Clayton was born in Long Beach Memorial Hospital, a medical facility located in Long Beach, California, to parents Steve Snyder and Glenda Snyder, who are of half German and half Italian descent, respectively. He is the youngest of two half-brothers, Doug and Devin.
Clayton's early life was marked by his interest in acting, which began when he landed leading roles in his elementary school plays. He played notable characters such as Mark Twain in Tom Sawyer and The Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz. Additionally, he was an avid swimmer and member of the Seal Beach Swim Club, later switching to the Seal Beach Water Polo Club at the age of eight.
As a child, Clayton was also a multi-talented individual who excelled in various sports, including soccer, baseball, and basketball. He also learned to play the alto saxophone for three years, later picking up the guitar. Furthermore, he took lessons in voice, tap, and jazz dancing, as well as cotillion.
Entering McAuliff Middle School, Clayton began auditioning for professional roles in Hollywood. In his second year, he landed the recurring role of Ethan Craft in the Disney series Lizzie McGuire. The series ran for two years, during which he continued to attend public school in Orange County and play club water polo.
During his time on Lizzie McGuire, Clayton was a member of the 2001 Speedo Cup championship water polo team with the SOCAL Water Polo Club, earning the Jody Campbell Award for his skills, sportsmanship, and teamwork. He later missed his freshman water polo season at Los Alamitos High School to film The Lizzie McGuire Movie in Rome, Italy, and Vancouver, Canada.
It was then that Clayton decided to put acting on hold and focus on his academic and athletic careers. His high school team played in the CIF Southern Section Division 2 Final the next three years, winning his junior year. He was named All-County in Orange County, MPSF player of the year, and CIF co-player of the year.
Several universities recruited Clayton for water polo, including Pepperdine, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Berkeley. He ultimately chose to attend Pepperdine University with a water polo scholarship, where he started all four years and served as captain his junior and senior year. The team finished second in the nation his junior year in 2004 and was named All-American Honorable Mention.
In addition to his athletic pursuits, Clayton was an active member of the Pepperdine community, performing as a member of the prestige Hosts in the university's mini-musical competition, Songfest, and also performing in the student-run dance showcase Dance In Flight for three years. He graduated with honors with a BA in Film Studies in 2010.
Following his graduation, Clayton pursued making the USA National Water Polo Team, training with them during the summer and going on to play professionally in Europe. He played for a season in Italy, a second in Hungary, and a third in Montenegro that was cut short due to injury. In 2011, he competed in the World University Games in Shenzhen, China, placing fourth. Clayton continues to play for recreation in Master tournaments for the International Water Polo Club of Los Alamitos, CA.
Currently, Clayton is active in his acting career, working on various projects under the representation of Strong Management.
