Ralph is fourth generation European show business. His great
grandfather was a theatrical architect and his grandfather was the head
of AAFA Studios in Berlin. His mother was granted the first license for
theater in the American Zone after World War II. Clemente's first
professional appearance in show business was at age two where his first
theatrical performance was as the son of renowned German actor Curt
Jurgens.
At 14, Clemente, his mother, sister and brother, moved to the U.S. He
couldn't speak any English, and learned by watching a lot of TV. His
mother opened the Laura Tolins School of Acting in Sarasota where he
took acting lessons. Laura was a graduate of the State Theater in
Berlin and a first generation student of Stanislavsky. Clemente says
his mother could get a performance out of a kitchen sink. She was still
teaching and directing plays until a few months before her death in
2006 at the age of 86.
After his discharge, Clemente joined his family in Miami, got his SAG
card and started working both there and in New York City. He eventually
performed in 70 national TV commercials. In the summer of 1965 he went
back to Germany, his first visit since he left as a young boy. He got
an agent in Munich and started to act on TV and in films.
His mother predicted he was going to be a director. While in Germany,
Clemente started writing his first screenplay and soon, his mother's
prediction started to come true. Clemente says, " I wanted to be able
to tell stories, not just be part of them, take the audience on a
journey, make statements and get people to laugh and to get them to
think about things."
Clemente's first theatrical short The Inning of the Week won seven
international film festival awards. This led to co-directing his first
feature film, The Cayman Triangle. Clemente and his longtime girlfriend
Emily decided to get married and start a family. He got a job teaching
film production at the University of Miami. During his 10 years at the
University he produced Cease Fire, starring Don Johnson which brought a
lot of attention to himself and the UM film program.
Valencia College in Orlando was looking for someone to head a new film
program and made an offer that Clemente couldn't refuse. Classes began
in 1988 at Disney MGM Studios, then Universal Studios before becoming
two year AS degree program.
His students get hands-on experience working on feature films. He picks
the films that he would be interested in seeing and scripts that
benefit and challenge his students. Since Valencia started to
participate in feature film productions the students have had the
opportunity to work with artists Robert Wise, George Romero, Reza
Badiyi, Jonathan Krane, Julie Harris, Ruby Dee, Sally Kellerman, Joe
DiMaggio, Ed Begley, Jr., Tyne Daly, Mickey Rooney, Talia Shire and
Peter Spirer among many others. Ralph says, "Every film is different.
You are constantly learning, you never know it all and hopefully you
don't repeat the same mistakes. In teaching classes, I refer to
filmmaking as team art. It takes a lot of people, artists and
technicians to put something special on the screen."
Clemente aspires to make his pictures with Florida settings, writers
and actors. Florida City directed by Clemente was shot entirely in
Florida with mostly Florida actors. It is available in over 40
countries under the title Small Town Conspiracy.
"When you can have a positive effect on people's lives and help them
reach their dreams, that are the best reward a teacher can have." Some
of his students have gone on to direct or produce such films as The
Rock, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, National Treasure, Band of Brothers,
The X Files and numerous others. Appearing on The Today Show, Steven
Spielberg mentioned that Valencia Community College in Orlando, Florida
had one of the best film schools in the country.
Clemente's son Parker continues the family tradition. He graduated from
Valencia and the University of Miami and is fifth generation show
business. His brother, Randolph, graduated from the University of
Florida and St. Thomas University, school of law. He practices law in
South Florida.
Among the many awards and recognitions Clemente has received over the
years, the Miami Herald in one of their annual Arts Preview Magazine
praised Clemente as the "Filmmaker to Watch". In 2008 Ralph became Film
Florida Legends Award winner.
