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 smalltime 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 threeyear contract Bettgers 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 OK 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 coldblooded 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 FiveO Rawhide The Rifleman Bonanza and The Time Tunnel Lyle was married to Mary Rolfe 19401996 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 CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia
HydraHD
