Lyle Bettger Trailers
La Classe américaine TrailerM Station: Hawaii TrailerThe Hawaiians Trailer
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.
Most Popular Lyle Bettger Trailers
Total trailers found: 29
10 June 1966
Nevada Smith is the young son of an Indian mother and white father. When his father is killed by three men over gold, Nevada sets out to find them and kill them.
25 February 1956
The territorial governor asks the Lone Ranger to investigate mysterious raids on settlers by Indians who ride with saddles.
03 June 1953
A man returns to his home -- a post Civil-War village -- and finds the law is in the hands of a few scrupulous people.
01 December 1954
Western remake of "Destry Rides Again", starring Audie Murphy, Mari Blanchard, Thomas Mitchell, Lori Nelson and Lyle Bettger.
04 October 1950
Police catch a break when suspected kidnappers are spotted on a train heading towards Union Station. Police, train station security and a witness try to piece together the crime and get back the blind daughter of a rich business man.
16 May 1952
Jim Vesser and his team of railroading men try to build a rail line through a mountain pass, while a group of less scrupulous construction workers sabotages the entire operation in the hopes that they can get their tracks laid first and get the money from the railroad.
01 June 1954
When whites hunger after the gold on Ute Indian land, a bigoted young man finds himself forced into a peacekeeping role.
07 May 1969
Adventurers search for World War II gold in the Philippines.
01 February 1960
Logger Jim Hadley and his lumberjack crew are looking for new forest to cut. They locate a prime prospect outside the town of Deep Wells.
31 December 1993
George Abitbol, the classiest man in the world, dies tragically during a cruise. The director of an American newspaper, wondering about the meaning of these intriguing final words, asks his three best investigators, Dave, Peter and Steven, to solve the mystery.
17 July 1953
During the Civil War, in Wyoming, horse dealers Joan Britton and Stephen Cook are competing to supply the Union Army with horses.
01 October 1956
Jim Trask, former sheriff of Abilene, returns to the town after fighting for the Confederacy to find everyone thought he was dead.
16 February 1952
To ensure a full profitable season, circus manager Brad Braden engages The Great Sebastian, though this moves his girlfriend Holly from her hard-won center trapeze spot.
16 April 1954
In search of a better life, a German girl named Willi joins an American carnival passing through Munich.
09 March 1966
The townsfolk are set on lynching an accused killer held in the town lockup. But US Marshal Johnny Reno stands in their way.
04 May 1951
A Catholic priest fights against his colleagues' immediate acceptance of an ambiguous “miracle”.
30 May 1957
Lawman Wyatt Earp and outlaw Doc Holliday form an unlikely alliance which culminates in their participation in the legendary Gunfight at the O.
01 January 1959
In this exciting western, cowpoke Texas John Slaughter rides out for revenge against the man who killed his friend.
02 December 1953
Eddie Darrow, seeking a mobster's widow in Macao, gets involved in a casino owner's affairs.
10 June 1980
In this unsold pilot, the US government hires a salvage team to recover a sunken Russian submarine, heightening Cold War tensions.
02 October 1952
South Sea freebooters fight for hidden treasure and the love of the beautiful Luana.
07 July 1965
A gunfighter is hired to clean up a wild frontier town, but there are forces afoot who want to keep the town as wide-open as it is.
04 June 1955
As the Second World War breaks out, German freighter captain Karl Ehrlich is about to leave Sydney, Australia with his vessel, the Ergenstrasse.
25 March 1967
A gunfighter and a cowboy help a Mexican girl avenge the land-related murder of her parents.
17 June 1970
A wanderer returns home only to find political turmoil, disease and romantic difficulties.
21 February 1950
A penniless pregnant woman adopts the identity of a rich woman killed in a train crash.
03 July 1953
In 1910, a stage actress re-visits her husband and children she deserted ten years ago.
01 September 1967
Confederate super-spy Johnny and his partner in crime Steve travel to San Francisco near the end of the Civil War, masquerading, respectively, as a singer/guitar instructor and a magic-elixir vendor.
30 May 1951
Mirian Wilkins, the teenage daughter of Senator Wilkins, starts a Society for the Rehabilitation of Criminals and, without the approval or knowledge of her father, elects him to the position of honorary president.
