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Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthday
February 13, 1915
Died
September 24, 2003
Place of Birth
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Also Known As
- Lyle Stathem Bettger
Lyle Bettger
0.5 Popularity
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
7.6
Famous Man (archive footage) (uncredited)
La Classe américaine
1993
6.0
Adm. Lincoln
M Station: Hawaii
1980
6.9
Police Story
1973
5.4
Janders
The Hawaiians
1970
4.7
Hansen
Impasse
1969
7.1
Otis Klepper
Hawaii Five-O
1968
7.1
Dr. Sartain
Hawaii Five-O
1968
7.1
Jonathan Kaye
Hawaii Five-O
1968
7.1
Malcolm Rhodes
Hawaii Five-O
1968
7.1
Dr. Fleming
Hawaii Five-O
1968
Credits
La Classe américaine
as Famous Man (archive footage) (uncredited)
1993
7.6
M Station: Hawaii
as Adm. Lincoln
1980
6.0
Police Story
1973
6.9
The Hawaiians
as Janders
1970
5.4
Impasse
as Hansen
1969
4.7
Hawaii Five-O
as Otis Klepper
1968
7.1
Hawaii Five-O
as Dr. Sartain
1968
7.1
Hawaii Five-O
as Jonathan Kaye
1968
7.1
Hawaii Five-O
as Malcolm Rhodes
1968
7.1
Hawaii Five-O
as Dr. Fleming
1968
7.1
Hawaii Five-O
as General Dexter
1968
7.1
Hawaii Five-O
as Karl Norton
1968
7.1
Mannix
1967
6.7
Cimarron Strip
1967
5.0
The Fastest Guitar Alive
as Charlie
1967
4.3
Return of the Gunfighter
as Clay Sutton
1967
6.1
The Time Tunnel
as Maj. Hoffman
1966
7.6
Nevada Smith
as Jack Rudabough
1966
6.8
Johnny Reno
as Jess Yates
1966
6.3
🎬
Blue Light
1966
5.0
Town Tamer
as Lee Ring
1965
6.4
Daniel Boone
as Lehman Henderson
1964
6.9
Daniel Boone
as Joseph Montgomery
1964
6.9
Kraft Suspense Theatre
as Ted Johnson
1963
5.3
Mr. Novak
as Brigham
1963
6.5
Burke's Law
as Captain Donahue
1963
6.0
🎬
Grindl
1963
5.5
Combat!
as Capt. Brauer
1962
7.6
The Tall Man
1960
6.3
Guns of the Timberland
as Clay Bell
1960
6.1
Law of the Plainsman
as Sheriff Max Chaffee
1959
6.0
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
as Phil Ross
1959
6.3
Laramie
1959
6.4
The Deputy
as Aces Thompson
1959
6.2
Rawhide
as Major Victor Darius
1959
7.2
Rawhide
as Dan Madox
1959
7.2
Rawhide
as Richard Whiting
1959
7.2
Gundown at Sandoval
1959
0.0
The Rifleman
1958
7.0
🎬
The Court of Last Resort
as Sam Larsen
1957
0.0
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
as Ike Clanton
1957
7.0
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
as Sheriff Griff Evans
1956
5.5
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
as U.S. Marshal John Welker
1956
5.5
Showdown at Abilene
as Dave Mosely
1956
5.2
The Lone Ranger
as Reece Kilgore
1956
6.2
The 20th Century Fox Hour
1955
5.4
Gunsmoke
as Polk
1955
6.6
The Sea Chase
as Chief Officer Kirchner
1955
6.1
Destry
as Phil Decker
1954
6.1
Drums Across the River
as Frank Walker
1954
5.4
Carnival Story
as Frank Colloni
1954
4.6
Forbidden
as Justin Keit
1953
6.0
The Great Sioux Uprising
as Stephen Cook
1953
5.4
All I Desire
as Dutch Heinemann
1953
7.0
The Vanquished
as Roger Hale
1953
4.6
Hurricane Smith
as Clobb
1952
6.2
Denver and Rio Grande
as Johnny Buff
1952
5.5
The Greatest Show on Earth
as Klaus
1952
6.3
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
as Sheriff Matt Saver
1951
7.3
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
as Self - Host
1951
7.3
Dear Brat
as Baxter
1951
4.0
The First Legion
as Dr. Peter Morrell
1951
6.8
Union Station
as Joe Beacom
1950
6.4
🎬
Lux Video Theatre
as Joe
1950
6.3
No Man of Her Own
as Stephen Morley
1950
6.9