B.F. Clinton

(b. San Francisco, 29/06/1879 - d. **/**/****). American actor, director. Benjamin (Ben) F. Clinton probably came to South Africa at the suggestion of Lorimer Johnston, whose wife, Caroline Frances Cooke, had acted with him in The Light In A Woman's Eyes (1915), a short on which Johnston had been associate producer. Clinton arrived in South Africa early in 1916 and directed three shorts for African Film Productions: A Kract Affair, The Water Cure and £20,000. The last of these was released in August 1916 and on 25 September Clinton arrived back in the United States, travelling via Liverpool. Prior to this he directed one of the theatre companies that toured with Girl of the Underworld (1913), appearing at the La Salle Theatre in St. Louis. Some sources also credit a B.F. Clinton with supplying the story for The Enemy’s Baby, a short starring Lionel Barrymore that may have been directed by D.W. Griffith, but which is not listed in all of Griffith’s filmographies. Interestingly, between 1911 and 1913 a Mrs. B.F. Clinton, who also used the name Edith Clinton, acted in a number of shorts for Vitagraph, including Charles Kent’s version of Vanity Fair (1911). She may well have been Benjamin F. Clinton’s wife. (FO)

Sources

Le Roux, André I. & Fourie, Lilla – Filmverlede: geskiedenis van die Suid-Afrikaanse speelfilm

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