Robert Howard Young (September 15, 1917 – September 10, 1951) professionally known as Clifton Young, was an American film actor.

Early years

Young was the son of Edward A. and Eva (Clifton) Young. His father started him in vaudeville when he was 5 years old. When he was 7, he began acting in Our Gang comedies. Young was drafted into the Army during World War II, serving in the South Pacific.

Career

Young played "Bonedust" in nineteen Our Gang films from 1925 to 1931, his most notable film being School's Out. As an adult, to avoid confusion with established star Robert Young, he took his mother's maiden name, Clifton, as his screen name. Young became a contract player at Warner Bros., landing small parts in a number of 1940s film noir and western films. Notable credits include Nora Prentiss, Pursued, Possessed, Dark Passage, and Blood on the Moon. While at Warners, Young was featured prominently in the Joe McDoakes comedy shorts. He played a variety of roles: a craven mobster in So You Want to Be a Detective, a department-store clerk in So You're Going on Vacation, and memorably as "Homer," Joe's brash, know-it-all office colleague in several McDoakes reels. One of Young's last films was the Roy Rogers western Trail of Robin Hood (1950), in which he played a sneering villain.

Death

Young died on September 10, 1951, in a hotel fire that started when he fell asleep while smoking.

Filmography