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"Bonanza" Lorne Greene circa 1964

Trivia

Lorne Greene

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  • His daughter Gillian Greene (born 1968), is married to director Sam Raimi. One of the Raimis' sons is named Lorne, after him.
  • He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television at 1559 North Vine Street in Hollywood, California on February 12, 1985 (his 70th birthday).
  • He was the original inventor of the count-down clock that allowed a show, in filming, to know how much time was remaining in each segment of filming and in the total length of the show. This allowed the directors and actors to know how much time they had in which to complete a program or segment. His patent was the source of some wealth in the pre-computer era of filming.
  • Just before his death, he had signed on to reprise the role of Ben Cartwright in a television-movie revival of Bonanza (1959).
  • Ben Cartwright, Greene's character on Bonanza (1959), was ranked #2 by TV Guide in its list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" [June 20, 2004 issue].
  • Along with Betty White, he served as co-host of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC-TV for a decade (1963-1972).
  • When he was an announcer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in the early years of World War II, he was nicknamed "The Voice of Doom" for the combination of his deep voice and the usually gloomy news reports about the war he had to read.
  • Founded Toronto's Academy of Radio Arts.
  • He was posthumously awarded a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto, Ontario in 2015 (what would have been his 100th birthday).
  • Once played George Washington in a short film produced for the National Park Service.
  • He was awarded the OC (Officer of the Order of Canada) by the Governor General of Canada on June 27, 1969 for his services to the performing arts and community.
  • Invited to play Ben Cartwright after a well-received performance as Big Brother in a CBS production of George Orwell's "1984" on Studio One (1948).
  • Pictured (as Ben Cartwright, his character on Bonanza (1959)) on one of four 51¢ Canadian commemorative postage stamps honoring "Canadians in Hollywood", issued 22 May 2006. Others honored in this set are John Candy, Fay Wray and Mary Pickford.
  • He was the only actor to appear in every episode of both Battlestar Galactica (1978) and Galactica 1980 (1980).
  • Best remembered by the public for his starring role as father Ben Cartwright on Bonanza (1959).
  • Received his Bachelor's degree from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario (1937). He later received an honorary degree (Doctor of Laws) from the university (1971).
  • Had two children from his first marriage (to Rita Hands): Linda Susan Bennett (nee Greene, 1944-2004) and Charles Greene (1945).
  • He was scheduled to appear in a flashback scene using archival footage on the new Battlestar Galactica (2004) television series, but the plan fell through.
  • Attended and graduated from Lisgar Collegiate Institute in Ottawa, Ontario.
  • Following his death, he was interred at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California. He passed away on September 11, 1987, four months away from what would have been his 73rd birthday on February 12, 1988.
  • Being interviewed on the nationally syndicated Larry King Show. Besides all the accolades and awards from his illustrious career in Television. Lorne's most prized possession was elaborate mural of the Ponderosa with the Sierra Mountains in the background. Painted by a German artist.
  • Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume Two, 1986-1990, pages 355-356. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons (1999).
  • Passed away on the same date as Peter Tosh.
  • Discovered Dick Peabody while attending a social function at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 1966.

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