Lyn Osborn (January 21, 1926 – August 30, 1958) was an American actor, born Clois Lyn Osborn in

Wichita Falls, Texas Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls metropolitan area, Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Archer County, Tex ...

. He is best remembered as "Cadet Happy" on '' Space Patrol'', and from his role in ''

Invasion of the Saucer Men ''Invasion of the Saucer Men'' (U.K. title: ''Invasion of the Hell Creatures''; working title: ''Spacemen Saturday Night''), is a 1957 black-and-white comic science fiction/ comedy horror film produced by James H. Nicholson for release by Amer ...

''. He died following brain surgery at age 32.Lyn Osborn
at Solarguard.com

Early life

Clois Lyn Osborn was born January 21, 1926, in

. At age 3, his family moved to

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, living in

Muskegon Muskegon ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Muskegon County, Michigan, United States. Situated around a harbor of Lake Michigan, Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, and boating. It is the most populous city along Lake Michigan' ...

and

Lincoln Park Lincoln Park is a park along Lake Michigan on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. Named after US president Abraham Lincoln, it is the city's largest public park and stretches for from Grand Avenue (500 N), on the south, to near Ardmore Avenu ...

. At age 10, his mother enrolled him and his sister in a community theater group, which started his interest in performing. He played clarinet, flute and piccolo in the high school band. In 1943 after graduating from Lincoln Park High School, where he was known by the family nickname "Buddy", Lyn joined the navy. He served as an aerial gunner and radar operator, and flew on

Grumman Avenger The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air and naval av ...

s. The war ended before he went into combat.

Space Patrol

After the navy, Lyn held several jobs before hitchhiking to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, where he did more of the same. He enrolled at the Pasadena Playhouse on the

G.I. Bill The G.I. Bill, formally the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I. (military), G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in ...

for 3 years, and appeared in 15 plays there. Ten days before graduation, he got his big break cast as "Cadet Happy" on '' Space Patrol''. The series began as a daily live 15 minute show broadcast from Los Angeles. Soon, half-hour weekly shows were added. There was also a live radio version that ran from 1952 to 1955. The television series ran until 1955, after nearly 1,200 episodes were produced.Space Patrol
at Solarguard.com

Later roles and death

After Space Patrol, he appeared in several TV and film projects, such as ''

The Amazing Colossal Man ''The Amazing Colossal Man'' (also known as ''The Colossal Man'') is a 1957 American black-and-white science fiction film from American International Pictures. Produced and directed by Bert I. Gordon, it stars Glenn Langan, Cathy Downs, Willi ...

'', ''

The Adventures of Jim Bowie ''The Adventures of Jim Bowie'' is an American Westerns on television, Western television series that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from 1956 in television, 1956 to 1958 in television, 1958. Its setting was the 1830s-era Louisiana T ...

'' and

Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter and television producer best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his Anthology series, anthology television series ''The Twilight Zone (1 ...

's acclaimed

Requiem for a Heavyweight "Requiem for a Heavyweight" is a teleplay written by Rod Serling and produced for the live television show ''Playhouse 90'' on 11 October 1956. Six years later, it was adapted into the 1962 feature film of the same name starring Anthony Quinn, ...

episode of ''

Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' is an American television anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 134 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of t ...

''. On December 21, 1954, Lyn appeared as himself and in character as Space Patrol's Cadet Happy on the daytime talk show, "The Betty White Show". His most memorable appearance was in 1957's ''

'', playing the role of Artie, also the narrator of the film. He died following an operation for a brain tumor at

UCLA Medical Center Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (also commonly referred to as UCLA Medical Center, RRMC or Ronald Reagan) is a hospital located on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, United S ...

, August 30, 1958 at the age of 32. Lyn is interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California.

Filmography

* 1962 ''

Paradise Alley ''Paradise Alley'' is a 1978 American sports drama film written, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone (in his feature directorial debut). The film tells the story of three Italian American brothers in Hell's Kitchen in the 1940s who be ...

'' (Filmed in 1958) – Neighborhood Man * 1959 ''

Arson for Hire ''Arson for Hire'' is a 1959 American crime drama film directed by Thor L. Brooks. The film stars Steve Brodie, Lyn Thomas and Tom Hubbard, who also wrote. Arson squad investigator Johnny Broderick and his partner Ben Howard, investigate a wareh ...

'' – Jim, the Fireman * 1959 '' The Cosmic Man'' – Sgt. Gray * 1958 ''

The Ann Sothern Show ''The Ann Sothern Show'' is an American sitcom starring Ann Sothern that aired on CBS for three seasons from October 6, 1958, to March 30, 1961. Created by Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf, the series was the second starring vehicle for Sothern, wh ...

'' (TV series) – A New Lease on Life (1958) ... Jimmy * 1958 ''

Torpedo Run ''Torpedo Run'' is a 1958 American war film directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Glenn Ford as a World War II submarine commander in the Pacific who is obsessed with sinking a particular Japanese aircraft carrier. The film's working title was ' ...

'' – Hannigan – Sub Crewman (uncredited) * 1958 ''

The Life of Riley ''The Life of Riley'' is an American radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film, as well as two different television series, and a comic book. Radio series The radio program initially aired on the B ...

'' (TV series) – Annie's Radio Romance (1958) ...Page * 1958 ''

Too Much, Too Soon ''Too Much, Too Soon'' is a 1958 American biographical film about Diana Barrymore produced by Warner Bros. It was directed by Art Napoleon and produced by Henry Blanke from a screenplay by Art Napoleon and Jo Napoleon, based on the autobiogr ...

'' – Telegram Delivery Man (uncredited) * 1957–1958 ''

'' (TV series) – A Grave for Jim Bowie (1958) ... Wiley 'Little' Hart – Epitaph for an Indian (1957) ... Epp Waite * 1958 ''

Leave It to Beaver ''Leave It to Beaver'' is an American television sitcom that follows the misadventures of a suburban boy, his family and his friends. It starred Barbara Billingsley, Hugh Beaumont, Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers. CBS first broadcast the show ...

'' (TV series) – The Paper Route (1958) ... Newspaper Customer #2 * 1958 ''

Men of Annapolis A man is an adult male human. Before adulthood, a male child or adolescent is referred to as a boy. Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the father ...

'' (TV series) – Last Chance (1958) ... Red * 1957 ''

'' Sgt. Taylor * 1957 ''The Silent Service'' (TV series) – The Perch's New Role (1957) ... Joe Cox * 1957 ''

Telephone Time ''Telephone Time'' is an American anthology drama series that aired on CBS in 1956, and on ABC from 1957 to 1958. The series features plays adapted from short stories by John Nesbitt who hosted the first season. Frank C. Baxter became the ...

'' (TV series) – Here Lies Francois Gold (1957) * 1957 ''

'' – Artie Burns * 1957 '' Top Secret Affair'' – Stumpy (uncredited) * 1956 ''

'' (TV series)- The Big Slide (1956) ... Undetermined Role. –

(1956) – Photographer * 1951 '' Up Front'' -Moore (uncredited) * 1950–1955 '' Space Patrol'' – Cadet Happy (1,110 episodes)

References

External links

Lyn Osborn
at Solarguard.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Osborn, Lyn 20th-century American male actors People from Wichita Falls, Texas Male actors from Texas 1926 births 1958 deaths American male film actors United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy sailors Deaths from brain cancer in California