Lorne Greene | |
|---|---|
 Greene in 1969 | |
| Born | Lyon Himan Green (1915-02-12)February 12, 1915 |
| Died | September 11, 1987(1987-09-11) (aged 72) |
| Other names | Chaim Green Lorne Hyman Greene |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1939–1987 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Sam Raimi (son-in-law) |
Lorne Hyman Greene[1]OC (bornLyon Himan Green;[2] February 12, 1915 – September 11, 1987) was a Canadian actor, singer, and radio personality. His notable television roles includeBen Cartwright on theWesternBonanza andCommander Adama in the originalscience-fictiontelevision seriesBattlestar Galactica andGalactica 1980. He also worked on the Canadian televisionnaturedocumentary seriesLorne Greene's New Wilderness and in television commercials.
Greene was born Lyon Himan Green on February 12, 1915, inOttawa,Ontario,[2] toJewish immigrants from theRussian Empire, Dora (née Grinovsky) and Daniel Green, a shoemaker.[3] He was called "Chaim" by his mother, and his name is shown as "Hyman" on his school report cards. In a biography of him, written by his daughter, she wrote that it was unknown when he began using the name Lorne, nor when he added an "e" to Green.[2]
Greene was the drama instructor at Camp Arowhon, a summer camp inAlgonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, where he developed his talents. He acted while attendingQueen's University inKingston, Ontario. While there, he acquired a knack forbroadcasting with the Radio Workshop of the university's Drama Guild on the campus radio stationCFRC.
He initially aimed at a career inchemical engineering, but became interested in theatre, and upon graduation from Queens University moved to New York to study acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. Relocating to Toronto in 1939, he found a job as a newsreader for theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), soon becoming principalnewsreader on the CBC National News. He received the unofficial title "The Voice of Canada"; however, his deep, resonant voice and sonorous delivery of the increasingly distressing war news provoked the alternate nickname "The Voice of Doom". Leaving the CBC, Greene served as aFlying officer in theRoyal Canadian Air Force.[4]
During his radio days, Greene invented a stopwatch that ran backwards,i.e., it would start from a given number and count down to zero.[5] This helped radio announcers gauge how much time was left while speaking.
Additionally, Greene narrated documentary films, such as theNational Film Board of Canada'sFighting Norway (1943). He left the CBC and became a freelancer after the war when the network ordered staff announcers to turn over a large percentage of any income they earned from film narration. Greene continued to appear on CBC on a freelance basis while becoming the newsreader for private radio stationCKEY inToronto, while also returning to acting work both on stage and in radio plays.[6]
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(October 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
After closing his Academy of Radio Arts in 1952, Greene relocated to the US.Katharine Cornell cast him twice in her Broadway productions in 1953: first, inThe Prescott Proposals; then in a verse drama byChristopher Fry,The Dark Is Light Enough. Greene likewise began appearing in isolated episodes on live television in the 1950s. In 1953, he was seen in the title role of a one-hour adaptation ofShakespeare's dramaOthello In 1954, Greene made his Hollywood debut asSaint Peter inThe Silver Chalice and made several more films and appearances on American television.[citation needed] In 1955, he starred in the British Canadian television seriesSailor of Fortune. In 1955, he wasLudwig van Beethoven in an episode of the TV version ofYou Are There, and also appeared asMarcus Brutus inJulius Caesar at theStratford Festival.[7] In 1957, Greene played the prosecutor in the feature filmPeyton Place.
The first of his continuing TV roles was as thepatriarchBen "Pa" Cartwright inBonanza, the first one-hourWesternseries filmed in colour (1959–1973), making Greene a household name. He garnered the role after his performance asO'Brien in theCBS production ofNineteen Eighty-Four.
In the 1960s, Greene capitalized on his image as Ben Cartwright by recording several albums of country-western/folk songs, which Greene performed in a mixture of spoken word and singing. In 1964, Greene had anumber-onesingle on the music charts with his spoken-wordballad, "Ringo" (which referred to the real-life Old West outlawJohnny Ringo), and got play time from "Saga of the Ponderosa", which detailed the Cartwright founding of the famous ranch.
In 1973, after the cancellation ofBonanza following a 14-year run, Greene joinedBen Murphy in theABCcrime drama,Griff, about aLos Angeles, California, police officer, Wade "Griff" Griffin, who retires to become aprivate detective. When it failed to gain sufficient ratings and was cancelled after 13 episodes, Greene thereafter hosted thesyndicated nature documentary seriesLast of the Wild from 1974 to 1975.[8]
In the 1977miniseriesRoots, he played the first master ofKunta Kinte, John Reynolds. Through the 1970s, Greene was the spokesman forAlpo Beef Chunks dog food commercials, one of the possible origins of the phrase "Eating your own dog food".
In 2007,TV Guide listed Ben Cartwright as the nation's second-most popular TV father (behindCliff Huxtable). Greene was also known for his role asCommander Adama, another patriarchal figure, in the science-fiction television seriesBattlestar Galactica (1978–1979) andGalactica 1980 (1980). Greene'stypecasting as a wise father character continued with the 1981 seriesCode Red as a fire-department chief, whose command includes his children as subordinates. Greene appeared with his formerBonanza co-starMichael Landon on an episode ofHighway to Heaven. Greene also appeared with his formerBonanza co-starPernell Roberts on a two-part episode ofVega$.
He appeared in the 1986HBOmockumentaryThe Canadian Conspiracy, about the supposed subversion of the United States by Canadian-born media personalities. For nearly a decade, Greene co-hosted theMacy's Thanksgiving Day Parade onNBC withBetty White.
In the 1980s, Greene devoted his energies to wildlife and environmental issues, including hosting and narrating theCTV's nature seriesLorne Greene's New Wilderness, a show which promoted environmental awareness.[9]
Greene was married twice, first to Rita Hands of Toronto (1938–1960, divorced). They had two children, twins born in 1944. His second wife was Nancy Deale (1961–1987, Greene's death), with whom he had one child.
Greene built the Ponderosa II House inMesa, Arizona in 1960. It is located at 602 S. Edgewater Drive. It is a replica of theBonanza set house from the former Ponderosa Ranch inIncline Village, Nevada. It is listed in the Mesa Historic Property Register.[10]
Greene died on September 11, 1987, aged 72, from complications frompneumonia, followingulcer surgery, at Saint Johns' Hospital inSanta Monica, California.[11][12][13] He is interred atHillside Memorial Park Cemetery inCulver City.[14]
Greene was made an Officer of theOrder of Canada on October 28, 1969, "for services to the Performing Arts and to the community."[15]
Greene was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree by his alma mater, Queen's University, in 1971.[16] He was the 1987 recipient of theEarle Grey Award for Lifetime Achievement at the CanadianGemini Awards. He has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame at 1559 N. Vine Street.
In 1974, Greene received the Golden Plate Award of theAmerican Academy of Achievement.[17]
In February 1985, Greene was theKrewe of Bacchus King of Mardi Gras.[18]
In May 2006, Greene became one of the first of four entertainers to ever be honoured byCanada Post by being featured on a 51-centpostage stamp.[19]
Greene was inducted intoCanada's Walk of Fame, found on King Street and Simcoe Street in Toronto, in 2015.[20]
Greene founded the Lorne Greene Academy of Radio Arts in Toronto in 1945 and was its dean. The school trained a number of future broadcasters and actors includingLeslie Nielsen,James Doohan,Les Rubie,Gordie Tapp,Fred Davis,Billie Mae Richards,William Davidson,Alfie Scopp,Murray Chercover,Jonathan Frid,Cec Linder,Les Lye,Bill Luxton, and Roy Currie. The school was located on Jarvis Street across from what was then the CBC Radio building. Its faculty included many CBC staff such asMavor Moore,Fletcher Markle,Lister Sinclair,Andrew Allan, andEsse Ljungh, and graduated a total of 381 students in seven years, 90% of whom found work in the industry. Though successful academically, the school continually lost money, resulting in Greene closing the school in 1952, allowing him to sell the building to recoup his losses.[21][22][23][24][6]
| Year | Album | US | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Robin Hood of El Dorado | — | MGM |
| 1962 | Bonanza Ponderosa Party Time | — | RCA |
| 1963 | Young at Heart | — | |
| Christmas on the Ponderosa | — | ||
| 1964 | Peter and the Wolf | — | |
| Welcome to the Ponderosa | 35 | ||
| 1965 | The Man | — | |
| American West | — | ||
| Have a Happy Holiday | 54 | ||
| 1966 | Portrait of the West | — |
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN Country | CAN Pop | US [26] | US Country | US AC | |||
| 1962 | "My Sons My Sons" | — | — | — | — | — | Bonanza Ponderosa Party Time |
| 1963 | "I'm the Same Ole Me" | — | — | — | — | — | single only |
| 1964 | "Ringo" | — | 1 | 1 | 21 | 1 | Welcome to the Ponderosa |
| 1965 | "The Man" | 3 | — | 72 | — | — | The Man |
| "Ol' Tin Cup" | — | — | — | — | — | Welcome to the Ponderosa | |
| 1966 | "Five Card Stud" | — | — | 112 | — | — | American West |
| "Daddy's Little Girl" | — | — | — | — | — | singles only | |
| "Waco" | — | — | — | 50 | — | ||
| 1969 | "It's All in the Game" | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1970 | "Daddy (I'm Proud to Be Your Son)" | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "First Word" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976 | "Spirit of America" | — | — | — | — | — | |
.svg)
