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William F. Claxton

William F. Claxton

Known For Directing
Birthday Oct 22, 1914
Died Feb 11, 1996 (81)
Birthplace Los Angeles County, California, USA
Popularity 0.1 (history)
Updated Nov 25, 2025
Entry Date Apr 13, 2024
Links TMDb IMDb
Biography

William Francis Claxton (October 22, 1914 – February 11, 1996) was an American film and television producer, editor and director. He made a number of films for Robert L. Lippert. He also directed and produced episodes of Bonanza,[1] the NBC-TV series Little House on the Prairie, and also directed ep ... isodes of the NBC-TV series Father Murphy, The Rifleman, The Twilight Zone, Fame, and The High Chaparral. Claxton got his start in Hollywood as a film editor in the 1940s, where he was employed an editor for Edward Small Productions, as he would move into directing of second feature films by 1950s and 1960s, and also delve into television directing during this period. During World War II, Claxton served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps as a captain. Claxton worked under Frank Capra as a film editor on the Why We Fight series. Claxton worked alongside Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) in the animation and film department of the U.S. Army. Claxton's very first directorial effort was 1951's All That I Can Have. Claxton, who is best known for his TV work, enjoyed a long stint as producer/director of the syndicated Christian anthology series This is the Life (which was his first work in TV) from 1951 to 1980. He spent much of the 1950s with 20th Century Fox's Regal Pictures subsidiary, turning out medium-budget films which included the films God Is My Partner (1956) and Desire in the Dust (1960); occasionally, as in the cast of Rockabilly Baby (1957), he produced as well as directed. Claxton was a close friend to actor Michael Landon, with whom he worked on the NBC-TV series Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie and then Highway to Heaven, and who also enjoyed the This is the Life series, which Claxton was involved with. Claxton also directed the feature-length series pilot Bonanza: The Next Generation (1988).

Known For

Filmography

No data available

Home Town Story

Home Town Story

1951

Editor

Miss Mink of 1949

Miss Mink of 1949

1949

Supervising Editor, Editor

Fighting Back

Fighting Back

1948

Editor

Night Wind

Night Wind

1948

Editor

Arthur Takes Over

Arthur Takes Over

1948

Supervising Editor

The Invisible Wall

The Invisible Wall

1947

Supervising Editor, Editor

Backlash

Backlash

1947

Editor

The Crimson Key

The Crimson Key

1947

Editor

Dangerous Millions

Dangerous Millions

1946

Editor

Deadline for Murder

Deadline for Murder

1946

Editor

Strange Journey

Strange Journey

1946

Editor

The Corsican Brothers

The Corsican Brothers

1941

Editor

Kit Carson

Kit Carson

1940

Editor

The Canterville Ghost

The Canterville Ghost

1985

Director

Territorial Men

Territorial Men

1976

Director

Night of the Lepus

Night of the Lepus

1972

Director

A Letter to Nancy

A Letter to Nancy

1965

Director

Law of the Lawless

Law of the Lawless

1964

Director

Stage to Thunder Rock

Stage to Thunder Rock

1964

Director

Young Jesse James

Young Jesse James

1960

Director

Desire in the Dust

Desire in the Dust

1960

Director

I'll Give My Life

I'll Give My Life

1960

Director

Teenage Challenge

Teenage Challenge

1958

Director

Rockabilly Baby

Rockabilly Baby

1957

Director

God Is My Partner

God Is My Partner

1957

Director

The Quiet Gun

The Quiet Gun

1957

Director

Young and Dangerous

Young and Dangerous

1957

Director

Stagecoach To Fury

Stagecoach To Fury

1956

Director

Fangs of the Wild

Fangs of the Wild

1954

Director

All That I Have

All That I Have

1951

Director

Tucson

Tucson

1949

Director

Half Past Midnight

Half Past Midnight

1948

Director

Rockabilly Baby

Rockabilly Baby

1957

Producer

Organization Category Movie
Television Credits

No data available

No data available

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