Bridges, Lloyd Vernet, Jr.

▪ 1999

      American actor (b. Jan. 15, 1913, San Leandro, Calif.—d. March 10, 1998, Los Angeles, Calif.), was cast in a wide range of supporting roles on the big screen, including a conniving deputy (High Noon), a space pilot (Rocketship X-M), an ex-Nazi and mountaineer (The White Tower), a brutal kidnapper (The Sound of Fury), and a malevolent cowboy (Colt .45), before achieving crossover success on television as the daring skindiver on "Sea Hunt" (1957-61). Although Bridges attended the University of California, Los Angeles, with the intention of becoming a lawyer, he grew interested in acting and after graduation went to the East Coast to perform in theatrical productions. He made his Broadway debut in 1937 in Othello, in which he had a walk-on role. Bridges soon drew the notice of Hollywood and in 1941 signed with Columbia Pictures. Although many of his early performances were in forgettable movies, he won critical praise for his supporting roles in the classics High Noon and A Walk in the Sun (as a GI during World War II). Bridges's career stagnated when he was blacklisted in the 1950s during the McCarthy era, largely for his membership in the Communist Party and the Actors' Lab, a radical theatre group. Even though he felt that he was typecast in the role of U.S. Navy frogman Mike Nelson in the immensely popular television series "Sea Hunt," he remained with the show for 156 episodes. Until his death Bridges continued to appear in film and television, branching into comic roles, including memorable performances in the film Airplane! and the television comedy "Seinfeld." Bridges's sons, Jeff and Beau, became successful actors.

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