A. C. Lyles

Andrew Craddock Lyles Jr. (May 17, 1918 – September 27, 2013) was an American film producer for Paramount Pictures, who is best known for producing a variety of Westerns in the 1950s and '60s (eight of which co-starred Lon Chaney Jr.).

Career Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Lyles began working for Paramount Studios after high school. He began as an office boy, worked in the publicity department of Pine-Thomas Productions, the second feature unit of Paramount, and eventually became assistant to the producer on The Mountain, released in 1954. His first role as full producer was on James Cagney's sole directorial effort, the 1957 Short Cut to Hell (a remake of the 1941 noir classic This Gun for Hire). He also produced nine episodes of the television show Rawhide then the Korean War film The Young and the Brave for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

In an interview with Alex Simon and Donald Keith, Lyles recalled he was approached by Paramount to do a Western when they realized they had none on their schedule of releases. When Law of the Lawless did well at the box office, Paramount asked him how many more he could do a year. Lyles replied "five" and he was given the go ahead to produce more second features for the studio. Lyles filled his casts with many older, experienced actors who were his friends, such as Lon Chaney Jr. and Scott Brady, etc. Film director Joe Dante commented on the Westerns being "guilty pleasures" of his, stating that "Their total absence of style or substance makes for prototypical filmgoing, where the reward lies in the simple appreciation of basic craftsmanship and Hollywood myth-making."

Lyles continued to produce a variety of low-budget traditional Westerns for Paramount in the 1960s, as well as other movies in other genres, such as the detective drama Rogue's Gallery in 1968, and the science-fiction film Night of the Lepus, for MGM, that featured the American Southwest menaced by giant mutant rabbits.

On March 3, 1988, Lyles was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6840 Hollywood Blvd.

Lyles' last work was as consulting producer on the HBO television series Deadwood, created by David Milch.

Personal Lyles married actress Martha Vickers in March 1948, but the couple divorced that September.

He married Martha French in 1955 (their marriage lasting 58 years).

On September 27, 2013, Lyles died at his Los Angeles home. He was 95 and survived by his 2nd wife; he had no children.

Filmography Note = * indicates "co-starring Lon Chaney Jr."