Lloyd Bridges

Lloyd Bridges

Date of birth: January 15, 1913 (Died March 10, 1998)

Born in San Leandro, California, the senior Bridges grew up in various Northern California towns. Acting is usually not something parents encourage to take up as a lifetime vocation, and Lloyd's father was no exception. His father was in the hotel business and had his sights set on his son becoming a lawyer, but the acting bug bit while Lloyd was attending the University of California at Los Angeles. From then on, there was no looking back.

It was also at university where Lloyd met his future wife -- Dorothy Simpson Bridges -- and the two would remain together for more than 50 years, making them a truly unique Hollywood couple who would give birth to three sons, two of whom -- Beau and Jeff -- would also go on to be actors.

Bridges' filmography doesn't look as extensive as you might imagine until you realize much of his work was done for the small screen. Although he started out in feature films (in 1941 he was signed by Columbia and appeared in over 25 low budget movies), he became a celebrity on TV, particularly with one of the most successful syndicated shows of all time -- Sea Hunt. During its four years of original production, 156 episodes of Sea Hunt were filmed.

Bridges' involvement with the Communist Party threatened to put his career off track in the early '50s when he was called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee in its second round of hearings. But he simply told the truth and didn't name any names and was allowed to resume work after an FBI clearance.

Working right up to the end, Lloyd appeared alongside his son Jeff in Blown Away and brought a delightful sense of comedic timing to such satirical fare as Airplane!, Hot Shots! and his last exclamation film, Mafia!

Filmography

Mafia! (1998)
Meeting Daddy (1998)
Blown Away (1994)
Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993)
Mr. Bluesman (1993)
Earth and the American Dream (1993)
Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992)
Hot Shots! (1991)
Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)
Cousins (1989)
Winter People (1989)
Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)
The Wild Pair (1987)
Weekend Warriors (1986)
Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)
Airplane! (1980)
Bear Island (1979)
The Fifth Musketeer (1979)
Running Wild (1973)
To Find a Man (1972)
The Happy Ending (1969)
Daring Game (1968)
Attack on the Iron Coast (1968)
Around the World Under the Sea (1966)
My Daddy Can Lick Your Daddy (1962)
A Pair of Boots (1962)
The Goddess (1958)
Ride Out for Revenge (1957)
The Rainmaker (1956)
Wetbacks (1956)
Wichita (1955)
Apache Woman (1955)
Third Party Risk (1955)
Pride of the Blue Grass (1954)
The Tall Texan (1953)
City of Bad Men (1953)
The Kid from Left Field (1953)
The Limping Man (1953)
Plymouth Adventure (1952)
High Noon (1952)
Last of the Comanches (1952)
Little Big Horn (1951)
Three Steps North (1951)
Try and Get Me (1951)
The Whistle at Eaton Falls (1951)
Colt .45 (1950)
Rocketship X-M (1950)
The White Tower (1950)
Mr. Whitney Had a Notion (1949)
Calamity Jane and Sam Bass (1949)
Hideout (1949)
Home of the Brave (1949)
Red Canyon (1949)
Trapped (1949)
16 Fathoms Deep (1948)
Moonrise (1948)
Secret Service Investigator (1948)
Unconquered (1947)
Ramrod (1947)
The Trouble with Women (1947)
Canyon Passage (1946)
Abilene Town (1946)
Miss Susie Slagle's (1945)
Secret Agent X-9 (1945)
Strange Confession (1945)
A Walk in the Sun (1945)
Louisiana Hayride (1944)
The Master Race (1944)
Once Upon a Time (1944)
Saddle Leather Law (1944)
She's a Soldier Too (1944)
Heat's On, The (1943)
Sahara (1943)
A Rookie's Cookie (1943)
Destroyer (1943)
His Wedding Scare (1943)
Commandos Strike at Dawn (1943) [uncredited]
Crime Doctor's Strangest Case (1943)
The Daring Young Man (1943)
Hail to the Rangers (1943)
Pardon My Gun (1943)
Passport to Suez (1943)
They Stooge to Conga (1943) [uncredited]
The Great Glover (1942)
His Girl's Worst Friend (1942)
The Talk of the Town (1942) [uncredited]
Alias Boston Blackie (1942)
Atlantic Convoy (1942)
Blondie Goes to College (1942)
Canal Zone (1942)
Flight Lieutenant (1942)
Honolulu Lu (1942)
A Man's World (1942)
North of the Rockies (1942)
Riders of the Northland (1942)
Shut My Big Mouth (1942)
Sing for Your Supper (1942)
The Spirit of Stanford (1942)
Stand By All Networks (1942)
Sweetheart of the Fleet (1942)
West of Tombstone (1942)
Harmon of Michigan (1941)
Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)
The Lone Wolf Takes a Chance (1941)
The Royal Mounted Patrol (1941)
They Dare Not Love (1941)
Two Latins from Manhattan (1941)
You Belong to Me (1941)