Lyle Bettger
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
Hawaii Five-O
1969
Hawaii Five-O
1969
Hawaii Five-O
1969
Hawaii Five-O
1969
Hawaii Five-O
1969
Hawaii Five-O
1969
Hawaii Five-O
1969
Hawaii Five-O
1969
Mannix
1967
The Rifleman
1958
Combat!
1962
Daniel Boone
1964
Filmography
Hawaii Five-O
as Otis Klepper · 1969
Hawaii Five-O
as Dr. Sartain · 1969
Hawaii Five-O
as Jonathan Kaye · 1969
Hawaii Five-O
as Malcolm Rhodes · 1969
Hawaii Five-O
as Dr. Fleming · 1969
Hawaii Five-O
as General Dexter · 1969
Hawaii Five-O
as Karl Norton · 1969
Hawaii Five-O
as Joe Fletcher · 1969
Mannix
· 1967
The Rifleman
· 1958
Combat!
as Capt. Brauer · 1962
Daniel Boone
as Lehman Henderson · 1964
Daniel Boone
as Joseph Montgomery · 1964
Rawhide
as Major Victor Darius · 1959
Rawhide
as Dan Madox · 1959
Rawhide
as Richard Whiting · 1959
Burke's Law
as Captain Donahue · 1963
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
as Griff Evans · 1956
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
as U.S. Marshal John Welker · 1956
Gunsmoke
as Polk · 1955
Kraft Suspense Theatre
as Ted Johnson · 1963
Laramie
· 1959
Laramie
as Calvin Hawks · 1959
The 20th Century Fox Hour
· 1955
The Time Tunnel
as Maj. Hoffman · 1966
Police Story
· 1973
Mr. Novak
as Brigham · 1963
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
as Phil Ross · 1959
The Tall Man
· 1960
The Deputy
as Aces Thompson · 1959
Lux Video Theatre
as Joe · 1950
Cimarron Strip
· 1967
Law of the Plainsman
as Sheriff Max Chaffee · 1959
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
as Ike Clanton · 1957
Blue Light
· 1966
Grindl
· 1963
The Court of Last Resort
as Sam Larsen · 1957
The Greatest Show on Earth
as Klaus · 1952
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
as Sheriff Matt Saver · 1951
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
as Self - Host · 1951
The Lone Ranger
as Reece Kilgore · 1956
The Sea Chase
as Chief Officer Kirchner · 1955
Nevada Smith
as Jack Rudabough · 1966
Return of the Gunfighter
as Clay Sutton · 1967
The Hawaiians
as Janders · 1970
The Great Sioux Uprising
as Stephen Cook · 1953
Destry
as Phil Decker · 1954
No Man of Her Own
as Stephen Morley · 1950
Drums Across the River
as Frank Walker · 1954
Guns of the Timberland
as Clay Bell · 1960
Denver and Rio Grande
as Johnny Buff · 1952
Union Station
as Joe Beacom · 1950
Impasse
as Hansen · 1969
Town Tamer
as Lee Ring · 1965
The Vanquished
as Roger Hale · 1953
La Classe américaine
as Famous Man (archive footage) (uncredited) · 1993
Forbidden
as Justin Keit · 1953
Johnny Reno
as Jess Yates · 1966
Showdown at Abilene
as Dave Mosely · 1956
The Fastest Guitar Alive
as Charlie · 1967
Hurricane Smith
as Clobb · 1952
The First Legion
as Dr. Peter Morrell · 1951
All I Desire
as Dutch Heineman · 1953
Carnival Story
as Frank Colloni · 1954
Gundown at Sandoval
as Al Barko · 1959
M Station: Hawaii
as Adm. Lincoln · 1980
Dear Brat
as Baxter · 1951