David Hedison, who starred as Captain Lee Crane on the 1960s ABC submarine series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, died Thursday in Los Angeles, a family spokesperson announced. He was 92.
The handsome actor also portrayed scientist André Delambre, who got turned into an insect in The Fly (1958) long before Jeff Goldblum ever did, and he played CIA operative Felix Leiter in the James Bond films Live and Let Die (1973) and Licence to Kill (1989).
From 1964 to 1968, Hedison’s character worked aboard the submarine Seaview under the command of Adm. Harriman Nelson (Richard Basehart) on 110 episodes of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. The show was created by Irwin Allen, based on his 1961 movie of the same name.
Born Al David Hedison on May 20, 1927, in Providence, Rhode Island, Hedison discovered the theater while attending Brown University and studied in New York under Sanford Meisner at The Neighborhood Playhouse and with Lee Strasberg at The Actors Studio.
He worked alongside Uta Hagen and Michael Redgrave in-off Broadway productions by Clifford Odets and Christopher Fry, among others, and made his big-screen debut in the World War II naval drama The Enemy Below (1957), starring Robert Mitchum.
After starring in the original The Fly and Son of Robin Hood in 1958, he signed a contract at Twentieth Century Fox, changing his stage name to David Hedison.
In the 1990s, he played Spencer Harrison on the NBC daytime series Another World.
His wife, Bridget Hedison, a producer on Dynasty and its spinoff The Colbys, died in February 2016. Survivors include his daughters Serena and Alexandra, the wife of Jodie Foster.
“Even in our deep sadness, we are comforted by the memory of our wonderful father,” his family said in a statement. “He loved us all dearly and expressed that love every day. He was adored by so many, all of whom benefited from his warm and generous heart. Our dad brought joy and humor wherever he went and did so with great style.”
A donation in his memory may be made to The Actors Fund.
