Lyle Talbot

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Lyle Talbot (born Lisle Henderson) was an American actor on stage and screen, known for his career in film from 1931 to 1960 and for his appearances on television in the 1950s and 1960s. He played Ozzie Nelson's friend and neighbor, Joe Randolph, for ten years in the ABC situation comedy The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. He began his movie career under contract with Warner Brothers in the early days of sound film. He appeared in more than 150 films, first as a young matinee idol and later as a character actor and star of many B movies. He was a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild and later served on its board. Talbot's long career as an actor is recounted in a book by his youngest daughter, The New Yorker writer Margaret Talbot, entitled The Entertainer: Movies, Magic and My Father's Twentieth Century (Riverhead Books 2012). Most notable among Talbot's film work were his appearances in Three on a Match and 20,000 Years in Sing Sing (both 1932). He played a star running back in College Coach (1933) with Pat O'Brien and Dick Powell, romanced opera singer Grace Moore in One Night of Love in 1934, and pursued Mae West in Go West, Young Man (1936). He was a gangster in Ladies They Talk About and Heat Lightning and a doctor kicking a drinking habit in Mandalay. He co-starred with Pat O'Brien in Oil for the Lamps of China (1935). He appeared opposite Ann Dvorak, Carole Lombard, Barbara Stanwyck, Mary Astor, Ginger Rogers, Loretta Young and Shirley Temple, as well as sharing the screen with Humphrey Bogart, Spencer Tracy and Tyrone Power. Overall, Talbot appeared in some 150 movies.

Filmography

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2025
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Movie Inspector Warren (archival audio) (uncredited)
1996
The Haunted World of Edward D. Wood, Jr.
Movie Himself
1995
Inside the Dream Factory
Movie Self
1989
Batmania: From Comics to Screen
Movie Self / Commissioner Gordon (archive footage)
1986
George Carlin: Playin' with Your Head
Movie Pops
1985
227
TV show
1985
That's Dancing!
Movie Self
1984
Who's the Boss?
TV show
1982
St. Elsewhere
TV show Johnny Barnes
1982
Newhart
TV show Cousin Ned
1982
The Case of Dashiell Hammett
Movie Dashiell Hammett
1981
Goldie Gold and Action Jack
TV show Additional Voices (voice)
1976
Charlie's Angels
TV show Tom Mills
1974
Sonic Boom
Movie French Representative
1968
Here's Lucy
TV show Lawyer
1968
Adam-12
TV show Avery Dawson