Les Lye
Les Lye | |
---|---|
Lorne Greene Academy of Radio Arts | |
Occupation(s) | Actor comedian radio personality writer voice artist |
Years active | 1948–1990 |
Spouse | Jonni Lye (m. 1949) |
Leslie Ernest Lye (November 18, 1924 – July 21, 2009)[1] was a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, radio personality and announcer and voice artist. He was an original cast member and played numerous roles on the children's program You Can't Do That on Television. He had a television and radio career spanning over half a century.
Early life
Lye was born in Toronto, Ontario and after high school, served a short stint in the
Radio career
In 1948, he moved to
Television
Lye turned to the new medium of television in 1958. His first job, as a co-host on the talk show Contact, lasted three years.
In 1961,
When puppeteer
Lye was a regular character and played multiple roles in the Canadian 1979 sketch comedy TV show
In addition to Luxton, Lye worked with
You Can't Do That on Television
Lye eventually gained international acclaim appearing on You Can't Do That on Television. The Canadian children's show, which was wildly popular in the United States and a staple on Nickelodeon's programming line-up, enjoyed a ten season run from 3 February 1979 to 25 May 1990. Lye, along with Abby Hagyard (who joined the cast in 1982) and Ruth Buzzi, was one of only three adults to ever appear on the show (though Christine McGlade was an adult in her later seasons).[2] As a result, Lye played all the adult male characters, and was the only cast member to appear for the entire series run. His characters included the following:
- Ross Ewich, the show's stage director
- Lance Prevert, a slovenly, drunken, corrupt Canadian senator and father
- Barth, the owner and chef of the worst burger joint ever
- Blip, a greedy arcade owner
- Snake Eyes, a reckless school bus driver who often drove his bus into a wall or off a cliff
- Mr. Schidtler, a pompous and sarcastic school teacher with a vague resemblance to Adolf Hitler
- Unnamed school principal, who frequently imposed copying copious numbers of pages from extra-thick books as punishment for minor infractions
- Nasti, the Dungeon Master, a German jailer who is often seen chaining people in a dungeon
- El Capitano, a Latin American military officer in command of a firing squad
- Unnamed doctor/dentist, who has the same glasses, mustache, cigar, and wry sense of humor as Groucho Marx
- Opening and Closing Announcer, "...will not be shown at this time, in its place..."; "You Can't Do That on Television has been a ... production."
- Unnamed school coach, whose various teams never seem to win a game
- Unnamed summer camp counselor who often subjected campers to grueling miles-long hikes and dirty camp chores
Lye's castmates described him as "a legend", an "unsung hero", and "a hoot even when he wasn't on the set".[3]
Animation
In animation, he guest-starred as Samaritan Sneer on an episode of
Lifetime achievement
In 2003, Lye and Luxton were honored with lifetime achievement awards from the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (
In September 2019, the City of Ottawa commemorated Lye in a naming ceremony, which reopened one of the theatres in Centrepointe as the Les Lye Studio Theatre.
Death
Lye died in
References
- ^ a b c CTV Ottawa legend Les Lye passes away - CTV Ottawa, 22 July 2009
- ^ a b "Les Lye, Canadian TV Comic, Dies at 84". The New York Times. 24 July 2009. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
- ISBN 978-0142196854. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
External links
- Les Lye at IMDb