Lloyd Bridges dies at 85

LLOYD BRIDGES, patriarch of a formidable acting dynasty, whose career spanned films and television from High Noon to Airplane, died aged 85 in his Los Angeles home, writes Tim Cornwell in Los Angeles.

The father of Beau and Jeff Bridges, both major acting names in their own right, Bridges' amazingly resilient acting career survived his being blacklisted in the McCarthy era and lasted well into his eighties.

The actor died of natural causes with his wife of 50 years, Dorothy, at his side, along with Beau and daughter Cindy. The couple lived in Westwood, near the University of California campus where they met as drama students. "We all feel really blessed to have been with my dad for these 85 years," Beau said.

Born Lloyd Vernet Bridges near San Francisco in 1913, Bridges fell in love with the films he watched at his father's theatre. He went to university as a law student, but became president of the drama society.

From the Broadway stage, he landed his first film role in 1941 and went on to appear in more than 100 movies. But he became a household name in America with the television series Sea Hunt, which began in 1957, playing underwater investigator Mike Nelson. He had never tried scuba diving until he got the part, but he used the series to introduce his sons to the camera.