Lyle Stathem Bettger (February 13, 1915 – September 24, 2003)[1] was an American character actor who had roles in Hollywood films and television from the 1950s onward, often portraying villains.

He soon became a regular on the set of Westerns such as Denver and Rio Grande (1952), The Great Sioux Uprising (1953), Forbidden (1953), Drums Across the River (1954), Destry (1955), The Lone Ranger, (1956) and Gunfight at the O.K.

[citation needed] Bettger developed a reputation for playing the bad guy and excelled in villainous roles such as the menacing Joe Beacom in Union Station (1950) and the cold-blooded Nazi Chief Officer Kirchner in The Sea Chase (1955).

[6] Bettger made many appearances in dramatic roles on television, starring in the 1957 series The Court of Last Resort[7] as well as guest starring on Hawaii Five-O, Rawhide, The Tall Man, The Rifleman, Gunsmoke (as Polk, a murdering robber in 1962’s S9E22 - “The Kite”), Bonanza, Combat!, Blue Light, The Time Tunnel, Death Valley Days, Laramie, and Tales of Wells Fargo (as John Wesley Hardin).

This episode also features Michael Ansara, Paul Carr and Don Diamond(as Henry Seidel, the wife killer) Bettger was married to Mary Gertrude Rolfe from 1941 until her death in 1996.