Actor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of the staunch Sheriff Hutchins in "Gunfire" (1934). Born Thornton Baston, he was raised in a family of wealth and position. After beginning his career as a leading man in stock companies, he was discovered by director Herbert Brenon while dining in a commissary during as studio visit. Impressed by his slim physique, dark good looks, and distinctive voice, he took notice of his potential and arranged for him to begin a career in the film industry beginning with him appearing under his supervision per a major role in "Empty Pockets" (1918). From there, he would go on to flourish as a notable character actor appearing in over 35 features; often typecast as husbands, fathers, aristocrats, businessmen, cowboys, deputies, sidekicks, villains, con-artists, historical or literary figures, love interests, blue-collared guys, retail clerks, doormen, waiters, chauffeurs, city slickers, policemen, authority figures, and patriarchs. He appeared in such feature films as "The Passing of the Third Floor Back" (1918), "The White Moll" (1920), "Dynamite Allen" (1921), "Down to the Sea in Ships" (1922), "As a Man Lives" (1923), "Gateway to the West" (1924), "Chain Lightning" (1927), "Hello Cheyenne" (1928), "Hired and Fired" (1929), "Lady by Choice" (1934), "Jim Thorpe – All American" (1951), "Francis Goes to West Point" (1952), "The Golden Blade" (1953), "The Shirk" (1955), and "The Ten Commandments" (1956). On television, he appeared in numerous guest spots on such syndicated sitcoms as "The Bigelow Theater," "Fireside Theater," and "Family Theater." During his career, he was a member of the Screen Actors Guild, was supportive of the Motion Picture and Television Fund, had been a member of the Hollywood Democratic Committee, was a regular parishioner of the Catholic church, presided as a chairman for his local charters of the American Red Cross and the Humane Society, was a theatrical instructor for the Pasadena Playhouse, had been a commercial model for the Forbes Agency, and he was the celebrity spokesman for Old Gold Cigarettes. Following his 1956 retirement, Baston, who never married nor had any children, spent the remainder of his life being a generous benefactor for several public libraries and state parks, as well as being involved in charitable and religious ventures, until his death.