Born of an Army-enlisted single mother in Heidelberg, Germany, Clifton showed signs of creative talent from an early age. After moving with his mother to Hampton, Virginia, at the age of 4, he began to realize that his was not the conventional path of most youngsters, who dream of becoming doctors, lawyers, police officers and firemen.He moved to S.H.A.P.E. military base in Mons, Belgium, when he was 8, and lived there for 4 years. Upon returning to Virginia at age 12, he'd already cultivated interests in poetry, writing, music, and particularly visual art. His request to study at an arts magnet high school ignored, he abruptly abandoned his creativity until faced with the decision of where to attend college his senior year. He was accepted into the Savannah College of Art and Design, but opted instead to try his hand at acting at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he discovered and nurtured a latent talent (in his senior year, he was selected by the faculty to receive the Theatrical Promise Award, as well as the Bobby Chandler Award for Excellence in Theatre).After working in Washington, D.C. for several months, Clifton knew he needed more training in order to take his craft and his career to a higher level; in 2006 he auditioned for and was admitted into New York University's prestigious Graduate Acting Program, where he sparked industry interest even before graduating in May 2009. Show less «