Klinton Spilsbury

Last updated

Klinton Spilsbury
Born
Glenn Klinton Spilsbury [1]

(1950-03-04) March 4, 1950 (age 74)
Chihuahua City, Mexico
Occupation Actor
Years active1978–1981

Glenn Klinton Spilsbury (born March 4, 1950) is an American former actor. His sole major acting credit is the film The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981), in which he played the title role. [2] [3]

Contents

Biography

Spilsbury was descendent from Latter-Day Saint (LDS) settlers who relocated to Mexico. He spent much of his childhood in Arizona, where his father was a high school and college football coach. [4] [5] The family eventually returned to Mexico, settling in Colonia Juárez. [6] Spilsbury briefly attended Brigham Young University before moving to Hollywood to attempt to break into acting, [1] and in 1979, using the name Max Keller, moved to New York City, where he landed minor parts on daytime soap operas.

Spilsbury had small roles on two episodes of 1978 prime-time television dramas: Suddenly Love and Lou Grant . Both appearances were under the Max Keller stage name.

The Legend of the Lone Ranger

Considerable controversy surrounded Spilsbury at the time of the film's release. He was selected for the role over several more experienced actors (including Stephen Collins, Nicholas Guest, Bruce Boxleitner and Kurt Russell), partly because producers felt he looked good in the character's domino mask. A minor scandal erupted because of the studio's treatment of Clayton Moore, star of the popular 1950s TV series, who was prevented through legal action from wearing his black mask during personal appearances. [1] Spilsbury's on-set behavior was described as egocentric. [7] Spilsbury's dialogue in The Legend of the Lone Ranger was dubbed by actor James Keach due to concerns Spilsbury's voice was not commanding enough. [1]

The Legend of the Lone Ranger was the only film Spilsbury made. [8] The film was savaged by critics and was a box office disappointment. For his performance in this film, Spilsbury received the 1981 Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor.

Andy Warhol interviewed Spilsbury during his promotion tour, later describing the interview as "nutty," because Spilsbury was "blowing his whole image" during their conversation. Spilsbury told Warhol that, before making the movie, he had been an art student married to a rich woman and that they had a baby together. He went on to state she had left him because he needed too much time with his own thoughts, a detail that Warhol found amusing. Spilsbury told Warhol that he was a friend of actor Dennis Christopher and had fallen in love with him, and that he also had later fallen in love with actor Bud Cort. Warhol described Spilsbury as "very drunk" toward the end of the interview, in which Spilsbury said that "he'd been picked up by Halston and woke up in bed with Halston." [9]

Post-Ranger career

A 1989 article in the Los Angeles Times revealed that he had spent some time in Europe and was working as a model. He had hopes to revive his career as an actor, but admitted in the article that he was not having much luck. [10] He has intermittently coached acting workshops at the Herpolscheimer Academy in Vancouver. [11]

In 2013, when the reboot film The Lone Ranger starring Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer was released, Spilsbury was sought out by media sources but declined to comment. [1] According to Variety , Spilsbury was working as a photographer in Los Angeles at the time. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lone Ranger</span> Fictional character

The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Silverheels</span> Canadian Mohawk actor and athlete (1912–1980)

Jay Silverheels was a Canadian actor and athlete, descended from three Iroquois nations. He was well known for his role as Tonto, the Native American companion of the Lone Ranger in the American Western television series The Lone Ranger.

Kato (<i>The Green Hornet</i>) Fictional character from The Green Hornet

Kato is a fictional character from The Green Hornet franchise. This character has appeared with the Green Hornet in radio, film, television, book and comic book versions. Kato is the Green Hornet's crime-fighting sidekick, and Britt Reid's manservant in civilian life, and has been played by a number of actors. On radio, Kato was initially played by Raymond Hayashi, then Roland Parker who had the role for most of the run, and in the later years Mickey Tolan and Paul Carnegie. Keye Luke took the role in the movie serials, and in the television series, he was portrayed by Bruce Lee. Jay Chou played Kato in the 2011 Green Hornet film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Santo</span> Mexican professional wrestler (1917–1984)

Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta, best known by his ring name El Santo, was a Mexican luchador enmascarado, actor and folk hero. He is one of the most famous and iconic Mexican luchadores, and has been referred to as one of "the greatest legends in Mexican sports". His wrestling career spanned nearly five decades, during which he became a folk hero and a symbol of justice for the common man through his appearances in luchador films and comic books telling fictionalized stories of El Santo fighting for justice. He starred or co-starred in at least 53 movies between 1958 and 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tonto</span> Fictional Native American hero

Tonto is a fictional character; he is the Native American companion of the Lone Ranger, a popular American Western character created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker. Tonto has appeared in radio and television series and other presentations of the characters' adventures righting wrongs in 19th-century western United States.

<i>The Legend of the Lone Ranger</i> 1981 film

The Legend of the Lone Ranger is a 1981 American Western adventure film directed by William A. Fraker and starring Klinton Spilsbury, Michael Horse and Christopher Lloyd. It is based on the story of The Lone Ranger, a Western character created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clayton Moore</span> American actor (1914–1999)

Clayton Moore was an American actor best known for playing the fictional Western character the Lone Ranger from 1949 to 1952 and 1953 to 1957 on the television series of the same name and two related films from the same producers.

John Devereaux Wrather Jr., was an entrepreneur and petroleum businessman who became a television producer and later diversified by investing in broadcast stations and resort properties. He is best known for producing The Lone Ranger, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, and Lassie television series in the 1950s as well as marrying actress Bonita Granville. His daughter, Linda Wrather appeared in one of the last episodes of the Lone Ranger, The Angel and the Outlaw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Hart (actor)</span> American actor

John Lewis Hart, also credited as John Hilton, was an American film and television actor. In his early career, Hart appeared mostly in westerns. Although Hart played mostly minor roles in some fairly well known films, he was probably best known for playing the character Hawkeye in the TV series Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans and replacing Clayton Moore in the television series The Lone Ranger for one season (1952–53).

Moonlight Mask, a.k.a. Moonbeam Man, is a superhero appearing in Japanese tokusatsu and anime television shows and movies since his TV debut in 1958. The six theatrical films were made in black and white/ToeiScope format. Created by writer Kōhan Kawauchi, Moonlight Mask is best described as Japan's answer to The Lone Ranger, Batman and Zorro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Demon</span> Mexican professional wrestler and actor

Alejandro Muñoz Moreno, better known by the ring name Blue Demon, was a Mexican film actor and luchador enmascarado. Blue Demon is considered a legend of lucha libre, partially from starring in a series of Lucha films between 1961 and 1979, often alongside in-ring rival El Santo. His in-ring career began in 1948 and stretched for 41 years until his retirement in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Solitario</span> Mexican professional wrestler (1946 – 1986)

Roberto González Cruz was a Mexican professional wrestler who wrestled under the name El Solitario. During his career he held both the NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship and the NWA World Middleweight Championship. After achieving stardom in Mexico's oldest promotion, Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre, Gonzalez Cruz joined the breakaway promotion, the Universal Wrestling Association, where he held four more world championships in the early 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Horse</span> American actor from California, U.S.

Michael Horse is an American film and television actor. He is also a painter and jeweler. He is best known for playing Deputy Tommy "Hawk" Hill on Twin Peaks.

<i>The Lone Ranger</i> (TV series) American Western TV series

The Lone Ranger is an American Western television series that aired on the ABC Television network from 1949 to 1957, with Clayton Moore in the starring role. Jay Silverheels, a member of the Mohawk Aboriginal people in Canada, played the Lone Ranger's Indian companion Tonto.

<i>The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold</i> 1958 film by Lesley Selander

The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold is a 1958 American Western film in Eastmancolor released by United Artists. The second of two theatrical features specifically based on and continuing the TV show The Lone Ranger it stars Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels, reprising their roles from the TV series. The first feature film was 1956's The Lone Ranger. No further films based on this specific version of the characters were made after this one.

<i>The Lone Ranger</i> (1956 film) 1956 film by Stuart Heisler

The Lone Ranger is a 1956 Western film based on The Lone Ranger television series starring Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels. The Lone Ranger was the first of two theatrical features based on the series; it was followed by The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold in 1958.

<i>The Lone Ranger</i> (2013 film) American Western film

The Lone Ranger is a 2013 American Western action film directed by Gore Verbinski and written by Justin Haythe, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. Based on the title character of the same name, the film stars Johnny Depp as Tonto, the narrator of the events and Armie Hammer as John Reid, the Lone Ranger. The story tells through Tonto's memories of the duo's earliest efforts to subdue local villainy and bring justice to the American Old West. William Fichtner, Barry Pepper, Ruth Wilson, James Badge Dale, Tom Wilkinson, Helena Bonham Carter and Curtis Cregan are featured in supporting roles. This was the first theatrical film featuring the Lone Ranger and Tonto characters since William A. Fraker's 1981 film, The Legend of the Lone Ranger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis Waldon</span> American actor

Louis Waldon was an American film actor, whose career spanned nearly 45 years. He was born in Modesto, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Ast</span> American actress and model (1941–2001)

Patricia Ann Ast was an American actress and model. She was best known for starring in Andy Warhol films and being a Halston model and muse in the 1970s.

Max Reed Spilsbury was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Northern Arizona University–then known as Arizona State College at Flagstaff–from 1956 to 1964, compiling a record of 58–25–5.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Labrecqueon, Jeff (July 2, 2013). "Who was that masked man? The Legend of Klinton Spilsbury". Entertainment Weekly .
  2. ↑ Goldstein, Richard (December 29, 1999). "Clayton Moore, Television's Lone Ranger And a Persistent Masked Man, Dies at 85". The New York Times . Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  3. ↑ Kit, Borys (March 27, 2008). "Disney preps 'Lone Ranger' remake". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
  4. ↑ Carifio, Edward (April 16, 2011). "Glory days: NAU players recall 1958 title game". Yuma Sun . Archived from the original on July 8, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  5. 1 2 Johnson, Ted (June 25, 2013). "1981 'Lone Ranger' Pic Galloped Quickly Into Oblivion". Variety. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  6. ↑ Whetten, LaVon Brown (2010). Colonia Juarez: Commemorating 125 Years of the Mormon Colonies in Mexico. Bloomington, Indiana: AuthorHouse. p. 149. ISBN   9781449089337 . Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  7. ↑ Labrecque, Jeff (July 2, 2013). "The Lone Ranger legend of Klinton Spilsbury". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  8. ↑ Galbraith IV, Stuart (August 21, 2008). "The Legend of the Lone Ranger". DVD Talk . Retrieved November 1, 2010.
  9. ↑ Warhol, Andy (1989). The Andy Warhol Diaries. Grand Central. ISBN   9780446571241.
  10. ↑ "A Special Edition". The Los Angeles Times . December 24, 1989.
  11. ↑ Arnold, Ben (March 22, 2012). "One hit wonders: the film stars with one credit". Yahoo! .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.