A lanky, prolific actor with blond hair, a perennially furrowed brow and more than a touch of grit in his voice, a reliable tough hero, authority figure and villain for half a century, Lloyd Bridges spent an ever-increasing amount of time in in school plays while studying political science at UCLA. Encouraged by esteemed playwright Sidney Howard, he joined a touring company of "The Taming of the Shrew" upon graduation. He soon signed a standard seven-year contract with Columbia and made over 30 film appearances in 1941 and 1942 alone. Bridges wasn't getting anywhere in his series of small
