CLAYTON ROHNER
THEN: Sometimes an actor just exudes charisma that is refreshingly original and unassuming. He could be the kind of guy that you’d probably geek out with, yet they aren’t pretentious in any way. That is the way I’ve always felt about this week’s Where in the Horror are they Now. Clayton Rohner was always cool. It is hard to remember the first time I saw the actor. Perhaps it was MODERN GIRLS or maybe APRIL FOOL’S DAY, but either way I instantly related to the guy. It wasn’t that he was a geek, in fact, he was always a pretty darn good looking fella. Yet this talented thespian was more than just a flavor of the week when it came to young Hollywood actors back in the Eighties.
While not a horror film, one of my favorites movies featuring this talented dude was the 1985 comedy JUST ONE OF THE GUYS. Again, Clayton was chill and shared fantastic chemistry with leading lady (pretending to be a dude) Joyce Hyser. This was one of those cheesy Eighties comedies that may not blow you away, yet to this day I remember catching it on cable nearly every single time it aired. The following year, Rohner appeared in two movies that I’d watch every chance I had when I was younger. It was the double bill of the previously mentioned MODERN GIRLS – where he played a dual role – and APRIL FOOL’S DAY. Both of these 1986 flicks still hold a special place in my heart, and he quickly became one of my favorite actors thanks to his awesome work in both.
After that double goodness of mucho cool movies, the actor continued to work on television as well as feature films. He appeared in an episode of The Hitchhiker in 1987 (aka Deadly Nightmares) as well as L.A. Law. He also had the leading role in the independent feature P.I. PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR directed by Nigel Dick (known for his work in music videos). In 1989 he appeared opposite his APRIL FOOL’S DAY co-star, the lovely Deborah Foreman, as well as former NFL defensive lineman Lyle Alzado in the horror flick DESTROYER. That same year, the actor was featured in the Gene Hackman starring war drama BAT*21. I remember liking the hell out of that movie. And frankly, as awesome as Hackman is, I watched it partly just to see Clayton do something a little different.
In the late Eighties, the actor continued to appear in a number of small flicks, and thankfully, a ton of genre. In 1988 he appeared in the made for video feature Deadly Intent along with Lisa Eilbacher as well as horror favorites, Lance Henriksen and Steve Railsback. In 1989 he appeared in the horror film NIGHTWISH, and the following year he starred in yet another made-for-video feature, Snow Kill. And while few may remember the awesome little slasher fantasy I, MADMAN, this creepy little movie still holds up pretty damn well in my book. Rohner stars opposite Jenny Wright (NEAR DARK). This odd slice of scary may not be perfect, but it still has a freaky charm that makes it a fun feature to revisit. In fact, I have this one playing while I write this.
In the Nineties, Clayton seemed to work a little less yet it was still fairly consistent. He appeared on such television shows as Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1994 and NYPD Blue in 1995. He had more straight to video fun with W.E.I.R.D. World in 1995 and he was in a movie with Pamela Anderson called NAKED SOULS in 1996. In 1997, he starred in the underrated monster movie THE RELIC which actually enjoyed a theatrical release – albeit with mixed to negative reviews. Either way, it was a wide release and it only continued Mr. Rohner’s connection to horror.
In 1996 – 1997, the actor found himself playing Detective Vince Biggio in the Steven Bochco series Murder One. Then in 1998, he was taking the lead in yet another low budget horror flick, the Stephen King based straight-to-video Sometimes They Come Back… For More. He continued to work in television including one episode of The X-Files in the 1999 episode “The Rain King” and in the year 2000, he appeared in the Charmed episode “Heartbreak City.” For fans of under appreciated television, he starred as Chandler Smythe in the cult series Good vs. Evil from 1999 to 2000. While it didn’t last a very long time, I personally dug this show even if I don’t actually remember where I came across it. This reminds me, I kind of want to re-visit this if I can find it somewhere.
In the mid to late Nineties, the actor continued to work with a ton of guest spots on television. This included a couple of my personal favorites like Angel (2002) and Dollhouse (2009). There was CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2001), Crossing Jordan (2003), Weeds (2005), Bones (2006), The Mentalist (2009) and a ton in between. He had worked on a few more small budget flicks like SOCIAL GUIDANCE in 2005 and SHRINK in 2009. The great thing about guys that are strong horror actors is that they oftentimes come back to the dark side. And yes, Clayton has not completely disappeared from the genre. So what in the horror is he up to now?
NOW: Not surprisingly, Clayton Rohner has continued to work, yet with tiny roles in some pretty intriguing projects. He had a small role in JOBS in 2013 and he was featured on an episode of Justified in 2013. Over the past couple of years he has starred in the comedic drama UNDER THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN and BLOOD RANSOM, both in 2014. And this year he has an appearance in a TV movie called Assistant Living Show and he also took on Dieter Laser in the controversial and strange horror comedy, THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE III (FINAL SEQUENCE). And according to his IMDB page, the actor has PREP SCHOOL (2015), HONEYGLUE (2015) and I WAS A TEENAGE WERESKUNK (2015) coming our way.
I’ve always been a massive fan of Mr. Rohner. The guy is completely charismatic, and a very talented actor. From JUST ONE OF THE GUYS to APRIL FOOL’S DAY, I was always a little more inclined to check out something with him in the cast. And while he does have a number of Facebook artist pages, you can probably find out a whole lot more about this awesome dude from his official website. In fact, for all you up-and-coming actors, it seems that you can take classes from Clayton here in Los Angeles! Hell man, I wanna visit the class simply to shake the man’s hand! Here is hoping that we will be seeing more horror in this fine actor’s future!