Klinton Spilsbury facts for kids

Glenn Klinton Spilsbury (born March 4, 1950) is an American former actor. He is best known for playing the main character in the movie The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981). This was his only major acting role.

Early Life and Acting Start

Klinton Spilsbury's family came from Latter-Day Saint settlers in Mexico. He spent much of his childhood in Arizona. His father was a football coach for high school and college teams there. Later, his family moved back to Mexico, settling in Colonia Juárez.

Spilsbury went to Brigham Young University for a short time. After that, he moved to Hollywood to try acting. In 1979, he moved to New York City and used the name Max Keller. He got small parts in TV shows called soap operas. He also appeared in two TV dramas in 1978: Suddenly, Love and Lou Grant. He used the name Max Keller for these roles too.

Starring in The Legend of the Lone Ranger

Klinton Spilsbury was chosen to play the Lone Ranger in the 1981 movie. He was picked over many actors who had more experience. One reason was that producers thought he looked good in the character's domino mask.

There was some discussion around the movie's release. The studio had issues with Clayton Moore, who played the Lone Ranger in a popular TV show from the 1950s. Also, Klinton Spilsbury's voice in the movie was not used. Another actor, James Keach, recorded all of Spilsbury's lines. This is called "dubbing."

The Legend of the Lone Ranger was the only movie Spilsbury ever made. The film did not do well with critics or at the box office. Klinton Spilsbury received an award called the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor for his performance. This award is given to actors for bad performances.

After The Lone Ranger

After the movie, Klinton Spilsbury did not act much. A newspaper article in 1989 said he had spent time in Europe. He was working as a model there. He hoped to act again but did not have much luck. He has also taught acting workshops sometimes in Vancouver.

In 2013, a new movie called The Lone Ranger came out. It starred Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer. Media sources tried to contact Klinton Spilsbury, but he did not want to comment. At that time, he was working as a photographer in Los Angeles.