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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. Description above from the Wikipedia article Lyle Bettger, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

La Classe américaine
as Famous Man (archive footage) (uncredited)

M Station: Hawaii
as Adm. Lincoln

Police Story

The Hawaiians
as Janders

Impasse
as Hansen

Hawaii Five-O
as Otis Klepper

Mannix

Cimarron Strip

The Fastest Guitar Alive
as Charlie

Return of the Gunfighter
as Clay Sutton

The Time Tunnel
as Maj. Hoffman

Nevada Smith
as Jack Rudabough

Johnny Reno
as Jess Yates

Blue Light

Town Tamer
as Lee Ring

Daniel Boone
as Lehman Henderson

Kraft Suspense Theatre
as Ted Johnson

Mr. Novak
as Brigham

Burke's Law
as Captain Donahue
Grindl

Combat!
as Capt. Brauer

The Tall Man

Guns of the Timberland
as Clay Bell

Law of the Plainsman
as Sheriff Max Chaffee

The DuPont Show with June Allyson
as Phil Ross

Laramie

The Deputy
as Aces Thompson

Rawhide
as Major Victor Darius

Gundown at Sandoval
as Al Barko

The Rifleman
The Court of Last Resort
as Sam Larsen

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
as Ike Clanton

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
as Sheriff Griff Evans

Showdown at Abilene
as Dave Mosely

The Lone Ranger
as Reece Kilgore

The 20th Century Fox Hour

Gunsmoke
as Polk

The Sea Chase
as Chief Officer Kirchner

Destry
as Phil Decker

Drums Across the River
as Frank Walker

Carnival Story
as Frank Colloni

Forbidden
as Justin Keit

The Great Sioux Uprising
as Stephen Cook

All I Desire
as Dutch Heineman

The Vanquished
as Roger Hale

Hurricane Smith
as Clobb

Denver and Rio Grande
as Johnny Buff

The Greatest Show on Earth
as Klaus

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
as Sheriff Matt Saver

Dear Brat
as Baxter

The First Legion
as Dr. Peter Morrell

Union Station
as Joe Beacom
Lux Video Theatre
as Joe

No Man of Her Own
as Stephen Morley