Lester Tremayne (16 April 1913 – 19 December 2003) was an English actor.

Early life

Born in

Balham Balham () is an area in south London, England, mostly within the London Borough of Wandsworth with small parts within the neighbouring London Borough of Lambeth. The area has been settled since Saxon times and appears in the Domesday Book as B ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, he moved with his family at the age of four to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, where he began in community theater. His mother was Dolly Tremayne, a British actress. He danced as a

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

performer and worked as an amusement park barker. He began working in radio when he was 17 years old. Tremayne studied

Greek drama Ancient Greek theatre was a theatrical culture that flourished in ancient Greece from 700 BC. The city-state of Athens, which became a significant cultural, political, and religious place during this period, was its centre, where the theatre was ...

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

and

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

and the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

Career

In 1974, Tremayne commented, "I've been in more than 30 motion pictures, but it's from radio ... that most people remember me." His radio career began in 1931, and during the 1930s and 1940s, Tremayne was often heard in more than one show per week. Replacing

Don Ameche Don Ameche (; born Dominic Felix Amici; May 31, 1908 – December 6, 1993) was an American actor, comedian and vaudevillian. After playing in college shows, stock, and vaudeville, he became a major radio star in the early 1930s, which l ...

, he starred in ''

The First Nighter Program ''The First Nighter Program'' was a long-running radio anthology comedy-drama series broadcast from November 27, 1930, to September 27, 1953. The host was Mr. First Nighter (Charles P. Hughes, Macdonald Carey, Bret Morrison, Marvin Miller, Don Br ...

'' from 1936 to 1942. He starred in '' The Adventures of the Thin Man'' and ''

The Romance of Helen Trent ''The Romance of Helen Trent'' was a radio soap opera which aired on CBS from October 30, 1933 to June 24, 1960 for a total of 7,222 episodes. The show was created by Frank and Anne Hummert, who were among the most prolific producers during the r ...

'' during the 1940s. He also starred in the title role in '' The Falcon'',Sies, Luther F. (2014). ''Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920–1960, 2nd Edition, Volume 1''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 13. and played detective Pat Abbott in '' Abbott Mysteries'' from 1946 to 1947. Tremayne was once named one of the three most distinctive voices on American radio. The other two were

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

and president

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

. In his later years, Tremayne was active in Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters as the group's historian and archivist. Those roles included interviewing people who were active in early radio to provide source material for researchers. His film credits include ''

A Man Called Peter ''A Man Called Peter'' is a 1955 American drama film directed by Henry Koster, and starring Richard Todd. The film is based on the life of preacher Peter Marshall, who served as Chaplain of the United States Senate and pastor of the New York Avenu ...

'', '' The Racket'', ''

The Angry Red Planet ''The Angry Red Planet'' (also called ''Invasion of Mars'' and ''Journey to Planet Four'') is a 1959 American science fiction film directed by Ib Melchior and starring Gerald Mohr. Melchior reportedly had an initial production budget of only $ ...

'', ''

The War of The Worlds ''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells, first serialised in 1897 by ''Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and by ''Cosmopolitan (magazine), Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US. The novel's first appear ...

'', ''

Say One for Me ''Say One For Me'' is a 1959 American comedy musical film directed by Frank Tashlin and starring Bing Crosby, Debbie Reynolds and Robert Wagner. ''Say One for Me'' was listed in the 1978 book ''The Fifty Worst Films of All Time''. Stella Stev ...

'', ''

North by Northwest ''North by Northwest'' is a 1959 American spy thriller film, produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason. The screenplay was by Ernest Lehman, who wanted to write "the Hitchcock picture to ...

'', ''

The Monolith Monsters ''The Monolith Monsters'' is a 1957 American black-and-white science fiction film from Universal-International, produced by Howard Christie, directed by John Sherwood, and starring Grant Williams and Lola Albright. The film is based on a story ...

'', ''

The Monster of Piedras Blancas ''The Monster of Piedras Blancas'' is a 1959 independently made American black-and-white science fiction- monster film. It was produced by Jack Kevan, written and directed by Irvin Berwick, and stars Jeanne Carmen, Les Tremayne, John Harmon, Do ...

'', ''Fangs,'' and ''

The Fortune Cookie ''The Fortune Cookie'' (alternative UK title: ''Meet Whiplash Willie'') is a 1966 American black comedy film directed, produced and co-written by Billy Wilder. It was the first film in which Jack Lemmon collaborated with Walter Matthau. Matthau ...

''. Tremayne's

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

credits include ''Detective Story'' (1949–1950) and ''Heads or Tails'' (1947). Tremayne portrayed Billy Herbert in the television version of ''

One Man's Family ''One Man's Family'' is an American radio soap opera, heard for almost three decades, from 1932 to 1959. Created by Carlton E. Morse, it was the longest-running uninterrupted dramatic serial in the history of American radio. Television versions ...

'' (1949–1955) and Inspector Richard Queen in ''

The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen ''The Adventures of Ellery Queen'' is the title of a radio series and four separate television series made from the 1950s through the 1970s. They were based on the fictional detective and pseudonymous writer Ellery Queen and the cases he solved wi ...

'' on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

(1958–1959). He guest-starred in "The Life Story of Eve Drake and Howard Adams", a 1957 episode of the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

situation comedy A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

'' Mr. Adams and Eve''. In 1963, Tremayne appeared in the ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

'' episode, " The Case of Constant Doyle", along with special guest attorney

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...

. He appeared in seven other episodes as various characters, such as Deputy District Attorney Stewart Linn in the 1960 episode, "The Case of the Madcap Modiste". In 1961, he played the title role of murder victim Willard Nesbitt in "The Case of the Angry Dead Man." In 1966, he played murderer Harry Lannon in "The Case of the Unwelcome Well". In 1964, he played Ed Pierce in "The Case of the Ruinous Road". In 1962, Tremayne portrayed the part of C.J. Hasler, a known thief in ''

The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color. The ...

'' episode entitled, "Andy and Barney in the Big City" aired on 26 March 1962. In that show, he played the part of a cunning opportunist who happens onto off-duty Barney Fife who himself believes that he is stalking a jewel thief (

Allan Melvin Allan John Melvin (February 18, 1923 – January 17, 2008) was an American actor and impressionist, who was cast in hundreds of television episodes from the 1950s to the early 1990s, often appearing in recurring roles on various series. Some of th ...

) who is in fact the house detective of the hotel where the story takes place. In 1965, Tremayne played Mr. Clary in ''

My Favorite Martian ''My Favorite Martian'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 29, 1963, to May 1, 1966, for 107 episodes. The show stars Ray Walston as "Uncle Martin" (the Martian) and Bill Bixby as Tim O'Hara. The first two seasons, totalin ...

'', season 2, episode 30, titled "006 3/4". In 1969, he lent his vocal talents to the

Walt Kelly Walter Crawford Kelly Jr. (August 25, 1913 – October 18, 1973), commonly known as Walt Kelly, was an American animator and cartoonist, best known for the comic strip ''Pogo (comic strip), Pogo''. He began his animation career in 1936 at The Walt ...

Chuck Jones Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, director, and painter, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He wrote, produ ...

animated television special ''

The Pogo Special Birthday Special ''Pogo'' was a daily comic strip that was created by cartoonist Walt Kelly and syndicated to American newspapers from 1948 until 1975. Set in the Okefenokee Swamp in the Southeastern United States, ''Pogo'' followed the adventures of its anthro ...

''. Other voice contributors were

June Foray June Foray (born June Lucille Forer; September 18, 1917 – July 26, 2017) was an American voice actress. She was best known as the voice of such animated characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha Fatale, Nell Fenwick, Lucifer from Disney' ...

and both Chuck Jones and Walt Kelly themselves. Between 1974 and 1977, Tremayne appeared on the Saturday morning '' Shazam!'' television series based on the

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

superhero Captain Marvel. In the role of Mentor, Tremayne served as the literal mentor of the program's protagonist, young Billy Batson. In 1987, Tremayne appeared on ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...

'' as Edward Quartermaine for six months, the oldest character in that series, as a temporary replacement for David Lewis. He played the deceased Victor Lord for one month on ''

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...

'' during the 1987 Heaven storyline in which daughter Vicki Lord Buchanan (

Erika Slezak Erika Alma Hermina Slezak (; born August 5, 1946) is an American actress, best known for her role as Victoria "Viki" Lord on the American daytime soap opera ''One Life to Live'' from 1971 through the television finale in 2012 and again in the ...

) was reunited with most every character that had died on the show after a heart attack left her in purgatory.

Legacy

Tremayne was elected to the

National Radio Hall of Fame The Radio Hall of Fame, formerly the National Radio Hall of Fame, is an American organization created by the Emerson Radio Corporation in 1988. Three years later, Bruce DuMont, founder, president, and CEO of the Museum of Broadcast Communicatio ...

in 1995.

Personal life

Tremayne was married four times. He did an afternoon talk show on WOR in 1949, ''The Tremaynes'', with his second wife, Alice Reinhart, whom he married on 9 December 1945. When Tremayne died in 2003, he was married to his fourth wife, Joan.

Death

On 19 December 2003, Tremayne died of

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

Saint John's Health Center Providence Saint John's Health Center, formerly St. Johns Hospital and Health Center, is a private not-for-profit, Roman Catholic hospital in Santa Monica, California, United States. The hospital was founded in 1942 by the Sisters of Charity of ...

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, at the age of 90.McLellan, Dennis (23 December 2003)
"Les Tremayne, 90; Radio Icon’s Acting Career Ran 6 Decades"
''Los Angeles Times''. Retrieved 26 August 2011.

Filmography

*'' The Racket'' (1951) as Harry Craig (Crime Commission chief investigator) *'' The Blue Veil'' (1951) as Joplin *''

Francis Goes to West Point ''Francis Goes to West Point'' is a 1952 American black-and-white comedy film from Universal-International, produced by Leonard Goldstein, directed by Arthur Lubin, and starring Donald O'Connor, Lori Nelson, Alice Kelley, and Gregg Palmer. The dis ...

'' (1952) as Col. Daniels *''

It Grows on Trees ''It Grows on Trees'' is a 1952 fantasy comedy film directed by Arthur Lubin starring Irene Dunne in her final screen role. Plot The story is about a couple who discover two trees in their backyard that grow money. One morning a few days after Po ...

'' (1952) as Finlay Murchison *''

I Love Melvin ''I Love Melvin'' is a 1953 American Technicolor musical romantic comedy film directed by Don Weis, starring Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds. According to MGM records, the film earned $1,316,000 in the United States and Canada and $654,000 ...

'' (1953) as Mr. Henneman *''

Dream Wife ''Dream Wife'' is a 1953 romantic comedy film starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by Sidney Sheldon and produced by Dore Schary, from a screenplay by Herbert Baker, Alfred Lewis Levitt and Sidney S ...

'' (1953) as Ken Landwell *''

Tarzan and the She-Devil ''Tarzan and the She-Devil'' is a 1953 American film directed by Kurt Neumann and starring Lex Barker as Tarzan and Joyce MacKenzie as Jane. It also features Raymond Burr, Tom Conway and Monique van Vooren, who plays the "She-Devil." Tarzan is h ...

'' (1953) as Opening Off-Screen Narrator (voice, uncredited) *''

The War of the Worlds ''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells, first serialised in 1897 by ''Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and by ''Cosmopolitan (magazine), Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US. The novel's first appear ...

'' (1953) as Maj. Gen. Mann *''

Susan Slept Here ''Susan Slept Here'' is a 1954 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Tashlin and starring Dick Powell (in his last film role) and Debbie Reynolds. Shot in Technicolor, the film is based on the play of the same name by Steve Fisher and A ...

'' (1954) as Harvey Butterworth, Mark's Lawyer *''

'' (1955) as Sen. Willis K. Harvey *''

The Lieutenant Wore Skirts ''The Lieutenant Wore Skirts'' is a 1956 comedy film directed by Frank Tashlin and starring Tom Ewell, Sheree North, and Rita Moreno. It is a comedy about a man whose marriage begins to fail when his wife enlists. Plot TV writer Greg Whitcomb ...

'' (1956) as Henry 'Hank' Gaxton *''

Forbidden Planet ''Forbidden Planet'' is a 1956 American science fiction film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by Nicholas Nayfack, and directed by Fred M. Wilcox (director), Fred M. Wilcox from a script by Cyril Hume that was based on an original film story ...

'' (1956) as Narrator (voice, uncredited) *''

Bhowani Junction ''Bhowani Junction'' is a 1954 novel by John Masters, which was the basis of a 1956 film starring Ava Gardner and Stewart Granger. It is set amidst the turbulence of the British withdrawal from India. It is notable for its portrayal of the Eu ...

'' (1956) as Trailer Narrator (uncredited) *''

The Iron Petticoat ''The Iron Petticoat'' (aka ''Not for Money'') is a 1956 British Cold War comedy film starring Bob Hope and Katharine Hepburn, and directed by Ralph Thomas. The screenplay by Ben Hecht became the focus of a contentious history behind the produ ...

'' (1956) as Trailer Narrator (voice, uncredited) *'' The Unguarded Moment'' (1956) as Mr. Pendleton *'' Everything but the Truth'' (1956) as Lawrence 'Larry' Everett *''

'' (1957) as Martin Cochrane *''

The Perfect Furlough ''The Perfect Furlough'' is a 1958 American CinemaScope Eastmancolor romantic comedy film directed by Blake Edwards and written by Stanley Shapiro. Edwards and Shapiro would re-team the following year for another Tony Curtis service comedy, ''O ...

'' (1958) as Col. Leland *''

From the Earth to the Moon ''From the Earth to the Moon: A Direct Route in 97 Hours, 20 Minutes'' (french: De la Terre à la Lune, trajet direct en 97 heures 20 minutes) is an 1865 novel by Jules Verne. It tells the story of the Baltimore Gun Club, a post-American Civil W ...

'' (1958) as Countdown Announcer (uncredited) *''

'' (1959) as Dr. Sam Jorgenson *'' Count Your Blessings'' (1959) as Trailer Narrator (voice, uncredited) *''

'' (1959) as Harry LaMaise *''

'' (1959) as Auctioneer *''

'' (1959) as Prof. Theodore Gettell *''

The Gallant Hours ''The Gallant Hours'' is an American docudrama from 1960 about William F. Halsey, Jr. and his efforts in fighting against Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto and the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Guadalcanal campaign of World War II. This film was direc ...

'' (1960) as Capt. Frank Enright *''

The Story of Ruth ''The Story of Ruth'' is a 1960 American historical romance film directed by Henry Koster, shot in CinemaScope and DeLuxe Color, and released by 20th Century Fox. The screenplay, written by Norman Corwin, is an adaptation of the biblical Book o ...

'' (1960) as Elimelech *'' Shoot Out at Big Sag'' (1962) as Chan Bartholomew *''

King Kong vs. Godzilla is a 1962 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, it is the third film in both the ''Godzilla'' and ''King Kong'' franchises, as well as the first T ...

'' (1963) as Commander Roberts / General Shinzo / Narrator (voice, uncredited) *''

Mutiny on the Bounty The mutiny on the Royal Navy vessel occurred in the South Pacific Ocean on 28 April 1789. Disaffected crewmen, led by acting-Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, seized control of the ship from their captain, Lieutenant William Bligh, and set h ...

'' (1962) as Trailer Narrator (voice, uncredited) *''

The Slime People ''The Slime People'' is a 1963 horror film directed by Robert Hutton, who also starred in the film. The film was featured on the first season of the television show ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'', as well as the 1986 syndicated series '' The C ...

'' (1963) as Norman Tolliver *'' Goldfinger'' (1964) as Radio Newsman (voice, uncredited) *'' Strange Bedfellows'' (1965) as Opening Off-Screen Narrator (uncredited) *''

Girl Happy ''Girl Happy'' is a 1965 American musical romantic comedy and beach party film starring Elvis Presley in his eighteenth feature. The movie won a fourth place prize Laurel Award in the category Top Musical of 1965. It featured the song " Puppe ...

'' (1965) as Opening Narrator (voice, uncredited) *'' Harum Scarum'' (1965) as Trailer Co-Narrator (voice, uncredited) *'' War of the Planets'' (1966) as Gen. Norton (English version, voice, uncredited) *''

'' (1966) as Thompson *''

The Phantom Tollbooth ''The Phantom Tollbooth'' is a children's fantasy adventure novel written by Norton Juster, with illustrations by Jules Feiffer, first published in 1961. The story follows a bored young boy named Milo who unexpectedly receives a magic tollb ...

'' (1970) as Humbug (voice) *'' Strawberries Need Rain'' (1970) as The Reaper *''

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...

'' (1974) as

Fagin Fagin is a fictional character and the secondary antagonist in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist''. In the preface to the novel, he is described as a "receiver of stolen goods". He is the leader of a group of children (the Artful Dod ...

(voice) *''Fangs'' (1974) as Snakey Bender *''

Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island ''Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island'' (also known as ''Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantastic Island'') is a 1983 ''Looney Tunes'' traditionally animated compilation film directed by Friz Freleng and Phil Monroe with a compilation of classic Warner Bros. c ...

'' (1983) as The Well (voice) *'' Starchaser: The Legend of Orin'' (1985) as Arthur (voice) *''

The Naked Monster ''The Naked Monster'' is a 2005 American ultra low-budget science-fiction and horror comedy fan film written by Ted Newsom and directed by Newsom and Wayne Berwick as an homage to and spoof of the "giant monster-on-the-loose" films of the 1950s. ...

'' (2005) as General Mann (final film role)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tremayne, Les 1913 births 2003 deaths English male film actors English male radio actors English male television actors English male voice actors Male actors from London People from Balham British emigrants to the United States

Early life

Career

Legacy

Personal life

Death

Filmography

References

Further reading

External links