Lyle Bettger
Born
February 13, 1915
Died
September 24, 2003 (88 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
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.
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La Classe américaine
Famous Man (archive footage) (uncredited)
1993
M Station: Hawaii
Adm. Lincoln
1980
Police Story
(2 episodes)
1973
The Hawaiians
Janders
1970
Impasse
Hansen
1969
Hawaii Five-O
Otis Klepper · (1 episode)
1968
Hawaii Five-O
Dr. Sartain · (1 episode)
1968
Hawaii Five-O
Jonathan Kaye · (3 episodes)
1968
Hawaii Five-O
Malcolm Rhodes · (1 episode)
1968
Hawaii Five-O
Dr. Fleming · (1 episode)
1968
Hawaii Five-O
General Dexter · (1 episode)
1968
Hawaii Five-O
Karl Norton · (1 episode)
1968
Mannix
(1 episode)
1967
Cimarron Strip
(1 episode)
1967
The Fastest Guitar Alive
Charlie
1967
Return of the Gunfighter
Clay Sutton
1967
The Time Tunnel
Maj. Hoffman · (1 episode)
1966
Nevada Smith
Jack Rudabough
1966
Johnny Reno
Jess Yates
1966
Blue Light
(1 episode)
1966
Town Tamer
Lee Ring
1965
Daniel Boone
Lehman Henderson · (1 episode)
1964
Daniel Boone
Joseph Montgomery · (1 episode)
1964
Kraft Suspense Theatre
Ted Johnson · (1 episode)
1963
Mr. Novak
Brigham · (1 episode)
1963
Burke's Law
Captain Donahue · (1 episode)
1963
Grindl
(1 episode)
1963
Combat!
Capt. Brauer · (1 episode)
1962
The Tall Man
(1 episode)
1960
Guns of the Timberland
Clay Bell
1960
Law of the Plainsman
Sheriff Max Chaffee · (1 episode)
1959
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
Phil Ross · (1 episode)
1959
Laramie
(2 episodes)
1959
The Deputy
Aces Thompson · (1 episode)
1959
Rawhide
Major Victor Darius · (1 episode)
1959
Rawhide
Dan Madox · (1 episode)
1959
Rawhide
Richard Whiting · (1 episode)
1959
Gundown at Sandoval
1959
The Rifleman
(2 episodes)
1958
The Court of Last Resort
Sam Larsen · (26 episodes)
1957
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Ike Clanton
1957
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Sheriff Griff Evans · (1 episode)
1956
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
U.S. Marshal John Welker · (1 episode)
1956
Showdown at Abilene
Dave Mosely
1956
The Lone Ranger
Reece Kilgore
1956
The 20th Century Fox Hour
(1 episode)
1955
Gunsmoke
Polk · (1 episode)
1955
The Sea Chase
Chief Officer Kirchner
1955
Destry
Phil Decker
1954
Drums Across the River
Frank Walker
1954
Carnival Story
Frank Colloni
1954
Forbidden
Justin Keit
1953
The Great Sioux Uprising
Stephen Cook
1953
All I Desire
Dutch Heinemann
1953
The Vanquished
Roger Hale
1953
Hurricane Smith
Clobb
1952
Denver and Rio Grande
Johnny Buff
1952
The Greatest Show on Earth
Klaus
1952
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Sheriff Matt Saver · (1 episode)
1951
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Self - Host · (1 episode)
1951
Dear Brat
Baxter
1951
The First Legion
Dr. Peter Morrell
1951
Union Station
Joe Beacom
1950
Lux Video Theatre
Joe · (1 episode)
1950
No Man of Her Own
Stephen Morley
1950