Ben Lyon

Ben Lyon

Born

February 6, 1901

Died

March 22, 1979 (78 years old)

Known For

Acting

Place of Birth

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

From Wikipedia

Ben Lyon (February 6, 1901 – March 22, 1979) was an American actor and a studio executive at 20th Century Fox.

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Lyon entered films in 1918 after a successful appearance on Broadway opposite Jeanne Eagels. He attracted attention in the highly successful film Flaming Youth (1923), and steadily developed into a leading man. He was most successfully paired with some of the leading actresses of the silent era including Pola Negri, Gloria Swanson, Colleen Moore, Barbara La Marr, Viola Dana, Anna Q. Nilsson, Mary Astor and Blanche Sweet.

He had success as an actor in the 1930 film Hell's Angels. The film was a major success and brought Jean Harlow to prominence, but Lyon's performance as an heroic World War I aviator was also highly regarded. For the next decade he was constantly in demand, but his popularity began to wane by the early 1940s. By the mid-1940s he was working for 20th Century Fox. On July 17, 1946 he met a young aspiring actress named Norma Jeane Dougherty.[2] After his first meeting with her he stated that she was "Jean Harlow all over again!". He organized a color screen test for the actress, renamed her, and finally signed her as Marilyn Monroe to her first studio contract.

During World War II, Lyons and his wife, actress Bebe Daniels, settled in London. The couple, along with the comedian Vic Oliver, starred in the radio series Hi, Gang!, which ran from 1940 to 1949. Hi Gang was succeeded in 1950 by Life with the Lyons, which also featured their real life son Richard and daughter Barbara, and had a run on BBC and independent television from 1954 until 1960.

Lyon married actress Bebe Daniels in June 1930. They had two children: daughter Barbara in 1932 and a son Richard whom they adopted. Daniels suffered a severe stroke in 1963 and withdrew from public life. She suffered a second stroke in late 1970. She died at the couple's London home in March 1971.

In 1974, Lyon married the actress Marian Nixon whom he had known since the 1920s.

On March 22, 1979, Lyon and his second wife Marian Nixon were vacationing together on the Queen Elizabeth 2 cruise ship near Honolulu, Hawaii, when Lyon suffered a fatal heart attack. He is interred in the Chapel Columbarium at Hollywood Forever Cemetery next to his first wife, Bebe.

For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Ben Lyon has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1724 Vine Street.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

Self · (1 episode)

7.5

1962

The Lyons in Paris

The Lyons in Paris

Ben

3.5

1955

Life with the Lyons

Life with the Lyons

Ben Lyon

6.0

1954

The Dark Tower

The Dark Tower

Phil Danton

6.1

1943

This Was Paris

This Was Paris

Butch, Sydney Chronicle Reporter

5.5

1942

Hi Gang!

Hi Gang!

Her Other Half

5.5

1941

Confidential Lady

Jim Brent

2.0

1939

I Killed the Count

Bernard Froy

0.0

1939

Stardust

Stardust

Roy Harley

4.0

1938

Down to the Sea

Steve Londos

4.5

1936

Dancing Feet

Dancing Feet

Peyton Wells

5.2

1936

Frisco Waterfront

Frisco Waterfront

Glenn Burton

0.0

1935

Navy Wife

Navy Wife

Dr. Peter Milford

5.0

1935

Together We Live

Together We Live

Max

0.0

1935

Screen Snapshots Series 14, No. 8

0.0

1935

Lightning Strikes Twice

Lightning Strikes Twice

Steve Brewster

4.7

1934

Crimson Romance

Crimson Romance

Bob Wilson

3.5

1934

I Spy

I Spy

Wally Sawyer

6.0

1934

The Women in His Life

The Women in His Life

Roger McKane

4.0

1933

I Cover the Waterfront

I Cover the Waterfront

H. Joseph 'Joe' Miller

5.1

1933

Girl Missing

Girl Missing

Henry Gibson

5.1

1933

Hollywood on Parade No. A-3

Hollywood on Parade No. A-3

Self

0.0

1932

Hat Check Girl

Hat Check Girl

Buster Collins

6.0

1932

The Crooked Circle

The Crooked Circle

Brand Osborne

4.8

1932

Hollywood on Parade No. A-1

Hollywood on Parade No. A-1

Self

4.0

1932

By Whose Hand?

By Whose Hand?

Jimmy Hawley

6.0

1932

Week Ends Only

Week Ends Only

Jack Williams

0.0

1932

The Big Timer

The Big Timer

Cooky Bradford

4.2

1932

Lady with a Past

Lady with a Past

Guy Bryson

5.8

1932

Her Majesty, Love

Her Majesty, Love

Fred von Wellingen

6.0

1931

Compromised

Compromised

Sidney Brock

1.0

1931

Bought!

Bought!

Nick Amory

6.0

1931

Night Nurse

Night Nurse

Mortie

6.7

1931

My Past

My Past

Robert 'Bob' Byrne

3.8

1931

Aloha

Aloha

Jimmy Bradford

0.0

1931

Indiscreet

Indiscreet

Tony Blake

6.0

1931

Misbehaving Ladies

Misbehaving Ladies

Phil Hunter

0.0

1931

The Stolen Jools

The Stolen Jools

Ben Lyon

5.6

1931

The Hot Heiress

The Hot Heiress

Hap Harrigan

5.3

1931

Hell's Angels

Hell's Angels

Monte Rutledge

6.5

1930

A Soldier's Plaything

A Soldier's Plaything

Georgie

4.5

1930

What Men Want

What Men Want

Kendall James

1.0

1930

Alias French Gertie

Alias French Gertie

Jimmy Hartigan

5.0

1930

Lummox

Lummox

Rollo Farley

0.0

1930

The Flying Marine

The Flying Marine

Steve Moran

0.0

1929

The Quitter

The Quitter

Neal Abbott

0.0

1929

All Faces West

All Faces West

Matthew

0.0

1929

Das tanzende Wien

Das tanzende Wien

Jonny Conzaga

0.0

1927

Life in Hollywood No. 2

Life in Hollywood No. 2

Himself

0.0

1927

For the Love of Mike

For the Love of Mike

Mike

5.0

1927

The Tender Hour

Wally McKenzie

0.0

1927

The Prince of Tempters

The Prince of Tempters

Francis

0.0

1926

The Great Deception

The Great Deception

Cyril Mansfield

0.0

1926

The Savage

The Savage

Danny Terry

0.0

1926

The Reckless Lady

The Reckless Lady

Ralph Hilliwe

0.0

1926

Bluebeard's Seven Wives

Bluebeard's Seven Wives

John Hart / Don Juan Hartez

0.0

1926

The New Commandment

The New Commandment

Billy Morrow

0.0

1925

The Pace That Thrills

The Pace That Thrills

Danny Wade

0.0

1925

Winds of Chance

Winds of Chance

Pierce Phillips

4.8

1925

The Necessary Evil

The Necessary Evil

Frank Jerome

0.0

1925

So Big

So Big

Dirk DeJong

0.0

1924

Wages of Virtue

Wages of Virtue

Marvin

0.0

1924

Wine of Youth

Wine of Youth

Lynn Talbot

8.0

1924

Lily of the Dust

Lily of the Dust

Lt. Prell

0.0

1924

The White Moth

The White Moth

Douglas Vantine

5.8

1924

Painted People

Painted People

Don Lane

0.0

1924

Potash and Perlmutter

Potash and Perlmutter

Boris Andrieff

0.0

1923

The Custard Cup

Dick Chase

0.0

1923

The Heart of Maryland

The Heart of Maryland

Bob Telfair

0.0

1921

Open Your Eyes

Open Your Eyes

Harold Connors

6.0

1919