Biography
Jack Clifford, born John Clifford Cooley in 1888, experienced a difficult childhood, spending time in two orphanages and seven foster homes across New York and Texas. Despite these early challenges, he became a notable American vaudeville performer on the Orpheum Circuit. His act featured a "rube" character—a hard-of-hearing country bumpkin who delivered punchlines from misunderstood words, performed skits, and sang. This persona earned him the nickname "Rube," which he sometimes used professionally. Around 1913, his act began to include his then-wife, Miriam Wills.
In addition to vaudeville, Clifford launched a successful film career, debuting in Cecil B. DeMille's The Squaw Man (1914). Over the next four decades, he worked in vaudeville, movies, and radio, starring in the 1930 KFWB radio series Hi-Jinks as a hard-of-hearing sheriff alongside Cliff Arquette, Billy Nelson, and Johnny Murray. In the 1930s, "The Sheriff" toured California as a representative for Gilmore Oil (now Mobil Oil), appearing at venues such as the Pomona Fair.
Most of Clifford's film roles were minor, but a few stood out: Uncle Tom in Dimples (1936), a featured role with Bob Steele in The Sunrise Trail (1931), Dog Catcher Nubbins in Skippy (1931), appearances in The Lone Ranger series in 1949 and 1955, and a role in 45 Minutes from Hollywood (1926) with Glenn Tryon. Keith Scott credits Clifford as the inspiration for the character Foghorn Leghorn.
As work became scarce toward the end of his career, Clifford's agent relocated to Palm Springs. Clifford retired to Temple City, California, with his wife Virginia (Meldrum) Clifford and passed away in 1974.
