Ralph Woodward Clanton (September 11, 1914 – December 29, 2002) was an American character actor of film, stage, and television. His most seen performance was Comte De Guiche in the 1950 film ''

Cyrano de Bergerac Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist. A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th cen ...

'', the first sound version in English of Edmond Rostand's play, and the film for which

José Ferrer José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón (January 8, 1912 – January 26, 1992) was a Puerto Rican actor and director of stage, film and television. He was one of the most celebrated and esteemed Hispanic American actors during his lifetime, w ...

won his only

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for Best Actor. Besides Ferrer as Cyrano, Clanton was the only holdover from the cast of the 1946 Broadway revival of the play, and would play the role of De Guiche opposite him once more, in a

New York City Center New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama,. The name "City Center for Music and Drama Inc." is the organizational parent of the New York City Ballet and, until 2011, the New York City Opera. and t ...

production in 1953.

Career

After acting as the narrator in ''

Canadian Pacific The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

'' (1949), he was the American lead in the British war film ''

They Were Not Divided ''They Were Not Divided'' is a 1950 British war film, which depicted the Guards Armoured Division in Second World War Europe. It was written and directed by Terence Young, a former Guards officer who served in the campaigns depicted in the fi ...

''.(1950). Clanton was featured in seven episodes of Alfred Hitchcock's

television show A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed b ...

, as well as making several appearances on the '' Hallmark Hall of Fame''. In 1976, he played the role of

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

in a

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

television production of

Sidney Kingsley Sidney Kingsley (22 October 1906 – 20 March 1995) was an American dramatist. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play '' Men in White'' in 1934. Life and career Kingsley was born Sidney Kirschner in New York. He studied at ...

's drama '' The Patriots''. He also played Jasper Delaney on the TV

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

s, '' Another World'' and its spinoff ''

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

''. He played Mr. Ingram in the

sci-fi Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel universe ...

thriller ''

The 27th Day ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

''. He played guest star roles on numerous television series, such as four episodes of ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

'', including the role of Mervyn Aldritch in the premiere episode, " The Case of the Restless Redhead" in 1957, murder victim Charles Brewster in "The Case of the Fancy Figures" in 1958 and Karl Colby in "The Case of the Stand-in Sister" in 1962. In addition, he appeared on Broadway in the role of Claude Nau in

Robert Bolt Robert Oxton Bolt (15 August 1924 – 20 February 1995) was an English playwright and a two-time Oscar-winning screenwriter, known for writing the screenplays for ''Lawrence of Arabia'', ''Doctor Zhivago'', and '' A Man for All Seasons'', ...

's '' Vivat! Vivat Regina!'', as well as in several

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

productions. One of his last roles was a bit part in the film ''

Trading Places ''Trading Places'' is a 1983 American comedy film directed by John Landis, with a screenplay by Timothy Harris and Herschel Weingrod. Starring Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche, Denholm Elliott, and Jamie Lee Curtis, the ...

'' (1983). In a playbill for the 1946 revival of ''Cyrano de Bergerac'' he is listed as a direct descendant of members of the infamous Clanton gang, which took part in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

Partial filmography

*''

'' (1949) - Opening Narrator (voice, uncredited) *''

'' (1950) - David Morgan *''

'' (1950) - Antoine Comte de Guiche *'' San Antone'' (1953) - Narrator (uncredited) *'' New York Confidential'' (1955) - Narrator (uncredited) *''

The Vagabond King ''The Vagabond King'' is a 1925 operetta by Rudolf Friml in four acts, with a book and lyrics by Brian Hooker and William H. Post, based upon Justin Huntly McCarthy's 1901 romantic novel and play ''If I Were King''. The story is a fictionali ...

'' (1956) - Duke of Anjou (uncredited) *'' Hot Cars'' (1956) - Arthur Markel *'' Pharaoh's Curse'' (1957) - Col. Cross *''

Johnny Tremain ''Johnny Tremain'' is a work of historical fiction written in 1943 by Esther Forbes that is set in Boston prior to and during the outbreak of the American Revolution. Intended for teen-aged readers, the novel's themes include apprenticeship, co ...

'' (1957) - Gen. Gage *''

'' (1957) - Mr. Ingram *''

The Midnight Story ''The Midnight Story'' is a 1957 American CinemaScope film noir crime film directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Tony Curtis, Marisa Pavan and Gilbert Roland. The film was originally slated to be titled ''The Eyes of Father Tomasino'', after the ...

'' (1957) - Trailer Narrator (voice, uncredited) *''

No Time to Be Young ''No Time to Be Young'' is a 1957 American crime film noir directed by David Lowell Rich and starring Robert Vaughn. Plot The story follows the troubled lives of three young robbers. The first is a college dropout, and draft dodger, who plans to ...

'' (1957) - Mr. Parner (uncredited) *'' Undersea Girl'' (1957) - Sam Marvin *''

The Absent Minded Professor ''The Absent-Minded Professor'' is a 1961 American science fiction comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and based on the short story "A Situation of Gravity" by Samuel W. Taylor, originally published in the May 22, 1943 issue of '' ...

'' (1961) - O.J. Turnbull (uncredited) *''

Panic in Year Zero! ''Panic in Year Zero!'' (a.k.a. ''End of the World'') is a 1962 American black-and-white survival science fiction film from American International Pictures. It was produced by Arnold Houghland and Lou Rusoff, directed by Ray Milland, who also ...

'' (1962) - Radio Announcer (voice, uncredited) *''

They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a ...

'' (1971) - Supermarket Manager *''

'' (1983) - Official #1 (final film role)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clanton, Ralph 1914 births 2002 deaths Male actors from Fresno, California 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors American soap opera actors