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Lyle Bettger

Lyle Bettger

Actor · 1915 – 2003 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

​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.

Movies24

  • Movie7.0
  • Movie6.4
  • Movie6.3

    The Sea Chase

    1955 · 54 votes

  • Movie6.7

    Nevada Smith

    1966 · 197 votes

  • Movie6.1

    Destry

    1954 · 37 votes

  • Movie6.1

    Return of the Gunfighter

    1967 · 69 votes

  • Movie6.2

    The Lone Ranger

    1956 · 26 votes

  • Movie5.5

    The Hawaiians

    1970 · 20 votes

  • Movie7.6

    La Classe américaine

    1993 · 253 votes

  • Movie6.8

    Town Tamer

    1965 · 12 votes

  • Movie6.9

    No Man of Her Own

    1950 · 48 votes

  • Movie4.8

    Impasse

    1969 · 12 votes

  • Movie6.5

    Union Station

    1950 · 52 votes

  • Movie6.2

    Guns of the Timberland

    1960 · 14 votes

  • Movie5.6

    Denver and Rio Grande

    1952 · 16 votes

  • Movie6.5

    Johnny Reno

    1966 · 22 votes

  • Movie5.8

    Drums Across the River

    1954 · 24 votes

  • Movie4.9

    The Vanquished

    1953 · 14 votes

  • Movie4.8
  • Movie5.9
  • Movie7.0

    All I Desire

    1953 · 52 votes

  • Movie6.4

    Hurricane Smith

    1952 · 4 votes

  • Movie5.3

    Showdown at Abilene

    1956 · 10 votes

  • Movie4.6

    Carnival Story

    1954 · 15 votes

Series24

  • TV6.8

    Mannix

    1967 · 56 votes

  • TV7.1

    The Rifleman

    1958 · 54 votes

  • TV7.2

    Hawaii Five-O

    1969 · 164 votes

  • TV7.9

    Combat!

    1962 · 119 votes

  • TV7.0

    Daniel Boone

    1964 · 34 votes

  • TV6.2
  • TV7.2

    Rawhide

    1959 · 49 votes

  • TV6.3

    Burke's Law

    1963 · 12 votes

  • TV6.7

    Gunsmoke

    1955 · 119 votes

  • TV7.0

    Police Story

    1973 · 20 votes

  • TV6.0
  • TV6.5

    Kraft Suspense Theatre

    1963 · 4 votes

  • TV6.8
  • TV6.7

    Laramie

    1959 · 18 votes

  • TV7.3

    Mr. Novak

    1963 · 3 votes

  • TV7.7

    The Time Tunnel

    1966 · 200 votes

  • TV6.5

    The Deputy

    1959 · 6 votes

  • TV6.9

    The Tall Man

    1960 · 7 votes

  • TV7.3

    Law of the Plainsman

    1959 · 3 votes

  • TV6.7

    Lux Video Theatre

    1950 · 7 votes

  • TV5.7

    Cimarron Strip

    1967 · 13 votes

  • TV6.0

    Grindl

    1963 · 3 votes

  • TV7.0

    Blue Light

    1966 · 2 votes

  • TV9.0