Tom London

Tom London

A fixture in B-Westerns from the late 1910s, first as a star, then as one of the genre's better boss villains and eventually as a grizzled comedy sidekick à la George "Gabby" Hayes, Tom London claimed to have been a train engineer, a draftsman, and a builder prior to making his acting debut at Universal in 1920. Billed under his real name of Leonard Clapham during most of the silent era, London became a star in his own right in the 1920 Red Rider series, a handful of Western two-reelers co-starring newcomer Virginia Browne Faire. There would be several additional starring vehicles, including an obscure 1923 States' Rights release entitled With Naked Fists, but Clapham/London soon found a more lasting occupation playing Boss Heavies. He began using the name Tom London as a member of Leo Maloney's stock company in the late '20s, his scowling, lantern-jawed features becoming instantly recognizable in scores of Westerns and at least 50 serials and series, silent and sound. Increasingly gaunt and with the ability of changing his appearance by removing a set of false teeth, London added comic sidekick to his resumé in the mid-'40s when, under term contract to Republic Pictures, he supported Sunset Carson in that also-ran cowboy's final series. London was married to silent screen actress Edythe Stayart (1890-1970), whom he had met on the set of Nan of the North (1922). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide