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Les Tremayne

 
Actor: Les Tremayne
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Actors
  • Born: Apr 16, 1913 in London, England, UK
  • Died: Dec 19, 2003 in Santa Monica, California
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: '50s-'60s
  • Major Genres: Comedy, Science Fiction
  • Career Highlights: The War of the Worlds, A Man Called Peter, The Unguarded Moment
  • First Major Screen Credit: The War of the Worlds (1953)

Biography

Born in London, Les Tremayne moved to America in his early teens. Educated at Northwestern, Columbia and UCLA, Tremayne went on the stage in the early 1930s, where his distinguished demeanor and mellifluous voice served him well. He rose to stardom on radio, appearing in literally thousands of "Golden Age" broadcasts, notably as star of the long-running anthology The First Nighter Program. In films from 1951, Tremayne brought a large dose of sober credibility to many an otherwise hard-to-swallow science fiction opus. At his best as General Mann in War of the Worlds (1953)--the General's explanation of the Martian's invasion strategy remains one of the finest pieces of pure exposition in all of "fantastic" cinema--Tremayne was also successful in maintaining his dignity in cheapies of the Angry Red Planet (1959) and Slime People (1965) variety. The actor's contributions to the sci-fi genre were hosannahed in the direct-to-video production The Attack of the B-Movie Monsters (1985). In addition, Tremayne showed up in several non-genre efforts, usually in small but substantial roles like the auctioneer in North by Northwest (Tremayne's single scene in this 1959 Hitchcock classic also featured his old First Nighter colleague Olan Soule). Busiest on television as a commercial spokesman and voiceover artist, Tremayne found time to appear on the prime-time TV version of radio's One Man's Family (1951); as Inspector Richard Queen on the 1958-59 incarnation of the venerable Ellery Queen; and as Mentor on the Saturday morning Captain Marvel-inspired weekly Shazam! (1974-77). In 1995, Les Tremayne, as golden-throated as ever, was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame during a moving, nationally broadcast ceremony from Chicago's Museum of Broadcasting. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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Wikipedia: Les Tremayne
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Les Tremayne
Born Lester Tremayne
April 16, 1913(1913-04-16)
Balham, London, England
Died December 19, 2003 (aged 90)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.

Les Tremayne was a radio, film, and television actor. Born Lester Tremayne in England, he moved with his family at the age four to Chicago, where he began in community theater. He danced as a vaudeville performer and worked as amusement park barker. He began working in radio when he was 17 years old.[1][2]

Contents

Radio

On radio during the 1930s and 1940s, Tremayne was heard in as many as 45 shows a week. Replacing Don Ameche, he did The First Nighter Program from 1936 to 1942. He starred in The Adventures of the Thin Man and The Romance of Helen Trent during the 1940s. He also starred in the title role in The Falcon, and played detective Pat Abbott in The Abbott Mysteries in 1946-1947. After divorcing his first wife, Lenore Kingston, he did a morning talk show, The Tremaynes with his second wife, Alice Reinhardt.[1]

Film

His film credits include A Man Called Peter, The Racket, The War of The Worlds and North by Northwest.[1]

Television

Between 1974 and 1977, Tremayne appeared on the Saturday morning Shazam! television series based on the DC Comics superhero Captain Marvel. In the role of Mentor, Tremayne served as the literal mentor of the program's protagonist, young Billy Batson. He appeared in General Hospital as Edward Quartermaine, the oldest character in that series.

After doing more than 30,000 broadcasts, Tremayne was elected to the Radio Hall of Fame in 1995. He died of heart failure at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California at the age of 90.[1][2]

He was entombed in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.

References

  1. ^ a b c d IMDb
  2. ^ a b Mclellan, Dennis. "Les Tremayne, 90; Radio Icon’s Acting Career Ran 6 Decades," Los Angeles Times, December 23, 2003.

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