Clayton Moore: The Lone Ranger

Clayton Moore, best known for playing The Lone Ranger on the hit television series by the same name, was born in Chicago, Illinois, September 14, 1914. His given name was Jack Carlton Moore.

As a young boy he joined the circus and performed as an acrobat. Before going to Hollywood he had a successful career as a model.

In the late 1930s he moved to Hollywood and worked as a stunt man and playing bit parts in numerous movies. It was about this time that producer Edward Small told Moore he should change his first name to Clayton.

In 1949 George Trendle, creator and producer of The Lone Ranger character, was about to move The Lone Ranger from radio to television. Trendle saw Moore in the movie The Ghost of Zorro and immediately knew Moore was the person to play The Lone Ranger.

The Lone Ranger soon became the highest rated program for ABC and was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1950.

Two years into the series Moore wanted more money. When the producers refused to increase his salary, Clayton left the series. He went on to perform as Clay Moore in some westerns.

Fans didn't take to John Hart, the new Lone Ranger, so the owners of the show took Moore back and paid him the salary he had asked for before leaving. He stayed until the end of the television series in 1957. Moore and Jay Silverheels (Tonto) made two Lone Ranger movies.

After the movies were made, Moore made his living making appearances and commercials as The Lone Ranger. Jack Wrather, who owned The Lone Ranger character, got, in 1979, a court order to stop Moore from making such appearances. Moore then took off the mask and donned wraparound sunglasses and counter-sued. Moore won the lawsuit and returned to wearing the mask.

In 1982 Moore was inducted into the Stuntman's Hall of Fame and in 1990 he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His star reads "Clayton Moore-The Lone Ranger." It is the only star there to have an actor's name along with a character name.

Because he always wore the mask or sunglasses when making personal appearances, his face was largely unknown to his fans.

Clayton Moore died December 28, 1999 in a hospital emergency room from a heart attack. He is buried in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.