Formative years

Majors was born in Wyandotte, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. His mother and father, Carl and Alice Yeary, had been each killed in separate accidents. (His father died in a piece accident six months previous to his start, and his mom was killed in a automobile accident when he was virtually eighteen months outdated.) On the age of two, Majors was adopted by his uncle and aunt, Harvey and Mildred Yeary, and he moved with them to Middlesboro, Kentucky.^[1]

He participated in monitor and soccer at Middlesboro Excessive Faculty. He graduated in 1957, and earned a scholarship to Indiana College, the place he once more competed in sports activities. Majors transferred to Jap Kentucky College in Richmond, Kentucky, in 1959.^[1] He performed in his first soccer recreation the next yr, however suffered a extreme again damage which left him paralyzed for 2 weeks and ruined his school athletic profession. Following his damage, he turned his consideration to performing and carried out in performs on the Pioneer Playhouse in Danville, Kentucky. Majors graduated from Jap Kentucky in 1962 with a level in Historical past and Bodily Training.^[2] He deliberate to be a soccer coach.^[3]

After school, he obtained a suggestion to check out for the St. Louis Cardinals soccer crew. As an alternative, he moved to Los Angeles and located work on the Los Angeles Park and Recreation Division because the Recreation Director for North Hollywood Park. In Los Angeles, Majors met many actors and trade professionals, together with Dick Clayton, who had been James Dean’s agent, and Clayton steered he attend his performing college. After one yr of performing college, Clayton felt that Majors was prepared to begin his profession. Right now, he picked up the stage title Lee Majors as a tribute to childhood hero Johnny Majors who was a participant and future coach for the College of Tennessee. Majors additionally studied at Estelle Harman’s performing college at MGM.^[2]

Profession

Early roles

At age 25, Majors landed his first, though uncredited, function in Strait-Jacket (1964), as Joan Crawford’s dishonest husband. After showing in a 1965 episode of Gunsmoke, he starred later that yr as Howard White in an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, “The Monkey’s Paw – A Retelling”, primarily based on the quick story by W. W. Jacobs.

Majors acquired his huge break when he was chosen out of over 400 younger actors, together with Burt Reynolds, for the co-starring function of Heath Barkley in a brand new ABC western collection, The Huge Valley, which starred Barbara Stanwyck. Additionally starring on the present was one other newcomer, Linda Evans, who performed Heath’s youthful sister, Audra. Richard Lengthy and Peter Breck performed his brothers Jarrod and Nick, respectively. One among Heath’s often used expressions through the collection was “Boy howdy!” Huge Valley was an instantaneous hit. Throughout the collection, Majors co-starred within the 1968 Charlton Heston movie Will Penny, for which he obtained an “Introducing” credit score, and landed the lead function in The Ballad of Andy Crocker (1969), a made-for-television movie which was first broadcast by ABC. The movie was one of many first movies to take care of the subject material of Vietnam veterans “coming house”. That very same yr, he was provided the possibility to star in Midnight Cowboy (1969), however The Huge Valley was renewed for one more season and he was pressured to say no the function (which later went to Jon Voight). When The Huge Valley was cancelled in 1969, he signed a long-term contract with Common Studios. In 1970, Majors appeared in William Wyler’s ultimate film The Liberation of L.B. Jones, and joined the forged of The Virginian for its ultimate season when the present was restructured as “The Males From Shiloh” that includes 4 alternating leads. Majors performed new ranch hand Roy Tate.

Majors was referred to as a “blond Elvis Presley” due to his resemblance to Elvis throughout this era of his profession.^[4]

Seventies: The Six Million Greenback Man

Majors with Britt Ekland in The Six Million Greenback Man (1973)

In 1971, he landed the function of Arthur Hill’s accomplice, Jess Brandon, on Owen Marshall: Counselor at Regulation, which garnered essential acclaim throughout its three seasons on ABC.

Majors’s co-starring function on Owen Marshall led him to a starring function as United States Air Drive Colonel Steve Austin, an ex-astronaut with bionic implants in The Six Million Greenback Man, a 1973 tv film broadcast on ABC. In 1974, the community determined to show it right into a weekly collection. The collection grew to become a world success, being screened in over 70 nations, turning Majors right into a pop icon. Majors additionally made his directorial debut in 1975, on an episode referred to as “One among Our Working Backs Is Lacking” which co-starred skilled soccer gamers equivalent to Larry Csonka and Dick Butkus.

In 1977, with The Six Million Greenback Man nonetheless successful collection, Majors tried to renegotiate his contract with Common Tv. The studio in flip filed a lawsuit to drive him to report back to work as a consequence of stipulations inside his current contract that had not but expired. It was rumored that Majors was holding out for more cash, however his supervisor denied this: in line with him, Majors was preventing to have his personal manufacturing firm, Fawcett Majors Productions, introduced on as an impartial producer in affiliation with Common so as to make the corporate viable. After Majors didn’t report back to work that June, studio executives finally relented.^[5] Nevertheless, scores started to say no and The Six Million Greenback Man was cancelled in 1978 (as was The Bionic Lady). In November 2010, Time-Life launched a 40 DVD set that includes each episode and bonus options from the present.^[6][7]

He additionally appeared in a number of movies through the Seventies. The TV film Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident (1976, as Francis Gary Powers), the Viking movie The Norseman (1978) co-starring Cornel Wilde, the horror thriller Killer Fish (1979), the drama Metal (1979), which he produced, co-starring Jennifer O’Neill and Artwork Carney, and the political thriller Company (1980), starring Robert Mitchum.

Nineteen Eighties: The Fall Man

In 1981, Majors returned in one other long-running tv collection. Producer Glen A. Larson (who had first labored with Majors on Alias Smith and Jones, the place Majors visitor starred in a single episode, and in a while The Six Million Greenback Man) requested him to star within the pilot of The Fall Man. Majors performed Colt Seavers, a Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a bounty hunter. Majors was additionally a producer and a director on the present, and even sang its theme music, the self-effacing “Unknown Stuntman.” Majors would invite a number of longtime pals, Linda Evans, Peter Breck, Lindsay Wagner and Richard Anderson, to guest-star in numerous episodes. The collection ran for 5 seasons till it was cancelled in 1986.

His Nineteen Eighties movies embrace the made-for-TV sequel Excessive Midday, Half II: The Return of Will Kane (1980), taking part in Gary Cooper’s unique function, the science fiction movie The Final Chase (1981), and the catastrophe film Starflight: The Aircraft That Could not Land (1983). Between 1987 and 1994, Majors and Lindsay Wagner reunited in three The Six Million Greenback Man/The Bionic Lady TV motion pictures. Majors additionally made cameo appearances in Circle of Two (1980) and as himself within the 1988 vacation comedy Scrooged.

Nineteen Nineties–current

Majors on the Florida Supercon in 2017

In 1990, he starred within the movie Keaton’s Cop, and had recurring roles in Tour of Responsibility and the short-lived 1992 collection, Raven. He additionally had supporting roles within the movies Trojan Struggle (1997), Out Chilly (2001), Huge Fats Liar (2002), and The Brothers Solomon (2007). He voiced the character of “Huge” Mitch Baker within the 2002 online game Grand Theft Auto: Vice Metropolis. He performed Jaret Reddick’s disconnected father in Bowling For Soup’s 2007 video, “When We Die”. That very same yr, he performed Grandpa Max in Ben 10: Race In opposition to Time, and voiced a personality on the APTN animated youngsters’s program Wapos Bay: The Collection that was named “Steve from Austin”. He additionally performed a minor function in Stephen King’s The Mist.^{[citation needed]}

Majors performed Coach Ross on the CW Community tv collection The Recreation, which ran from October 1, 2006, to Could 20, 2009.^[8]

Majors appeared within the function of God in “Jim Almighty” a 2007 episode of Based on Jim. He later returned to the function in that present’s 2009 collection finale, “Heaven Against Hell”. Additionally in 2008, Majors performed a member of the Minutemen (devoted to stopping unlawful border crossings) in season 4 of the Showtime collection Weeds, the place he recruits Kevin Nealon’s character. Majors reprised his function (voice solely) as Col. Steve Austin within the “Bionic Lady” phase of the Robotic Hen season 4 episode “Love, Maurice” (2009).

In March 2010, Majors performed the crusty crusing teacher within the Neighborhood episode “Newbie Pottery”. In April 2010, he appeared because the mentor of the collection lead in “Christopher Likelihood”, the twelfth episode of Human Goal. Later that yr, he offered the voice of Basic Abernathy in G.I. Joe: Renegades. He later reprised the function in a 2011 episode. In 2011, he appeared as “Rockwell” in Jerusalem Countdown. From 2011 to 2014 he appeared in three episodes of the Fox comedy Elevating Hope, as Burt’s father, Ralph.^[9] On February 1, 2013, it was introduced that Majors would seem in a two-episode visitor spot in season two of TNT’s Dallas as Ken Richards, an outdated flame of Sue Ellen’s.^[10] In 2015, he appeared as J.D. within the faith-based drama Do You Consider? and the hip-hop dance-themed collection Avengers of eXtreme Illusions. Majors appeared within the second and third seasons of Ash vs Evil Lifeless as Brock Williams, the daddy of Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell). In late 2018, Majors voiced an animated Six Million Greenback Man motion determine in an commercial for Honda’s “Glad Honda Days” sale occasion.^[11] In 2019, Majors voiced Jeff Tracy in Thunderbirds Are Go.

Private life

Marriages

• Kathy Robinson (married 1961, divorced 1964) – One baby collectively, Lee Majors Jr. (born April 8, 1962), who later grew to become an actor and appeared alongside his father within the three Six Million Greenback Man/Bionic Lady reunion telefilms, credited as Lee Majors II.
• Farrah Fawcett (married July 28, 1973, separated 1979, divorced February 16, 1982) – Throughout the first six years of their marriage, she glided by the title of Farrah Fawcett-Majors.^[12] Fawcett died on June 25, 2009.^[13] Majors’ one-hit-wonder, Unknown Stuntman makes reference to her.
• Karen Velez (married 1988, divorced 1994) – Playboy Playmate; one daughter, Nikki Loren, and twin sons, Dane Luke and Trey Kulley.^[14]
• Religion Cross (married on November 1, 2002) – actress and mannequin.^[12]

Well being

In 2003, Majors had coronary heart bypass surgical procedure.^[15]

Los Angeles Specific

In April 1983, Majors grew to become half proprietor of the LA Specific of america Soccer League.^[16]

Common tradition

The music “Midnight Prepare to Georgia” was impressed by Lee Majors and Farrah Fawcett.^[17] Songwriter Jim Weatherly phoned his pal Majors at some point, and the decision was answered by Fawcett. Weatherly and Fawcett chatted briefly and she or he informed him she was going to go to her mom and was taking “the midnight aircraft to Houston.” Though Majors and Fawcett had been each profitable by that point, Weatherly used them as “characters” in his music a few failed actress who leaves Los Angeles, and is adopted by her boyfriend who can’t dwell with out her.^[18] Ultimately the genders had been swapped, the aircraft grew to become a practice, and Houston was modified to Georgia. The recording by Gladys Knight & The Pips went to Quantity One in 1973.^[19]

The title of the Beastie Boys music “Lee Majors Come Once more” is a reference to Majors.^[20]

In his 2017 stand-up comedy particular for Netflix, Hitler’s Canine, Gossip & Trickery, Norm Macdonald does a “bit” which posits Lee Majors getting a name from his agent about a suggestion to do a business a few listening to assist referred to as “The Bionic Ear.”

Filmography

Movie

Tv

April 2010
Human Goal
Christopher Likelihood (Mentor)
“Christopher Likelihood”- twelfth Episode
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Video video games