Clayton Moore
| Clayton Moore | |
|---|---|
Clayton Moore as The Lone Ranger
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| Born |
Jack Carlton Moore September 14, 1914 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | December 28, 1999 (aged 85) West Hills, Los Angeles California, USA |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park |
| Residence | Calabasas, California |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1934–1999 |
| Known for | The Lone Ranger |
| Television | The Lone Ranger |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Moore (1940-1942) Sally Allen (1943-1986) (her death) 1 child Connie Moore (1986-1989) Clarita Moore (1992-1999) (his death) |
Clayton Moore (September 14, 1914 – December 28, 1999) was an American actor best known for playing the fictional western character the Lone Ranger from 1949–1951 and 1954–1957 on the television series of the same name and two related movies from the same producers.
Born Jack Carlton Moore in Chicago, Illinois, Moore became a circus acrobat by age 8 and appeared at the Century of Progress exposition in Chicago in 1934 with a trapeze act. He graduated from Stephen K. Hayt Elementary School, Sullivan Junior High School and Senn High School on the far North Side of Chicago.
As a young man, Moore worked successfully as a John Robert Powers model. Moving to Hollywood in the late 1930s, he worked as a stunt man and bit player between modeling jobs. According to his 1996 autobiography I Was That Masked Man, around 1940, Hollywood producer Edward Small persuaded him to adopt the stage name "Clayton" Moore. He was an occasional player in B westerns and the lead in four Republic Studio cliffhangers, and two for Columbia Pictures. Moore served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II and made training films (Target--Invisible, etc.) with the First Motion Picture Unit.
In 1949, Moore's work in the Ghost of Zorro serial drew the attention of George Trendle, co-creator and producer of The Lone Ranger, a popular radio series about a mysterious former Texas Ranger, the sole survivor of a six-Ranger posse ambushed by a gang of outlaws, who roamed the West with his Indian companion battling evil and helping the downtrodden. When Trendle brought the series to television, Moore landed the title role. With the "March of the Swiss soldiers" finale from Rossini's William Tell overture as their theme music, Moore and co-star Jay Silverheels made history as the stars of the first Western written specifically for television.The Lone Ranger soon became the highest-rated program to that point on the fledgling ABC network and its first true hit. It earned an Emmy Award nomination in 1950.
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