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Lyle Bettger

Lyle Bettger, American actor (died 2003)

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Born
February 13, 1915
Died
September 24, 2003
Zodiac sign
Aquarius
Birth year
1915

About Lyle Bettger

Lyle Stathem Bettger was an American character actor who had roles in Hollywood films and television from the 1950s onward, often portraying villains. One such role was the wrathfully jealous elephant handler Klaus from the Oscar-winning film The Greatest Show on Earth (1952). Bettger's theatrical debut was in Brother Rat at the Biltmore Theatre in New York City in 1936. Lyle Stathem Bettger (February 13, 1915 – September 24, 2003) was an American character actor who had roles in Hollywood films and television from the 1950s onward, often portraying villains. Louis Cardinals in 1910 (as Frank Betcher), successful insurance salesman and best-selling self-help author, and Mertie Stathem Bettger. When Paramount sent a talent scout to see him, Bettger was signed to a three-year contract.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Lyle Bettger timeline

  1. Louis Cardinals in 1910 (as Frank Betcher), successful insurance salesman and best-selling self-help author, and Mertie Stathem Bettger.
  2. Lyle Stathem Bettger (February 13, 1915 – September 24, 2003) was an American character actor who had roles in Hollywood films and television from the 1950s onward, often portraying villains.
  3. Bettger's theatrical debut was in Brother Rat at the Biltmore Theatre in New York City in 1936.

The world when Lyle Bettger was born

Lyle Bettger was born in 1915. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1915

  • Top movieThe Birth of a Nation
  • Best-selling book"The Turmoil" – Booth Tarkington

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentJess Willard defeats Jack Johnson for heavyweight title in Havana
  • Top headlineLusitania sunk by German submarine — 1,198 die
  • Technology milestoneFirst transcontinental telephone call (Bell to Watson)
  • World population~1.75B

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderWoodrow Wilson
  • U.S. population98.4M

1915 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Lyle Bettger's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19152026
Gas$0.25$3.45/gal
Movie ticket$0.10$11.95
Population98.4M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.