Arthur Vinton

Biography

Arthur Vinton was born Hozel and picked his stage name because it sounded good. He was married twice and had one daughter by the first marriage. But he disowned her when he found she had a mixed marriage. His second wife survived him for about a year and they had no children. His acting career began in NY with some noted leading roles including the notorious "The Constant Sinner" written by Mae West. His Hollywood career spanned the 1930s, and he was a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild. After Hollywood he had a noted career in radio and was a regular on the show "The Shadow". His resonant deep voice often cast him as the heavy in radio shows as This is Your FBI. He purchased a farm with a pre-revolutionary war house in NY State near Newburgh, and raised cattle for a while. He called the farm Brittany Hills. But after World War II he raised turkeys under the name "The Barefoot boy of Brittany Hills". Poultry was very profitable in that era and he was able to start a gourmet restaurant on Long Island. After his stroke he retired to the warmth of Guadlajara, Mexico. He even learned Spanish with a good accent, and was an effective fund-raiser for the Episcopal Church. His handsome looks and glamorous calling attracted women so he had various girl friends in NY while his wife lived on the farm. He had great charm, but also was a brutal individual with his family. He was good at organizing events and was known for his ability to bring people into the Screen Actors Guild. His wife was a much better manager so she managed all of the finances of the successful farm. One of his hobbies was 3D photography.