LLOYD OUT THE LIMELIGHT
Actor Norman Lloyd has died prematurely at the age of 106. Recently he was asked how it felt to be the oldest working actor in America and replied it was a reminder of age rather than an accolade! Lloyd’s career started with Orson Welles at the Mercury Theatre in the 1930s, before he transferred to playing villains for Alfred Hitchcock in films such as Saboteur, in which he fell off the top of the Statue of Liberty. Despite that setback, he also appeared in Spellbound and would later become producer of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, the TV anthology series which helped inspire The Twilight Zone and Tales of the Unexpected. The latter of which he also helped produce.
At the same time he starred opposite Charlie Chaplin in Limelight. He refused to testify before the McCarthy Witchhunt trials at the time, which led to a spell on the blacklist. Into his 70s he appeared on all your favourite US TV shows: Star Trek, Murder She Wrote, and he had main roles in St Elsewhere and forgotten 90s SF series Seven Days. He also appeared in Dead Poets Society, for which he only agreed to audition after beating the director at tennis.
For 95 years he played tennis twice weekly, and beat Hollywood legends like Spencer Tracy and the aforementioned Chaplin. A keen Sci-Fi fan, he financed Journey to the Unknown (a groundbreaking series from the 1960s), and brought his directorial eye to Columbo. His last film was Trainwreck, after which he retired. If we had to work with Amy Schumer, we’d retire too.
He was picked by 33 teams (two teams off a Drop 40 spot!) which included Wormfodder, Eternity Tours, LFN PLC, and SpookyGal.
Norman Lloyd
8 November 1914 – 11 May 2021
33 teams