27 Facts About Lorne Greene

Lorne Greene worked on the Canadian television nature documentary series Lorne Greene's New Wilderness and in television commercials.

Lorne Greene was called "Chaim" by his mother, and his name is shown as "Hyman" on his school report cards.

Lorne Greene was the drama instructor at Camp Arowhon, a summer camp in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, where he developed his talents.

Lorne Greene began acting while attending Queen's University in Kingston, where he acquired a knack for broadcasting with the Radio Workshop of the university's Drama Guild on the campus radio station CFRC.

Lorne Greene gave up on a career in chemical engineering, and upon graduation, found a job as a radio broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Lorne Greene left the CBC and became a freelancer after the war when the network ordered staff announcers to turn over a large percentage of any income they earned from film narration.

Lorne Greene has appeared on CBC on a freelance basis while becoming the newsreader for private radio station CKEY in Toronto, while returning to acting work both on stage and in radio plays.

Lorne Greene likewise began appearing in isolated episodes on live television in the 1950s.

Lorne Greene garnered the role after his performance as O'Brien in the CBS production of Nineteen Eighty-Four.

In 1964, Lorne Greene had a number-one single on the music charts with his spoken-word ballad, "Ringo", and got play time from "Saga of the Ponderosa", which detailed the Cartwright founding of the famous ranch.

In 1973, after the cancellation of Bonanza following a 14-year run, Lorne Greene joined Ben Murphy in the ABC crime drama, Griff, about a Los Angeles, California, police officer, Wade "Griff" Griffin, who retires to become a private detective.

When it failed to gain sufficient ratings and was cancelled after 13 episodes, Lorne Greene thereafter hosted the syndicated nature documentary series Last of the Wild from 1974 to 1975.

Lorne Greene was known for his role as Commander Adama, another patriarchal figure, in the science-fiction television series Battlestar Galactica and Galactica 1980.

Lorne Greene appeared with his former Bonanza co-star Michael Landon on an episode of Highway to Heaven.

Lorne Greene appeared with his former Bonanza co-star Pernell Roberts on a two-part episode of Vega$.

Lorne Greene appeared in the 1986 HBO mockumentary The Canadian Conspiracy, about the supposed subversion of the United States by Canadian-born media personalities.

For nearly a decade, Lorne Greene co-hosted the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC with Betty White.

Lorne Greene was married twice, first to Rita Hands of Toronto.

Lorne Greene died on September 11,1987, aged 72, from complications from pneumonia, following ulcer surgery, at Saint Johns' Hospital in Santa Monica, California.

Lorne Greene was interred at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City.

Lorne Greene was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree by his alma mater, Queen's University, in 1971.

Lorne Greene was the 1987 recipient of the Earle Grey Award for Lifetime Achievement at the Canadian Gemini Awards.

Lorne Greene has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1559 N Vine Street.

In 1974, Lorne Greene received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.

In February 1985, Lorne Greene was the Krewe of Bacchus King of Mardi Gras.

In May 2006, Lorne Greene became one of the first of four entertainers to ever be honoured by Canada Post by being featured on a 51-cent postage stamp.

Lorne Greene was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame, found on King Street and Simcoe Street in Toronto, in 2015.