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Ben Lyon

From Wikipedia Ben Lyon (February 6, 1901 – March 22, 1979) was an American actor and a studio executive at 20th Century Fox. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Lyon entered films in 1918 after a successful appearance on Broadway opposite Jeanne Eagels. He attracted attention in the highly successful film Flaming Youth (1923), and steadily developed into a leading man. He was most successfully paired with some of the leading actresses of the silent era including Pola Negri, Gloria Swanson, Colleen Moore, Barbara La Marr, Viola Dana, Anna Q. Nilsson, Mary Astor and Blanche Sweet. He had success as an actor in the 1930 film Hell's Angels. The film was a major success and brought Jean Harlow to prominence, but Lyon's performance as an heroic World War I aviator was also highly regarded. For the next decade he was constantly in demand, but his popularity began to wane by the early 1940s. By the mid-1940s he was working for 20th Century Fox. On July 17, 1946 he met a young aspiring actress named Norma Jeane Dougherty.[2] After his first meeting with her he stated that she was "Jean Harlow all over again!". He organized a color screen test for the actress, renamed her, and finally signed her as Marilyn Monroe to her first studio contract. During World War II, Lyons and his wife, actress Bebe Daniels, settled in London. The couple, along with the comedian Vic Oliver, starred in the radio series Hi, Gang!, which ran from 1940 to 1949. Hi Gang was succeeded in 1950 by Life with the Lyons, which also featured their real life son Richard and daughter Barbara, and had a run on BBC and independent television from 1954 until 1960. Lyon married actress Bebe Daniels in June 1930. They had two children: daughter Barbara in 1932 and a son Richard whom they adopted. Daniels suffered a severe stroke in 1963 and withdrew from public life. She suffered a second stroke in late 1970. She died at the couple's London home in March 1971. In 1974, Lyon married the actress Marian Nixon whom he had known since the 1920s. On March 22, 1979, Lyon and his second wife Marian Nixon were vacationing together on the Queen Elizabeth 2 cruise ship near Honolulu, Hawaii, when Lyon suffered a fatal heart attack. He is interred in the Chapel Columbarium at Hollywood Forever Cemetery next to his first wife, Bebe. For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Ben Lyon has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1724 Vine Street.


Read bio at tmdb | Read bio at Wikipedia
Born:
Feb 6, 1901 In Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Movie/TV Credits:
59
First Appeared:
In the movie Open Your Eyes 1919-05-24
Latest Project:
Movie The Lyons in Paris 1955-02-11
Known For
Poster of I Killed the Count
Poster of The Great Deception
Poster of Potash and Perlmutter
Filmography
Movie The Lyons in Paris Ben 1955-02-11
Movie Life with the Lyons Ben Lyon 1954-05-25
Movie The Dark Tower Phil Danton 1943-10-18
Movie This Was Paris Butch, Sydney Chronicle Reporter 1942-03-21
Movie Hi Gang! Her Other Half 1941-12-27
Movie I Killed the Count Bernard Froy 1939-05-06
Movie Confidential Lady Jim Brent 1939-12-01
Movie Stardust Roy Harley 1938-03-25
Movie Dancing Feet Peyton Wells 1936-01-20
Movie Down to the Sea Steve Londos 1936-05-30
Movie Together We Live Max 1935-08-16
Movie Navy Wife Dr. Peter Milford 1935-09-17
Movie Frisco Waterfront Glenn Burton 1935-12-03
Movie I Spy Wally Sawyer 1934-08-26
Movie Crimson Romance Bob Wilson 1934-10-12
Movie Lightning Strikes Twice Steve Brewster 1934-12-07
Movie I Cover the Waterfront H. Joseph 'Joe' Miller 1933-05-19
Movie Girl Missing Henry Gibson 1933-03-04
Movie The Women in His Life Roger McKane 1933-12-08
Movie The Big Timer Cooky Bradford 1932-03-10
Movie Lady with a Past Guy Bryson 1932-02-19
Movie Week Ends Only Jack Williams 1932-06-19
Movie By Whose Hand? Jimmy Hawley 1932-07-06
Movie Hat Check Girl Buster Collins 1932-10-08
Movie The Crooked Circle Brand Osborne 1932-09-25
Movie Hollywood on Parade No. A-1 Self 1932-08-25
Movie Misbehaving Ladies Phil Hunter 1931-04-16
Movie The Hot Heiress Hap Harrigan 1931-03-28
Movie Indiscreet Tony Blake 1931-04-25
Movie The Stolen Jools Ben Lyon 1931-04-04
Movie My Past Robert 'Bob' Byrne 1931-05-03
Movie Aloha Jimmy Bradford 1931-04-26
Movie Her Majesty, Love Fred von Wellingen 1931-12-15
Movie Bought! Nick Amory 1931-08-22
Movie Night Nurse Mortie 1931-07-16
Movie Lummox Rollo Farley 1930-01-13
Movie Alias French Gertie Jimmy Hartigan 1930-04-20
Movie A Soldier's Plaything Georgie 1930-10-30
Movie What Men Want Kendall James 1930-07-12
Movie Hell's Angels Monte Rutledge 1930-11-15
Movie All Faces West Matthew 1929-03-02
Movie The Quitter Neal Abbott 1929-04-01
Movie Life in Hollywood No. 2 Himself 1927-08-25
Movie For the Love of Mike Mike 1927-07-31
Movie Das tanzende Wien Jonny Conzaga 1927-10-01
Movie The Savage Danny Terry 1926-07-18
Movie Bluebeard's Seven Wives John Hart / Don Juan Hartez 1926-01-13
Movie The Great Deception Cyril Mansfield 1926-07-26
Movie The Prince of Tempters Francis 1926-10-17
Movie Winds of Chance Pierce Phillips 1925-08-15
Movie The New Commandment Billy Morrow 1925-11-01
Movie Painted People Don Lane 1924-01-28
Movie Lily of the Dust Lt. Prell 1924-08-24
Movie So Big Dirk DeJong 1924-12-28
Movie Wine of Youth Lynn Talbot 1924-09-15
Movie Wages of Virtue Marvin 1924-11-10
Movie The Custard Cup Dick Chase 1923-01-01
Movie Potash and Perlmutter Boris Andrieff 1923-09-10
Movie Open Your Eyes Harold Connors 1919-05-24