- Born
- Died
- Birth nameClayton Johnson Heermance Jr.
- Most of Clayton's family was in show biz, but he initially decided to
go into his father's field, law. He worked his way through Fordham
University as a radio actor and singer, then took a job as a law clerk.
Two years later, realizing that radio was very much more lucrative a
career, he changed his last name to Collyer and became a full-time
actor. He was performing on every major network by the age of 32.
Collyer assumed his most famous radio role in 1940, the title character
in "The Adventures of Superman." Collyer used different voices for
Superman and Clark Kent, while making good use of the well-known lines
"This is a job for Superman!" and "Up, up, and away!" He would continue
as Superman until 1949, one year before the series ended, also playing
the character in animated shorts by Max Fleischer. Collyer became involved in
radio game shows at about the same time. He was co-host of ABC's "Break
the Bank" for five years and host of "Winner Take All." Among the few
radio personalities to successfully transition into television, he
hosted the TV versions of his two radio shows. In early 1950, Collyer
became host of Beat the Clock (1950), which ran in prime time and daytime for the
next 11 years. In late 1956, he also became the host of his biggest
success, To Tell the Truth (1956). This lasted for 12 years and made his "Will the real
[contestant's name] please stand up?" a part of the American lexicon.
One year after his last appearance on To Tell the Truth (1956), Collyer died of a
circulatory ailment at age 61.- IMDb Mini Biography By: J. Pope
- SpousesMarion Shockley(June 14, 1946 - September 8, 1969) (his death)Heloise Law Green(April 17, 1936 - May 4, 1946) (divorced, 3 children)
- Children
- His desire to take some time off from the Superman radio show led to the
creation of part of Superman lore: his vulnerability to kryptonite. For
episodes in which Collyer did not appear, Superman was said to be held prisoner under a trap door with a piece of the deadly metal. This later became part of the comics continuity and an important part of all subsequent portrayals of the
character. - Portrayed the character of Superman three times, but was never seen by
the audience in the role. He voiced the character for the popular radio
show, the Fleischer Studios cartoons, and the late 1960s cartoon series
The New Adventures of Superman (1966). - He was the superintendent of a Sunday School.
- Brother of June Collyer.
- Collyer is his mother's maiden name.
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