Lloyd Vernet Bridges Jr. (January 15, 1913 – March 10, 1998) was an American film, stage and television actor who starred in a number of television series and appeared in more than 150 feature films. He was the father of four children, including the actors Beau Bridges and Jeff Bridges. He started his career as a contract performer for Columbia Pictures, appearing in films such as Sahara (1943), A Walk in the Sun (1945), Little Big Horn (1951) and High Noon (1952). On television, he starred in Sea Hunt (1958-1961). By the end of his career, he had re-invented himself and demonstrated a comedic talent in such parody films as Airplane! (1980), Hot Shots! (1991), and Jane Austen's Mafia! (1998). Among other honors, Bridges was a two-time Emmy Award nominee. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 1, 1994.
Early life
Bridges was born in San Leandro, California, to Harriet Evelyn (née Brown) Bridges (1893–1950) and Lloyd Vernet Bridges Sr. (1887–1962), who was involved in the California hotel business and once owned a movie theater.[1] His parents were both from Kansas. Bridges graduated from Petaluma High School in 1930.[2] He then studied political science at UCLA, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.
I didn't have enough maturity for a leading man. I looked too broad in the shoulders ... too much like a kid. I never could get into (Columbia studio boss) Harry Cohn's office. All the best roles went to Glenn Ford and William Holden. They just put me in these awful B-pictures, like Two Latins from Manhattan. I even did a Three Stooges short. Sometimes I'd be in two or three movies a week. It was tough sledding.[5]
He left Columbia Pictures during World War II to enlist in the United States Coast Guard. Following his discharge, he returned to acting. In later years, he was a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, did several public service announcements for the organization, and was made an honorary commodore. Bridges' Sea Hunt character Mike Nelson was also portrayed as a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary and sometimes appeared in uniform. Bridges' sons, actors Beau and Jeff, also served in the Coast Guard and Coast Guard Reserve.[6]
Commodore Lloyd Bridges, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary public service poster
On TV Bridges performed in "Broadway Trust" for Crossroads (1955), "The Dark Fleece" and "Edge of Terror" for Climax! (1955) (the latter directed by John Frankenheimer), "The Ainsley Case" for Front Row Center (1956), "Across the Dust" and "Prairie Dog Court" for Chevron Hall of Stars (1956), and "The Silent Gun" and "American Primitive" for Studio One in Hollywood (1956). He had the lead in the low budget Wetbacks (1956) and a support role in The Rainmaker (1956).
Bridges gained attention in 1956 for his emotional performance on the live anthology program The Alcoa Hour, in an episode titled "Tragedy in a Temporary Town" written by Reginald Rose and directed by Sidney Lumet.[9] During the performance, Bridges inadvertently used profanity while ad-libbing.[10] Although the slip of the tongue generated hundreds of complaints, the episode won a Robert E. Sherwood Television Award, with Bridges' slip being defended even by some members of the clergy.[10][11][12] Bridges received an Emmy Award nomination for the role.[13]
Bridges did "The Regulators" for Studio 57 (1956), "They Never Forget" for The United States Steel Hour (1957), "Ride the Wild Mare" for The Alcoa Hour (1957), "Man on the Outside" for Studio 57 (1957), "The Sound of Silence", "Figures in Clay" and "The Disappearance of Amanda Hale" for Climax!, "Heritage of Anger" (1956) and "Clash by Night" (1957) for Playhouse 90, the latter with Kim Stanley. Bridges also made several episodes of Zane Grey Theatre including "Time of Decision" (1957) and "Wire" (1958).
Bridges gained wide recognition as Mike Nelson, the main character in the television series Sea Hunt, created by Ivan Tors, which ran in syndication from 1958 to 1961. He also wrote a book with a co-author about skin-diving entitled Mask and Flippers.
Bridges followed it with "A Hero for Our Times" for Kraft Suspense Theatre (1963), "Wild Bill Hickok – the Legend and the Man" for The Great Adventure (1964), "Cannibal Plants, They Eat You Alive" for The Eleventh Hour (1964) and "Exit from a Plane in Flight" for Theater of Stars (1965).
Producer Gene Roddenberry offered Bridges a starring role on what became Star Trek.[17] Bridges declined, saying he got along well with Roddenberry on a personal level but had no desire to work in science fiction. The part went to Jeffrey Hunter for the pilot episode The Cage and ultimately to William Shatner for the first incarnation of the television series.
The Loner
Bridges in The Loner
Bridges starred in the western series The Loner, which lasted one season from 1965 to 1966 and was created and often written by Rod Serling. The Loner earned solid reviews but was cancelled due to low ratings and a perception the show was too realistic or mature for audiences who expected escapist action from westerns.
Bridges had a (then) rare comedy role on Here's Lucy with "Lucy's Big Break" (1972). He continued in TV movies: Haunts of the Very Rich (1972), Trouble Comes to Town (1973), Crime Club (1973), Running Wild (1973), Death Race (1973), The Whirlwind (1974, with son Beau), and Stowaway to the Moon (1975).
Bridges played significant roles in several mini-series, including Roots, and How the West Was Won. He returned to TV movies: The Force of Evil (1978), Telethon (1978), The Great Wallendas (1978) and The Critical List (1978).[19][20]
Bridges had his biggest film hit in a long time in Airplane! (1980), a spoof of disaster films. He appeared in a number of mini series such as East of Eden (1981), The Blue and the Gray (1982) and George Washington (1984). He guest starred on shows such as The Love Boat (1981), Loving (1983), and Matt Houston (1983) and continued to make TV movies like Life of the Party: The Story of Beatrice (1982), Grace Kelly (1983) and Grandpa, Will You Run with Me? (1983).
Bridges did Secret Sins of the Father (1994) with son Beau (who directed), and Cinderella ... Frozen in Time (1994). His last regular TV series was Harts of the West (1993–1994).
Bridges and his son Beau at the 44th Emmy Awards, August 30, 1992
Bridges met his wife, Dorothy Bridges (1915-2009), (née Simpson), in his fraternity; they married in 1938 in New York City.[25] They had four children: actors Beau Bridges (born in 1941) and Jeff Bridges (born in 1949); a daughter, Lucinda Louise Bridges (born in October 1953);[26] and another son, Garrett Myles Bridges, who died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome on August 3, 1948. Actor Jordan Bridges is Beau's son and Lloyd's grandson. Dorothy and Lloyd exchanged vows again for their 50th wedding anniversary.
Death
On March 10, 1998, Bridges died of natural causes at the age of 85.[27]
Tributes
An episode ("The Burning") in the final Seinfeld season (1998) was dedicated to the memory of Lloyd Bridges. He had played the character of Izzy Mandelbaum in the episodes "The English Patient" in 1997 and "The Blood" later the same year.
Bridges' last film, Jane Austen's Mafia!, which came out the year of his death, bears a dedication to him.
In 2011, Bridges was posthumously named as one of six recipients that year of the Lone Sailor Award, which honors former Coast Guard servicemen who forged successful careers as civilians. His sons Jeff and Beau also received the same award that year.[28][29]
^Shanley, John P. (October 25, 1961). "Lloyd Bridges Stars in 'The Fortress'". The New York Times.
^Smith, Cecil (April 22, 1962). "Lloyd Bridges: One last splash". Los Angeles Times. p. M3.
^Wolters, Larry (September 14, 1962). "Sink or Swim? Critic Views Lloyd Bridges". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. B12.
^Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman (2016). The Fifty-Year Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek: The First 25 Years. Thomas Dunne Books, ISBN 1250065844
^Knapp, Dan (October 25, 1970). "Lloyd Bridge". Los Angeles Times. p. H1.
^"Lloyd Bridges in TV Drama". Los Angeles Times. February 25, 1977. p. F26.
^"Lloyd Bridges Set for 'Critical List'". Los Angeles Times. March 22, 1978. p. G20.
^Shindler, Merrill (November 5, 1989). "Lloyd Bridges lives his fantasy in 'Cross of Fire'". Chicago Tribune. p. 3.
^Champlin, Charles (September 14, 1989). "Lloyd Bridges Dives Back Into Weekly TV". Los Angeles Times. p. E1.
^National Student Film Institute/L.A: The Sixteenth Annual Los Angeles Student Film Festival. The Directors Guild Theatre. June 10, 1994. pp. 10–11.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Los Angeles Student Film Institute: 13th Annual Student Film Festival. The Directors Guild Theatre. June 7, 1991. p. 3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
