Lyle Bettger
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- February 13, 1915
- Died
- September 24, 2003 (aged 88)
- Birthplace
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Lyle S. Bettger (February 13, 1915 – September 24, 2003) was a character actor known most for his Hollywood roles from the 1950s, typically portraying villains. He is perhaps most recognisable as the wrathfully jealous elephant handler Klaus from the Oscar winning film The Greatest Show on Earth (1952). Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Lyle was the son of Frank Bettger, who was an infielder for the St Louis Cardinals. An enthusiastic fan of cinema, Lyle left school in his late teens with the ambition of becoming an actor. Bettger graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. His theatrical debut was in Brother Rat at the Biltmore Theatre in New York City in 1936. After a period languishing in small-time theatre he landed the lead role in the Broadway production of The Flying Gerardos in 1940. When Paramount sent a talent scout to see the show, Bettger was signed on a three-year contract. Bettger's movie career began when he was cast as the lead in the film noir No Man of Her Own (1950). He soon became a regular on the set of Westerns such as Denver and Rio Grande (1952), The Great Sioux Uprising (1953), Drums Across the River (1954), The Lone Ranger (1956) and Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957). Lyle developed a reputation for playing the bad guy and excelled in villainous roles such as the menacing Joe Beacom in Union Station (1950) and the cold-blooded Nazi Chief Officer Kirchner in The Sea Chase (1955). Bettger also made many appearances in dramatic roles on television, starring in the 1957 series The Court of Last Resort as well as guesting on Hawaii Five-O, Rawhide, The Rifleman, Bonanza and The Time Tunnel. Lyle was married to Mary Rolfe (1940–1996) until her death. They had three children: Lyle Jr., Frank and Paula. He was also survived by a sister, Lee Morgan. Lyle Bettger died on September 24, 2003 in San Luis Obispo County, California. Description above from the Wikipedia article Lyle Bettger, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Photos
Filmography
La Classe américaine
Movie · as Famous Man (archive footage) (uncredited)
M Station: Hawaii
Movie · as Adm. Lincoln
Police Story
TV · 2 eps
The Hawaiians
Movie · as Janders
Impasse
Movie · as Hansen
Hawaii Five-O
TV · as Otis Klepper, Dr. Sartain, Jonathan Kaye, Malcolm Rhodes, Dr. Fleming, General Dexter, Karl Norton, Joe Fletcher · 1 ep
The Fastest Guitar Alive
Movie · as Charlie
Return of the Gunfighter
Movie · as Clay Sutton
Mannix
TV · 1 ep
Cimarron Strip
TV · 1 ep
Nevada Smith
Movie · as Jack Rudabough
Johnny Reno
Movie · as Jess Yates
The Time Tunnel
TV · as Maj. Hoffman · 1 ep
Blue Light
TV · 1 ep
Town Tamer
Movie · as Lee Ring
Daniel Boone
TV · as Lehman Henderson, Joseph Montgomery · 1 ep
Burke's Law
TV · as Captain Donahue · 1 ep
Kraft Suspense Theatre
TV · as Ted Johnson · 1 ep
Grindl
TV · 1 ep
Mr. Novak
TV · as Brigham · 1 ep
Combat!
TV · as Capt. Brauer · 1 ep
Guns of the Timberland
Movie · as Clay Bell
The Tall Man
TV · 1 ep
Gundown at Sandoval
Movie · as Al Barko
Rawhide
TV · as Major Victor Darius, Dan Madox, Richard Whiting · 1 ep
Laramie
TV · as Calvin Hawks · 2 eps
Law of the Plainsman
TV · as Sheriff Max Chaffee · 1 ep
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
TV · as Phil Ross · 1 ep
The Deputy
TV · as Aces Thompson · 1 ep
The Rifleman
TV · 2 eps
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Movie · as Ike Clanton
The Court of Last Resort
TV · as Sam Larsen · 26 eps
The Lone Ranger
Movie · as Reece Kilgore
Showdown at Abilene
Movie · as Dave Mosely
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
TV · as Griff Evans, U.S. Marshal John Welker · 1 ep
The Sea Chase
Movie · as Chief Officer Kirchner
Gunsmoke
TV · as Polk · 1 ep
The 20th Century Fox Hour
TV · 1 ep
Carnival Story
Movie · as Frank Colloni
Destry
Movie · as Phil Decker
Drums Across the River
Movie · as Frank Walker
Forbidden
Movie · as Justin Keit
The Vanquished
Movie · as Roger Hale
All I Desire
Movie · as Dutch Heineman
The Great Sioux Uprising
Movie · as Stephen Cook
The Greatest Show on Earth
Movie · as Klaus
Denver and Rio Grande
Movie · as Johnny Buff
Hurricane Smith
Movie · as Clobb
Dear Brat
Movie · as Baxter
The First Legion
Movie · as Dr. Peter Morrell
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
TV · as Sheriff Matt Saver, Self - Host · 1 ep
No Man of Her Own
Movie · as Stephen Morley
Union Station
Movie · as Joe Beacom
Lux Video Theatre
TV · as Joe · 1 ep