Roger Clinton Jr. (born July 25, 1956) is an American actor and musician. He is the younger half-brother of former United States President Bill Clinton.
Roger Clinton Jr. | |
|---|---|
 Clinton in 1997 | |
| Born | July 25, 1956 Hot Springs, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, musician |
| Spouse |
Molly D'Ann Martin (m. 1994) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Roger Clinton Sr. Virginia Cassidy |
| Relatives | Clinton family |
Early life and education
editRoger Clinton Jr. is the only child of car salesman Roger Clinton Sr. and nurse Virginia Dell Cassidy.[1] As a child, his elder half-brother Bill Clinton often had to protect him from Roger Sr., who was abusive and an alcoholic.[2] He became a musician and formed a rock band named "Dealer's Choice."[citation needed]
Career
editActing
editClinton has had minor roles in several films, including Bio-Dome and Fred Claus, and guest-starred on a number of television shows, including The Nanny as himself (neighbor), Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, and Cybill. He also provided the voice of his half-brother, President Bill Clinton, in the pilot episode of The Blues Brothers: The Animated Series.
Music
editClinton developed his singing career under the direction of Arkansas music impresario and manager Butch Stone. He gained professional experience by singing warm-ups for the studio audiences at tapings of the sitcom Designing Women, as well as by working as a lounge singer.[citation needed] As a result of a deal struck by Stone and music-industry attorney Stann Findelle, Clinton was initially contracted to Atlantic Records in 1992. His first album, Nothing Good Comes Easy, was released in September 1993 on the Pyramid/Atlantic/Rhino label. In December 1999, Clinton and his band paid a visit to Pyongyang, performing alongside North and South Korean musical acts.[3] He has played Farm Aid, and sang "Feelin' Alright" in Cleveland during "The Cleveland Funeral", a program produced as a part of The Howard Stern Show.
Personal life
editFrom a brief relationship with Martha Spivey, he has a daughter named Macy (b. 1992).[4][5] Clinton married Molly D'Ann Martin on March 26, 1994. Their son, Tyler Cassidy Clinton, was born on May 12, 1994.[6]
Presidency of Bill Clinton
editDuring his brother's presidential campaign and subsequent administration, Clinton was given the codename "Headache" by the Secret Service due to his controversial behavior.[7] Clinton attracted negative media attention in 2001 when it was revealed that he had accepted $50,000 and a Rolex watch in 1999 from the children of Sicilian mobster Rosario Gambino, a convicted narcotics trafficker and Gambino crime family member serving a 49-year sentence, in exchange for lobbying his brother to pardon Gambino. Clinton repeatedly visited the federal parole commission headquarters to advocate for Gambino. In 1999, Gambino was included in a list of potential pardons, but he was ultimately not granted one.[8] In January 2001, before his brother left office, Clinton was granted a controversial presidential pardon for a 1985 cocaine possession and drug-trafficking conviction. Roger Clinton Jr. had served time in federal prison after being convicted following a sting operation of conspiracy to distribute cocaine.[9][10]
Driving-under-the-influence arrests
editRoger Clinton pleaded guilty in August 2001 to a misdemeanor count of reckless driving after Hermosa Beach, California, city prosecutors agreed to drop two driving-under-the-influence (DUI) charges and one count of disturbing the peace against him. He was sentenced then to two years' probation, ordered not to drive with any alcohol or drugs in his system and to pay about $1,350 in fines and costs.[11]
On June 5, 2016, Roger Clinton was arrested for DUI in the seaside city of Redondo Beach, about 20 miles (32 km) south of downtown Los Angeles, California.[12] Since it had been more than ten years since his first DUI, according to California state law, this arrest was also treated as a first-time DUI. Clinton pleaded no contest to the charge of driving while impaired. The charge of driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08% or higher was dismissed. As part of his plea agreement, he was sentenced to three years' probation for the DUI, and two days in jail for refusing a chemical test. He was ordered to pay a $390 fine (which increased to nearly $2,000 when penalty assessments, court fees, and other fines were added) and was also ordered to attend a nine-month alcohol program—the most a first-time offender can get—because his blood alcohol content measured 0.230% and 0.237% in a preliminary alcohol screening.[13] In addition, because his arrest occurred in Los Angeles County, under the terms of Assembly Bill 91, the California Department of Motor Vehicles also required that he install an ignition interlock device in all vehicles he owned for a minimum of 5 months.
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings | Mayor Bubba | |
| 1993 | The Last Party | Singer and Brother of Bill Clinton | Documentary |
| 1994 | Last Resort | Gino | Direct-to-video |
| 1995 | Till the End of the Night | Frank Riggio | |
| 1996 | Bio-Dome | Professor Bloom | |
| 1996 | Spy Hard | Agent Clinton | |
| 1997 | Retroactive | Truck Driver | |
| 1998 | Ivory Tower | Tim Cartridge | |
| 1998 | The Rugrats Movie | Air Crewman | Voice |
| 1998 | The Gardener | Dr. Nels Frankle | |
| 1999 | P.U.N.K.S. | Carlson | |
| 1999 | Implicated | Lieutenant Carney | |
| 1999 | Storm Catcher | Flight Controller | |
| 1999 | The White River Kid | Boot Scooters Proprietor | |
| 2000 | Chump Change | Studio Executive #3 | |
| 2007 | Fred Claus | Roger Clinton |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Hearts Afire | Restaurant Singer | Episode: "The Big Date" |
| 1995–1996 | The Nanny | Roger Clinton | 3 episodes |
| 1997 | Cybill | Marty | Episode: "Name That Tune" |
| 1997 | The Blues Brothers Animated Series | President Clinton | Episode: "The People's Party" |
| 1998 | Breakfast with Einstein | Driver | Television film |
| 1998 | Sabrina the Teenage Witch | Frank | Episode: "Boy Was My Face Red" |
| 1999 | Timon & Pumbaa | Leslie's Boyfriend | Episode: "It Runs Good/Hot Air Buffoons" |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Bloodwings: Pumpkinhead's Revenge | Mayor Bubba | |
| 1998 | Rugrats Adventure Game | Alien Queeg / Trashman #2 / Male Teacher |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Maraniss, David (January 7, 1994). "The Woman Who Shaped the President". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
- ^ Clinton, Bill, My Life, 2004
- ^ "Interview with Roger Clinton on his Pyongyang visit".
- ^ Matt. "Bill and Hillary Clinton's Niece Gets Government Assistance". prunejuicemedia.com.
- ^ Kavanagh, Tom (April 29, 2010). "Macy Clinton, Hillary and Bill's Niece, on Food Stamps". Politics Daily. AOL. Archived from the original on May 4, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Warshaw, Shirley Anne (2009). The Clinton Years. Infobase Publishing.
- ^ Watson, Robert. "Life in the White House: A Social History of the First Family and The President's House". State University of New York Press, 2004, p. 125.
- ^ Cowan, Alison Leigh (2001-08-26). "Roger Clinton's Dogged Effort for Drug Trafficker". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
- ^ Purdum, Todd S. (23 February 2001). "The Clinton Pardons: The Brothers – Siblings Who Often Emerge In an Unflattering Spotlight". The New York Times.
- ^ "Clinton pardons: Cast of characters". BBC. February 22, 2001. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
- ^ "Roger Clinton guilty plea for DUI". Retrieved Oct 6, 2016.
- ^ "Roger Clinton arrested for DUI". Retrieved June 6, 2016.
- ^ "Roger Clinton gets 2 days jail, 3 years probation for Redondo Beach DUI case". Retrieved December 13, 2016.
External links
edit