Pierce W. Lyden (January 8, 1908 – October 10, 1998) was an American
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...
best known for his work in television and film Westerns.
Early life
Lyden was born in a sod house on a ranch near
Hildreth, Nebraska
Hildreth is a village in Franklin County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 378 at the 2010 census.
History
Hildreth was founded in 1886 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named for Carson Hildreth, one of the origin ...
on January 8, 1908. The son of a horse buyer for the U.S. Army cavalry, he acquired as a youngster riding skills that later made it possible for him to do his own stunts as an actor in Hollywood westerns.
Education
He attended high school in
Naponee, Nebraska
Naponee (Mississauga: ''naapanne''; "flour") is a village in Franklin County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 106 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Naponee is located at (40.076010, -99.139150).
According to the United States Census Bu ...
, and acted in several plays there; he graduated from the
University of Nebraska
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United State ...
School of Music
[ ] and Fine Arts in 1927 and later studied at the
Emerson College
Emerson College is a private college with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts. It also maintains campuses in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California and Well, Limburg, Netherlands ( Kasteel Well). Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a ...
of Oratory in Boston.
Early years
Lyden supported himself in these early years by playing romantic leads in
stock company productions in Lincoln and on the road; he appeared in a few Chautauqua presentations. Soon after graduating from the University of Nebraska, he joined the United Chautauqua System, taking the leading role in its production of ''The Family Upstairs''.
[
]
Hollywood
When talking movies eclipsed live theater presentations in small towns, Pierce Lyden went on to Hollywood in 1932. There he played villains’ roles in B Western films, quickly becoming typecast as a "bad guy," specializing in fight scenes. He appeared in Saturday serials called cliffhangers as well as in feature films and television series.
The number of his movie roles has been estimated at between 300 and 400 (actors who did not have major parts were not listed in film credits); he also appeared in about 150 episodes of '' The Cisco Kid'', '' Wild Bill Hickok'', ''Bat Masterson
Bartholemew William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (November 26, 1853 – October 25, 1921) was a U.S. Army scout, lawman, professional gambler, and journalist known for his exploits in the 19th and early 20th-century American Old West. He was born to ...
'', '' The Lone Ranger'', and other television series.
He worked with the most famous Western movie actors, including Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and television host. Following early work under his given name, first as co-founder of the Sons of the Pioneers and then acting, the rebra ...
, Gene Autry
Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, rodeo performer, and baseball owner who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning s ...
, and Hopalong Cassidy
Hopalong Cassidy is a fictional cowboy hero created in 1904 by the author Clarence E. Mulford, who wrote a series of short stories and novels based on the character. Mulford portrayed the character as rude, dangerous, and rough-talking. He wa ...
. He was Photo Press Fan Poll "Villain of the Year" in 1944.
Retirement
In 1962, as the popularity of Westerns lessened, Lyden retired in Orange, California
Orange is a city located in North Orange County, California. It is approximately north of the county seat, Santa Ana. Orange is unusual in this region because many of the homes in its Old Town District were built before 1920. While many oth ...
, where he had lived throughout his acting career. He wrote "Action Shots" about film personalities for the Orange County, California
Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, ...
, ''Register'', and the film industry magazine ''Classic Images''; he published five books about his career and the making of films in his era. In his later years he was regularly invited to film festivals in the U.S. and abroad. Honors awarded him included membership in the Cowboy Hall of Fame and Heritage Foundation (1979) and the Golden Boot Award
Golden means made of, or relating to gold.
Golden may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
*Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall
*Golden Cap, Dorset
*Golden Square, Soho, London
*Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...
(1992).
In 1989 Naponee, Nebraska
Naponee (Mississauga: ''naapanne''; "flour") is a village in Franklin County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 106 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Naponee is located at (40.076010, -99.139150).
According to the United States Census Bu ...
, named a street for him and held a Pierce Lyden film festival; in 1997 he received Nebraska's Buffalo Bill Award. In 1996, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by lan ...
, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.
Death
Lyden died on October 10, 1998, aged 90, and was buried at Fairhaven Memorial Park in Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana () is the second most populous city and the county seat of Orange County, California. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census, making Santa Ana the 13th-m ...
.
Personal life
Lyden had one son, Donald Pierce Lyden, an attorney who had three children with his wife Kathleen.
Lyden was married January 29, 1929, but received an annulment March 18, 1931, alleging that he had not seen his wife, Margerie Ann, since two hours after the wedding.[ ]
Selected filmography
* ''Black Hills Express
''Black Hills Express'' is a 1943 American Western film directed by John English and starring Don 'Red' Barry, Wally Vernon and Ariel Heath.Martin p.306
The film's art direction was by Russell Kimball.
Partial cast
* Don 'Red' Barry as Lon ...
'' (1943)
* '' Trigger Law'' (1944)
* ''Roll on Texas Moon
'' Roll on Texas Moon '' is a 1946 American Western film directed by William Witney and starring Roy Rogers.
Cast
* Roy Rogers as Himself
* Trigger as Roy's Horse (The Smartest Horse in the Movies)
* George 'Gabby' Hayes as Gabby Whittaker
* D ...
'' (1946)
* '' Trigger Fingers'' (1946)
* '' Raiders of the South'' (1947)
* '' Song of the Wasteland'' (1947)
* '' Valley of Fear'' (1947)
* ''Blazing Across the Pecos
''Blazing Across the Pecos'' is a 1948 American Western film directed by Ray Nazarro and written by Norman S. Hall. The film stars Charles Starrett, Patricia Barry, Paul Campbell, Charles C. Wilson, Thomas E. Jackson, Red Arnall and Smiley ...
'' (1948)
* ''Silver Trails
''Silver Trails'' is a 1948 American Western film, directed by Christy Cabanne. It stars Jimmy Wakely, Dub Taylor, and Christine Larson, and was released on August 28, 1948. The film starred ''Whip Wilson'' (uncredited as the sheriff), who lat ...
'' (1948)
* ''Back Trail
''Back Trail'' is a 1948 American Western film, directed by Christy Cabanne. It stars Johnny Mack Brown, Raymond Hatton, and Mildred Coles, and was released on July 18, 1948.
Plot
Bob Frazer is a businessman in Brentwood. When he was younger a ...
'' (1948)
* ''Dead Man's Gold
''Dead Man's Gold'' is a 1948 American Western film starring Lash LaRue and Al "Fuzzy" St. John, the first of his Westerns for producer Ron Ormond.
Plot
When rancher Jim Thornton discovers gold in Gold Valley he sends for Lash and Fuzzy to pro ...
'' (1948)
* '' The Traveling Saleswoman'' (1950)
* ''Stagecoach Driver
''Stagecoach Driver'' is a 1951 American Western film directed by Lewis D. Collins and starring Whip Wilson, Fuzzy Knight and Gloria Winters.
The film's sets were designed by the art director Harry Reif.
Cast
*Whip Wilson as Whip Wilson
* ...
'' (1951)
* '' Canyon Raiders'' (1951)
* ''Kansas Territory
The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the free state of Kansas.
...
'' (1952)
* ''Waco
Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the s ...
'' (1952)
* ''The Women of Pitcairn Island
''The Women of Pitcairn Island'' is a 1956 American adventure drama film directed by Jean Yarbrough and starring Lynn Bari, John Smith and Sue England.
The film's sets were designed by the art director Dave Milton.
Plot
Nearly twenty years ...
'' (1956)
* '' Sergeant Preston of the Yukon'' (1957)
References
External links
* Pierce Lyden papers at the Nebraska State Historical Society
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyden, Pierce
1908 births
1998 deaths
20th-century American male actors
American male film actors
American male television actors
Male Western (genre) film actors
Male film serial actors
People from Franklin County, Nebraska
Male actors from Nebraska
University of Nebraska alumni
Emerson College alumni
Burials in California