Lyle Bettger

Personal Info

Birthday

February 13, 1915

Day of Death

2003-09-24

(88 years old)

Place of Birth

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Also Known As

Lyle Stathem Bettger

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.

Known For

Combat!

Hawaii Five-O

Rawhide

Daniel Boone

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

Burke's Law

The Deputy

Gunsmoke

Filmography

1993
La Classe américaine
as Famous Man (archive footage) (uncredited)
1980
M Station: Hawaii
as Adm. Lincoln
1970
The Hawaiians
as Janders
1969
Impasse
as Hansen
1967
The Fastest Guitar Alive
as Charlie
Return of the Gunfighter
as Clay Sutton
1966
Nevada Smith
as Jack Rudabough
Johnny Reno
as Jess Yates
1965
Town Tamer
as Lee Ring
1960
Guns of the Timberland
as Clay Bell
1957
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
as Ike Clanton
1956
Showdown at Abilene
as Dave Mosely
The Lone Ranger
as Reece Kilgore
1955
The Sea Chase
as Chief Officer Kirchner
1954
Destry
as Phil Decker
Drums Across the River
as Frank Walker
Carnival Story
as Frank Colloni
1953
Forbidden
as Justin Keit
The Great Sioux Uprising
as Stephen Cook
All I Desire
as Dutch Heinemann
The Vanquished
as Roger Hale
1952
Hurricane Smith
as Clobb
Denver and Rio Grande
as Johnny Buff
The Greatest Show on Earth
as Klaus
1951
Dear Brat
as Baxter
The First Legion
as Dr. Peter Morrell
1950
Union Station
as Joe Beacom
No Man of Her Own
as Stephen Morley