Lyle Bettger

Lyle Bettger

Known for: Acting
Biography: 1915-02-13
Deathday: 2003-09-24 (88 years old)

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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.

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Filmography

all 54

Movies 29

TV Shows 25

self 1

Famous Man (archive footage) (uncredited)
La Classe américaine

La Classe américaine (1993)

Movie
3.67
Adm. Lincoln
M Station: Hawaii

M Station: Hawaii (1980)

Movie
Police Story

Police Story (1973)

TV
Janders
The Hawaiians

The Hawaiians (1970)

Movie
Hansen
Impasse

Impasse (1969)

Movie
Jonathan Kaye / Dr. Fleming / Otis Klepper / Dr. Sartain / Karl Norton / General Dexter / Malcolm Rhodes
Hawaii Five-O

Hawaii Five-O (1968)

TV
5.45
Mannix

Mannix (1967)

TV
6.38
Cimarron Strip

Cimarron Strip (1967)

TV
Charlie
The Fastest Guitar Alive

The Fastest Guitar Alive (1967)

Movie
Clay Sutton
Return of the Gunfighter

Return of the Gunfighter (1967)

Movie
1
Maj. Hoffman
The Time Tunnel

The Time Tunnel (1966)

TV
7
Jack Rudabough
Nevada Smith

Nevada Smith (1966)

Movie
Jess Yates
Johnny Reno

Johnny Reno (1966)

Movie
Blue Light

Blue Light (1966)

TV
Lee Ring
Town Tamer

Town Tamer (1965)

Movie
Joseph Montgomery / Lehman Henderson
Daniel Boone

Daniel Boone (1964)

TV
5.75
Ted Johnson
Kraft Suspense Theatre

Kraft Suspense Theatre (1963)

TV
Brigham
Mr. Novak

Mr. Novak (1963)

TV
Captain Donahue
Burke's Law

Burke's Law (1963)

TV
6
Grindl

Grindl (1963)

TV
Capt. Brauer
Combat!

Combat! (1962)

TV
6
The Tall Man

The Tall Man (1960)

TV
Clay Bell
Guns of the Timberland

Guns of the Timberland (1960)

Movie
Sheriff Max Chaffee
Law of the Plainsman

Law of the Plainsman (1959)

TV
Phil Ross
The DuPont Show with June Allyson

The DuPont Show with June Allyson (1959)

TV
Laramie

Laramie (1959)

TV
Aces Thompson
The Deputy

The Deputy (1959)

TV
Major Victor Darius / Dan Madox / Richard Whiting
Rawhide

Rawhide (1959)

TV
4
ArchiveFootage
Gundown at Sandoval

Gundown at Sandoval (1959)

Movie
The Rifleman

The Rifleman (1958)

TV
6.67
Sam Larsen / Sam Farrell
The Court of Last Resort

The Court of Last Resort (1957)

TV
Ike Clanton
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)

Movie
4
Sheriff Griff Evans / U.S. Marshal John Welker
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre (1956)

TV
Dave Mosely
Showdown at Abilene

Showdown at Abilene (1956)

Movie
Reece Kilgore
The Lone Ranger

The Lone Ranger (1956)

Movie
The 20th Century Fox Hour

The 20th Century Fox Hour (1955)

TV
Polk
Gunsmoke

Gunsmoke (1955)

TV
6
Chief Officer Kirchner
The Sea Chase

The Sea Chase (1955)

Movie
Decker
Destry

Destry (1954)

Movie
Frank Walker
Drums Across the River

Drums Across the River (1954)

Movie
Frank Colloni
Carnival Story

Carnival Story (1954)

Movie
Justin
Forbidden

Forbidden (1953)

Movie
Stephen Cook
The Great Sioux Uprising

The Great Sioux Uprising (1953)

Movie
Dutch Heinemann
All I Desire

All I Desire (1953)

Movie
Roger Hale
The Vanquished

The Vanquished (1953)

Movie
Clobb
Hurricane Smith

Hurricane Smith (1952)

Movie
Johnny Buff
Denver and Rio Grande

Denver and Rio Grande (1952)

Movie
Klaus
The Greatest Show on Earth

The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)

Movie
Self - Host / Sheriff Matt Saver
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (1951)

TV
Mr.Baxter
Dear Brat

Dear Brat (1951)

Movie
Dr. Peter Morrell
The First Legion

The First Legion (1951)

Movie
Joe Beacom
Union Station

Union Station (1950)

Movie
Joe
Lux Video Theatre

Lux Video Theatre (1950)

TV
Stephen Morley
No Man of Her Own

No Man of Her Own (1950)

Movie

Ratings

Average 6.18
Based on 118 Thousand movie and tv ratings over time
1950
1954
1959
1956
1993
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Lyle BettgerLyle Bettger

Information

Known For
Acting

Gender
Male

Birthday
1915-02-13

Deathday
2003-09-24 (88 years old)

Birth Place
Philadelphia, United States of America

Father
Frank Bettger

Citizenships
United States of America

Also Known As
Lyle Stathem Bettger


This article uses material from Wikipedia.
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