- Born
- Died
- Birth nameLyle Stathem Bettger
- Height6′ (1.83 m)
- Handsome, blond-haired, steely-eyed villain in many film Westerns. He was never the grizzled outlaw, covered in trail dust. No, he was the immaculate-looking, "respectable" (but two-faced) dandy in silk damask vest, often puffing suavely on a cheroot, whose ashes he then might contemptuously flick in the hero's face. He could confront an antagonist wearing a wry smile, even while neatly inserting his dirk between the latter's ribs. One wonders why Bettger, with his Aryan looks and menacing sneer, never became typecast as the stereotypical Nazi SS officer or Gestapo interrogator. (Perhaps the man was just fortunate in that regard.)
- IMDb mini biography by: Bill Takacs <kinephile@aol.com>
- SpouseMary Gertrude Rolfe(April 8, 1941 - October 28, 1996) (her death, 3 children)
- ChildrenFrankLylePaula
- ParentsFranklin Lyle "Frank" BettgerHazel Warren Bettger
- The son of Franklin Bettger, a third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals.
- Probably best remembered for his role playing Klaus, the jealous and mean-spirited elephant trainer in The Greatest Show on Earth (1952).
- In 1974, he moved to Paia, on the island of Maui, and retired from acting six years later.
- He met his wife, radio and stage actress Mary Rolfe, while both studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. They appeared together in the Broadway play "Dance Night" in 1938 and married two years later.
- He had three children: Lyle Jr., Frank and Paula.
- [about his constantly being cast in films as the villain] It was tough being a dad at that time. I remember my two sons, then seven and eight, accompanying their mom to one of my movies. I was, of course, the villain, and near the end where you have the big fight my sons yelled out, "Gee, I hope my daddy wins". But they were disappointed.
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