Gene Lyons
Lyons in Star Trek, 1967
Born
Matthew Eugene Lyons

(1921-02-09)February 9, 1921
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJuly 8, 1974(1974-07-08) (aged 53)
Hollywood, California, U.S.
Resting placeCalvary Catholic Cemetery (Pittsburgh), U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1943–1974

Gene Lyons (February 9, 1921 – July 8, 1974) was an American television actor perhaps best known for his role as police commissioner Dennis Randall on the NBC detective series Ironside.[1]

Career

Born in Pittsburgh, Lyons was a life member of The Actors Studio.[2] His first of seven Broadway appearances was in February 1943, in a short-lived production of This Rock. He co-starred in the Broadway production of Witness for the Prosecution for two years (1954–56).[3] His other Broadway credits are Harriet (1943–44), Death of a Salesman (1949–50), An Enemy of the People (1950–51), The Trip to Bountiful (1953) and Masquerade (1958).[4]

In 1953, Lyons played a police detective on the CBS drama series Pentagon Confidential (renamed Pentagon U.S.A. by second episode).[5] He appeared in 1954 as Steve Rockwell on the CBS daytime drama Woman with a Past.[6] In 1963 Lyons appeared as Sheriff Jonathan Ballard on the TV western The Virginian in the episode titled "If You Have Tears".

Before joining Raymond Burr as a regular on Ironside (1967–74), he appeared on Burr's Perry Mason, in the 1965 episode "The Case of the Wrathful Wraith". He also made guest appearances on nearly two dozen other series including The Dick Van Dyke Show, Gunsmoke (“Bently”), Have Gun – Will Travel, The Fugitive, Ben Casey, Star Trek ("A Taste of Armageddon"), The Twilight Zone ("King Nine Will Not Return"), The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Bonanza ("Shining in Spain") and The Untouchables. He also appeared in films including The Young Don't Cry and Kiss Her Goodbye.

Death

Lyons was 53 years old when he died in Los Angeles from complications related to chronic alcoholism, and is buried at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Pittsburgh.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1957The Young Don't CryMax Cole
1959Kiss Her GoodbyeCorey Sherman
1963The Alfred Hitchcock HourHoward RaydonSeason 1 Episode 16: "What Really Happened"
1964The Alfred Hitchcock HourRobert McBainSeason 2 Episode 16: "The Evil of Adelaide Winters"
1964The Alfred Hitchcock HourMax WildingSeason 3 Episode 11: "Consider Her Ways"
1965SylviaGavin Cullen
1969Daddy's Gone A-HuntingDr. Blanker

References

  1. ↑ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2007). "Nightime Network TV Series: A to Z". The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (Ninth ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. p. 673. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4. Retrieved 2023-07-12 – via Internet Archive Book Reader.
  2. ↑ Garfield, David (1980). "Appendix: Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980". A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 279. ISBN 0-02-542650-8. Retrieved 2019-11-19 – via Internet Archive Book Reader.
  3. ↑ Scott, Vernon (1968-08-21). "Top policeman in 'Ironside' series moon lights on other net works". New Castle News. United Press International. p. 35. Retrieved 2017-04-09 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ↑ "Gene Lyons | Performer". Playbill Vault. Archived from the original on 2023-04-06. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  5. ↑ Terrace, Vincent (1979). The Complete Encyclopedia of Television Programs, 1947-1979. Vol. 2 M–Z (2nd ed.). Cranbury, New Jersey: A. S. Barnes & Co. p. 774. ISBN 0-498-02177-7. Retrieved 2023-07-12 – via Internet Archive Book Reader.
  6. ↑ TV Guide Guide to TV (1st ed.). New York: Barnes & Noble Books. 2004. p. 705. ISBN 0-7607-5634-1. Retrieved 2019-09-07 – via Internet Archive Book Reader.


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