Les Tremayne

One of America's most heard men back in the day with thousands of radio programs to his credit and the possessor of one of the most prominent male voices of that medium's war-era "Golden Age," veteran actor 'Les Tremayne' (qv) was considered to have the third most distinctive tones on the airwaves, only behind 'Bing Crosby' (qv) and 'Franklin D. Roosevelt' (qv)!Born Lester Tremayne Henning in London, England, on April 16, 1913, the family moved to Chicago, Illinois when the boy was only four. Wanting to bury his British accent growing up in the States, Les took an an eager interest in community theatre. He began his professional career as a dancer in vaudeville, supplementing his income on the side as a barker in various amusement parks.Les received his first radio job in Chicago when he was 17 years old. While gaining experience, he attended Northwestern University where he studied Greek drama and also took up anthropology at Columbia University and UCLA. During the 1930s and 1940s, Tremayne was usually heard in more than one show per week. Growing in leaps and bounds as a voice that could handle many types, ages and accents, his first big break occurred in 1934 as the leading man on the soap drama "The Romance of Helen Trent." He then replaced actor 'Don Ameche' (qv) as the leading man on the popular weekly radio drama "The First Nighter," a stint that lasted six years. During that time, his more popular series work included that of super-sleuth Nick Charles in "The Adventures of the Thin Man." He also became the announcer on "The 'Bob Crosby' (qv) Show."Searching for bigger opportunities, Les transplanted himself to both Los Angeles New York in 1943, and continued to find radio work as the title role in "The Falcon," played detective Pat Abbott in "The Abbott Mysteries," appeared on 'Bob Crosby' (qv)'s programs "The Old Gold Show" and "The 'Bob Crosby' (qv) Show," and co-starred as the straight man alongside "The Great One" on "The Jackie Gleason/'Les Tremayne' (qv) Show" when Crosby enlisted for WWII service. Other shows would include a breakfast talk format, "The Tremaynes," with second wife 'Alice Reinheart' (qv), as well as the programs "Cavalcade of America," "Ford Theatre," "Inner Sanctum Mysteries," "Kraft Music Hall," "Lux Radio Theatre" and "The Whistle," among so many others.In the 1950s, Les took on films and the new medium of TV. Typically playing military types, erudite professionals, shifty execs and errant husbands, Tremayne's more officious roles included playing a police commission chief in _The Racket (1951)_ (qv); a colonel in _Francis Goes to West Point (1952)_ (qv); a lawyer in _Susan Slept Here (1954)_ (qv); a senator in _A Man Called Peter (1955)_ (qv) and another colonel in _The Perfect Furlough (1958)_ (qv). Best remembered for his characters in cult 1950s sci-fiers, he co-starred or was featured in _The War of the Worlds (1953)_ (qv), _The Monolith Monsters (1957)_ (qv), _The Monster of Piedras Blancas (1959)_ (qv) and _The Angry Red Planet (1959)_ (qv). His mellifluous voice was also utilized in films (_Forbidden Planet (1956)_ (qv)), in film trailers (_The Iron Petticoat (1956)_ (qv)) and for narrating documentaries (_Adventures in the Red Sea (1951)_ (qv)).On TV, Les earned frequent appearances on such established programs as "The Danny Thomas Show," "Mr. Adams and Eve," "The Thin Man," "Bachelor Father," "77 Sunset Strip," "The Jack Benny Program," "The Rifleman," "State Trooper," "M Squad," "Thriller," "Perry Mason," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," "Checkmate" and "The Andy Griffith Show." He also had a recurring TV role as Major Stone on _The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (1954)_ (qv) and co-starred as Inspector Richard Queen, the father of the famed mystery writer (played by 'George Nader' (qv) on the series _The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen (1958)_ (qv).A flurry of unworthy low-budget films came Tremayne's way in later years including _Shootout at Big Sag (1962)_ (qv), _King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963)_ (qv), _The Slime People (1963)_ (qv), _Creature of Destruction (1968)_ (qv), _Strawberries Need Rain (1971)_ (qv) and _Fangs (1974)_ (qv). Les also found work with the CBS Mystery Radio Theatre. He also provided voices for "Mr. Magoo," "Johnny Quest," "The Smurfs," "Go-Bots," "Scooby Doo," and" "Rikki Tiki Tavi."Inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1995, Les would take his final bow in the comedy film horror _The Naked Monster (2005)_ (qv) which featured several other cult actors of 50's sci-fi/horror including 'Kenneth Tobey' (qv), 'John Agar' (qv), 'Robert Clarke' (qv), 'Robert Cornthwaite' (qv), 'Jeanne Carmen' (qv), 'Lori Nelson' (qv), 'Ann Robinson' (qv) and 'Gloria Talbott' (qv).Les died of heart failure in Santa Monica, California, on December 19, 2003, at the age of 90, and was survived by his fourth wife, Joan Hertz.::Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net