Ben Lyon (February 6, 1901 â€" March 22, 1979) was an American film
actor and a studio executive at 20th Century Fox, who later acted in
British radio, films and TV.Lyon was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son
of Alvine W. (Wiseberg) and Ben Lyon, a travelling salesman. His
family was Jewish. Lyon entered films in 1918 after a successful
appearance on Broadway opposite Jeanne Eagels. He attracted attention
in the highly successful film Flaming Youth (1923), and steadily
developed into a leading man. He was most successfully paired with
some of the leading actresses of the silent era including Pola Negri,
Gloria Swanson, Colleen Moore, Barbara La Marr, Viola Dana, Anna Q.
Nilsson, Mary Astor and Blanche Sweet. In 1925, a writer for Photoplay
wrote of him, "Girls, Ben Lyon looks harmless but we have reliable
information that he's irresistible, so watch your step. Besides he's a
mighty fine actor and if the ladies must fall in love with him he
can't help it."He had success as an actor in the 1930 film Hell's
Angels. The film was a major success and brought Jean Harlow to
prominence, but Lyon's performance as an heroic World War I aviator
was also highly regarded. For the next decade he was constantly in
demand, but his popularity began to wane by the early 1940s. By the
mid-1940s he was working for 20th Century Fox. On July 17, 1946 he met
a young aspiring actress named Norma Jeane Dougherty. After his first
meeting with her he stated that she was "Jean Harlow all over again!".
He organized a color screen test for the actress, renamed her, and
finally signed her as Marilyn Monroe to her first studio contract.
actor and a studio executive at 20th Century Fox, who later acted in
British radio, films and TV.Lyon was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son
of Alvine W. (Wiseberg) and Ben Lyon, a travelling salesman. His
family was Jewish. Lyon entered films in 1918 after a successful
appearance on Broadway opposite Jeanne Eagels. He attracted attention
in the highly successful film Flaming Youth (1923), and steadily
developed into a leading man. He was most successfully paired with
some of the leading actresses of the silent era including Pola Negri,
Gloria Swanson, Colleen Moore, Barbara La Marr, Viola Dana, Anna Q.
Nilsson, Mary Astor and Blanche Sweet. In 1925, a writer for Photoplay
wrote of him, "Girls, Ben Lyon looks harmless but we have reliable
information that he's irresistible, so watch your step. Besides he's a
mighty fine actor and if the ladies must fall in love with him he
can't help it."He had success as an actor in the 1930 film Hell's
Angels. The film was a major success and brought Jean Harlow to
prominence, but Lyon's performance as an heroic World War I aviator
was also highly regarded. For the next decade he was constantly in
demand, but his popularity began to wane by the early 1940s. By the
mid-1940s he was working for 20th Century Fox. On July 17, 1946 he met
a young aspiring actress named Norma Jeane Dougherty. After his first
meeting with her he stated that she was "Jean Harlow all over again!".
He organized a color screen test for the actress, renamed her, and
finally signed her as Marilyn Monroe to her first studio contract.
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