Lyle Bettger, 88, Actor
Lyle Bettger, an actor best known for playing film villains in the 1950s and '60s, died on Wed., Sept. 24, in Atascadero, Calif. He was 88.
His most familiar films were "The Greatest Show on Earth" (1952), starring Charlton Heston, and "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" (1955), starring Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster.
Bettger, a Philadelphia native, graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York before launching his career in theatre. He appeared in five Broadway productions, four of which closed in short order. The longest running, "Love Life," a musical comedy, ran from Oct. 7, 1948 to May 14, 1949. The others were "John Loves Mary," Oh, Brother!," "The Moon Is Down," and "The Flying Gerardos."
Nonetheless, his Broadway credits led to a contract with Paramount Pictures. Bettger made his film debut in "No Man of Her Own" (1950) and starred in one of his biggest role—the same year—in "Union Station."
In his career, he made more than 30 films and appeared in a number of television series, such as "Bonanza" and "Hawaii Five-O." He retired in 1979.
Florence Stanley, 79, Actress
Florence Stanley, an actress best known for her role as Bernice Fish on the television show "Barney Miller," died Fri., Oct. 3, in Los Angeles. She was 79. The cause of death was complications from a stroke.
Other TV appearances included "My Two Dads," and most recently, "Dharma & Greg."
A Chicago native, Stanley graduated from Northwestern University before launching her acting career on television in such live programs as "Studio One," "Lights Out," "East Side/West Side." She made her Broadway debut in 1964 as a replacement in the original production of "Fiddler on the Roof." Her other Broadway credits inlcuded "The Glass Menagerie," "The Prisoner of Second Avenue," "The Secret Affairs of Mildred Wild," "What's Wrong With This Picture?," and "The Apple Doesn't Fall…"
Stanley also had a roster of film credits. Among them were "Up The Down Staircase," "The Prisoner of Second Avenue," and "Outrageous Fortune."
Mervyn Blake, 95, Shakespearean Actor
Mervyn "Butch" Blake, a longtime member of the Stratford Festival in Ontario, Canada, died Thurs., Oct. 9, at Rekai Centre in Toronto. He was 95.
His career spanned 70 years and, according to Stratford's artistic director Richard Monette, who was quoted in an online Playbill obituary, Blake had appeared in every single Shakespeare play.
A native of Dehra Dun, India, Blake trained at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before serving a tour of duty during World War II. After a three-year stint as an actor with the Stratford-upon-Avon Memorial Theatre Company in England, Blake came to Canada to join the Stratford Festival company, a gig that lasted 42 years. Blake's final appearance with the festival was in "Two Gentlemen of Verona" in 1998.
Richard Michaels, 65, Director
Richard Michaels, a prolific stage director, died Sat., Sept. 13, at his home in Kingston, NY. He was 65. The cause of death was heart failure.
During the course of his career he directed well over 100 productions, musical and dramatic. His Off-Broadway revival of "No Strings" prompted Richard Rodgers to invite him to direct the national company of "Two by Two." Regionally, Michaels helmed productions at St. Louis Municipal Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Bucks County Playhouse, Little Theatre on the Square, and Chateau De Ville Dinner Theatre, among others.
The roster of stars he worked with included Tom Poston, Imogene Coca, Dom DeLuise, Harvey Korman, and Betty Hutton.