Larry Blyden

Genial, dark-haired, often bespectacled Ivan Lawrence Blieden (pronounced Blee-den), better known as actor Larry Blyden, was born in Houston, Texas, the son of a lawyer. He developed an early interest in acting, appearing in various theater productions as a teen but never entertained the notion of pursuing a career. Following a stint with the Marine Corps, however, he went to college at the University of Houston and supplemented his income with a job as a local radio announcer, finding himself highly proficient at foreign accents. Bitten by the acting bug, he decided to give performing a serious try this time, first training at London's Royal Academy of Arts, then moving to New York. It was Broadway that subsequently gave Larry marquee value, contributing strongly to a string of successes. These included not only such staple comedies as "Mr. Roberts", "Oh Men! Oh Women!" and "Absurd Person Singular", but the musicals "Flower Drum Song" (Tony nomination), "The Apple Tree" and "A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum", the last earning him the Tony award in 1972.

In 1972, he became a familiar daytime face after replacing Wally Bruner as host of the syndicated What's My Line? (1968).

Larry was a noted game show enthusiast and was seen frequently as a panelist on Password (1961) and To Tell the Truth (1969), among many others.

Into the 1960's he appeared on such programs as "Thriller," "The Loretta Young Show," "The Twilight Zone," "Adventures in Paradise," "The United States Steel Hour," "Route 66," "Dr. Kildare," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," "12 O'CLock High," "The Fugitive" and "The Man from U. N. C. L. E. "Larry projected a very temperate, clean-cut image which some critics deemed as bland.

As a result, film roles were scarce - three to be exact: Kiss Them for Me (1957) starring Cary Grant and Jayne Mansfield, The Bachelor Party (1957) with Don Murray and Carolyn Jones, and Barbra Streisand's On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970).

Larry married Bob Fosse dancer/extraordinaire Carol Haney in 1955. They remained a popular Gotham couple until their split seven years later.

From the early 1950s throughout the decade, Larry was a valuable presence in TV anthologies ("The Silver Theatre," "The Philco Television Playhouse," "The Goodyear Playhouse," "Armstrong Circle Theatre," "Playhouse 90," "The Alcoa Hour," "Play of the Week") but, as his career progressed, he also found a comfortable niche in breezy comedy, landing a couple of sitcoms Joe & Mabel (1956) (as Joe) and Harry's Girls (1963) (as Harry), short-lived as they were.