Marie Horton (1904-07-29)July 29, 1904 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	December 4, 1976(1976-12-04) (aged 72) Encino, California, U.S.
Other names	"The Eclair Kid"
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1912–1942

Clara Horton, for Eclair, in 1914.

Horton was born in Brooklyn. Her mother gave up a career as a piano soloist and instructor to raise her baby. She planned for Clara to have a career as a pianist and began teaching her when she had to lift the girl to the piano bench. When Clara was five years old, however, a director employed by the Eclair Company saw the girl and asked her mother to let her appear in a film. Her mother signed a contract, and the Hortons moved to Tucson, Arizona. When Eclair went out of business, they moved to Los Angeles, where work with other studios was available.^[2] She appeared in more than 80 films between 1912 and 1942.

When Horton was 17, she got married and left the film business. The marriage did not last, and she returned to working in films. She joined the Warner stock company and as of 1934 she was playing bit parts and was a stand-in for stars.^[3]

After her work in films ended, Horton was a saleslady in Whittier, California.^[4] She is buried in Rose Hills Memorial Park.^[5]

Selected filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1912	The Homecoming	Little Miss Langdon
	Darling of the Mounted	The Darling
1913	The Spectre Bridegroom	Master Van Altenberg
	The Little Mother of Black Pine Trail	Marie
1914	The Greatest of These	Peter's Little Friend
	The Violinist	Ethel, age 7
1915	The Little Band of Gold
	The Vengeance of Guido
1916	Under the Lion's Paw
	Us Kids
1917	The Plow Woman	Mary, as a child
	Tom Sawyer	Becky Thatcher
1918	Huck and Tom	Becky Thatcher
	The Yellow Dog	Kate Cummings
1919	The Winning Girl	Vivian Milligan	Lost film
	The Girl from Outside	June Campbell
	Everywoman	Youth	Lost film
	Almost a Husband	Jane Sheldon	Lost film
1920	The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come	Margaret	Lost film
	Blind Youth	Bobo
1921	The Servant in the House	Mary, The Drain Man's Daughter	Lost film
	Action	Molly Casey	Alternative title: Let's Go, Lost film
1922	Penrod	Marjorie Jones	Lost film
1923	Mind Over Motor	Bettina Bailey
	Judy Punch	Judy Wilcox
1924	Wrongs Righted
1925	Speed Madness	Alice Carey
	The Wheel	Nora Malone
	All Around Frying Pan	Jean Dawson
	Makers of Men	Lillian Gilman
1926	The Broadway Gallant	Helen Stuart
	Beyond the Trail	Clarabell Simpkins
1927	The Fortune Hunter	Betty Graham	Lost film
	Sailor Izzy Murphy	Cecile	Lost film
1936	Bengal Tiger	Hospital Secretary	Uncredited
1938	Girls on Probation	Prisoner	Uncredited
1942	Who Is Hope Schuyler?	Secretary	Uncredited
	Time to Kill	Maid	Uncredited

References

1. Katchmer, George A. (May 20, 2015). A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Film Western Actors and Actresses. McFarland. pp. 168–169. ISBN 978-1-4766-0905-8. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
2. "A Film Star Who Rose from Peasantry". Lincoln Journal Star. January 19, 1920. p. 14. Retrieved February 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Skolsky, Sidney (September 11, 1934). "Hollywood". Daily News. News Syndicate Co, Inc. p. 44. Retrieved February 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Clara Horton". AllMovie. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
5. Silent Film Necrology, p.251 2nd Edition c.2001 by Eugene Michael Vazzana ...ISBN 0-7864-1059-0

External links

• Clara Horton at IMDb
• Clara Horton at Find a Grave