Adrian Johnson

Biography

Adrian was the only child of Col. Robert Adams and Ellen McMahon Johnson. Ellen was Robert Johnson's third wife, the other two dying after only a few years of marriage. Even though he was reared as an only child, Adrian had four half-siblings. The Johnson family originally came from near Georgetown, Kentucky and were influential in state politics. Adrian was only three years of age when his father passed away, but his father's connections led him to receive a good education. He graduated with a Liberal Arts Degree from St. Mary's College in Belmont, North Carolina. He would become a prolific screenwriter for early day silent films, starting first at Metro and then for the William Fox Company. He has been credited with writing at least fifty-three early day productions, including "The Darling of Paris" (1915) and "Cleopatra" (1917), starring Theda Bara. He was working for the Fox company as early as 1915 and continued until the early 1930s, having relocated to Los Angeles. On March 5, 1926, he married Margaret Cloud, a comedienne. Johnson and his wife continued living in Los Angeles, furthering their careers until well after 1940.