Clift was educated at Stanford University. He began his career as a short story writer, novelist, and playwright. After he started writing,
Cecil B. DeMille entrusted him with writing
Lasky scenarios. Clift entered the film industry in 1918, penning the screenplay for William S. Hart's
Wolves of the Rail. He began a contract writer with Fox, and was promoted director in 1920. Less than a year later, Clift was imported by a British firm in a larger movement to liven their domestic silent films by employing Hollywood directors. He directed a number of British films during the silent era, such as
Demos (1921) featuring fellow American expatriate
Evelyn Brent and
The Love of Mary, Queen of Scots (1923), with
Fay Compton in the title role. Clift remained in Great Britain after the transition to
sound films, occasionally directing small-budget melodramas- including
The Mystery of the Mary Celeste, which he also wrote- but was predominantly a freelance screenwriter. His 1929 play
Scotland Yard was adapted into films twice. ==Selected filmography==