Lorne Greene

Lorne Greene (born Lyon Himan Green) was a towering figure in North American entertainment whose resonant baritone earned him the nicknames Voice of Canada and, during wartime, the Voice of Doom. Born on 1915-02-12 in Ottawa, Ontario, to Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire, he grew up speaking both English and Yiddish and discovered his love for performance while teaching drama at Camp Arowhon and later at Queen’s University, where he helped produce radio drama for CFRC. After graduating he joined the CBC as a newsreader, becoming the principal voice that announced the grim casualty lists of World II, a role that cemented his reputation for gravitas. Following his wartime service as a flying officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force, Greene left the CBC, founded the Lorne Greene Academy of Radio Arts, and moved to the United States, where he appeared on Broadway, in early television dramas, and in his first Hollywood film, The Silver Chalice (1954).

Greene’s breakout television role arrived in 1959 when he was cast as patriarch Ben Cartwright on the colour western Bonanza, a part he inhabited for fourteen seasons and which made him a household name across the continent. He leveraged the fame into a brief music career, recording spoken‑word ballads such as “Ringo,” which topped the charts in 1964. Later he portrayed Commander Adama in the science‑fiction series Battlestar Galactica (1978‑1979) and its sequel Galactica 1980, and he hosted nature documentaries like Lorne Greene’s New Wilderness in the 1980s. His personal life included two marriages—first to Rita Hands (1938‑1960) with whom he had twins, and then to Nancy Deale (1961‑1987) with a third child—totaling three offspring. Greene was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1969, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and passed away on 1987-09-11 in Santa Monica, California, leaving an enduring legacy as a voice that defined both Canadian broadcasting and American television.