Lorne Greene

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Lorne Hyman Greene<ref>Lorne Hyman Greene per Social Security records, ancestry.com; accessed 6 October 2016.</ref> Template:Post-nominals (born Lyon Himan Green;<ref name="biobooklinda">Template:Cite book</ref> February 12, 1915 – September 11, 1987) was a Canadian actor, singer, and radio personality. His notable television roles include Ben Cartwright on the Western Bonanza and Commander Adama in the original science-fiction television series Battlestar Galactica and Galactica 1980. He also worked on the Canadian television nature documentary series Lorne Greene's New Wilderness and in television commercials.

Early life, family and education

Greene was born Lyon Himan Green on February 12, 1915, in Ottawa, Ontario,<ref name="biobooklinda"/> to Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire, Dora (née Grinovsky) and Daniel Green, a shoemaker.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 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.<ref name="biobooklinda"/>

Greene was the drama instructor at Camp Arowhon, a summer camp in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, where he developed his talents. He acted while attending Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. While there, he acquired a knack for broadcasting with the Radio Workshop of the university's Drama Guild on the campus radio station CFRC.

Career

Early years

He initially aimed at a career in chemical 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 the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), soon becoming principal newsreader 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 a Flying officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This helped radio announcers gauge how much time was left while speaking.

Additionally, Greene narrated documentary films, such as the National Film Board of Canada's Fighting 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 station CKEY in Toronto, while also returning to acting work both on stage and in radio plays.<ref name="macleans"/>

In the US

Template:More citations needed section 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, in The Prescott Proposals; then in a verse drama by Christopher 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 of Shakespeare's drama Othello In 1954, Greene made his Hollywood debut as Saint Peter in The Silver Chalice and made several more films and appearances on American television.Template:Citation needed In 1955, he starred in the British Canadian television series Sailor of Fortune. In 1955, he was Ludwig van Beethoven in an episode of the TV version of You Are There, and also appeared as Marcus Brutus in Julius Caesar at the Stratford Festival.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1957, Greene played the prosecutor in the feature film Peyton Place.

Greene as Ben Cartwright (1959)
Greene's Ponderosa II House in Mesa, Arizona

The first of his continuing TV roles was as the patriarch Ben "Pa" Cartwright in Bonanza, the first one-hour Western series filmed in colour (1959–1973), making Greene a household name. He garnered the role after his performance as O'Brien in the CBS production of Nineteen 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 a number-one single on the music charts with his spoken-word ballad, "Ringo" (which referred to the real-life Old West outlaw Johnny Ringo), and got play time from "Saga of the Ponderosa", which detailed the Cartwright founding of the famous ranch.

In 1973, after the cancellation of Bonanza following a 14-year run, Greene joined Ben Murphy in the ABC crime drama, Griff, about a Los Angeles, California, police officer, Wade "Griff" Griffin, who retires to become a private detective. When it failed to gain sufficient ratings and was cancelled after 13 episodes, Greene thereafter hosted the syndicated nature documentary series Last of the Wild from 1974 to 1975.<ref>Last of the Wild (documentary, hosted by Lorne Greene) At Classic Themes.com</ref>

In the 1977 miniseries Roots, he played the first master of Kunta Kinte, John Reynolds. Through the 1970s, Greene was the spokesman for Alpo 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 (behind Cliff Huxtable). Greene was also known for his role as Commander Adama, another patriarchal figure, in the science-fiction television series Battlestar Galactica (1978–1979) and Galactica 1980 (1980). Greene's typecasting as a wise father character continued with the 1981 series Code Red as a fire-department chief, whose command includes his children as subordinates. Greene appeared with his former Bonanza co-star Michael Landon on an episode of Highway to Heaven. Greene also appeared with his former Bonanza co-star Pernell Roberts on a two-part episode of Vega$.

He appeared in the 1986 HBO mockumentary The Canadian Conspiracy, about the supposed subversion of the United States by Canadian-born media personalities. For nearly a decade, Greene co-hosted the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC with Betty White.

Back on Canadian television

In the 1980s, Greene devoted his energies to wildlife and environmental issues, including hosting and narrating the CTV's nature series Lorne Greene's New Wilderness, a show which promoted environmental awareness.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life and death

Greene was married twice, first to Rita Hands of Toronto (1938Template:Ndash1960, divorced). They had two children, twins born in 1944. His second wife was Nancy Deale (1961Template:Ndash1987, Greene's death), with whom he had one child.

Greene built the Ponderosa II House in Mesa, Arizona in 1960. It is located at 602 S. Edgewater Drive. It is a replica of the Bonanza set house from the former Ponderosa Ranch in Incline Village, Nevada. It is listed in the Mesa Historic Property Register.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Greene died on September 11, 1987, aged 72, from complications from pneumonia, following ulcer surgery, at Saint Johns' Hospital in Santa Monica, California.<ref name=tvpcd>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=ergapobt>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He is interred at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Honours and awards

Greene was made an Officer of the Order of Canada on October 28, 1969, "for services to the Performing Arts and to the community."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Greene was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree by his alma mater, Queen's University, in 1971.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was the 1987 recipient of the Earle Grey Award for Lifetime Achievement at the Canadian Gemini Awards. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1559 N. Vine Street.

In 1974, Greene received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In February 1985, Greene was the Krewe of Bacchus King of Mardi Gras.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In May 2006, Greene became one of the first of four entertainers to ever be honoured by Canada Post by being featured on a 51-cent postage stamp.<ref name="Postage Stamp">Template:Cite web</ref>

Greene was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame, found on King Street and Simcoe Street in Toronto, in 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Lorne Greene Academy of Radio Arts

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 including Leslie 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 as Mavor Moore, Fletcher Markle, Lister Sinclair, Andrew Allan, and Esse 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="GTapp">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Lorne Greene academy reunion at Royal York: [FIN Edition] Toronto Star; Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]. 02 Oct 1986: F6.</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="macleans">Template:Cite news</ref>

Filmography

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Discography

Albums

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 —

Singles

Year Single Chart Positions Album
CAN Country CAN Pop US
<ref name="whitburn2010">Template:Cite book</ref> 		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" — — — — —

See also

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References

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