Lance LeGault
Encyclopedia
Lance LeGault sometimes credited as W. L. LeGault, is an American film and television actor, best known as Colonel Roderick Decker in the 1980s American television series The A-Team
.
, Illinois
to a French Canadian
father and a Slavic
Jewish mother. The family was poor. He lived in an orphanage for a time between his dad's death when Lance was 4 and when his mother remarried. He started working at 11, and was fired from the railroad at 13 when they discovered he was not 18 as he'd said. He grew up in Chillicothe, Illinois
and graduated from Chillicothe Township High School in 1955, later earning a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from The Municipal University of Wichita
, Kansas. He is married with four children.
movies, Girls! Girls! Girls!
(1962) in which he was a stunt double for Elvis Presley, Kissin' Cousins
(1964), and Viva Las Vegas
(1964). He also appeared in Elvis Presley's groundbreaking 1968 NBC
television special Elvis (also known as Elvis' 68 Comeback Special), where he sat at the side of the stage playing a tambourine
.
In 1969, he appeared as Iago
in the UK stage version of Jack Good's Catch My Soul: Rock Othello
, and played Iago again in the 1974 Metromedia
film version of Catch My Soul.
He has starred on some TV shows and in TV movies and is known mainly for portraying military personnel, especially officers. His best known TV role was in the 1980s hit series The A-Team
as Colonel Roderick Decker, a United States Army colonel who tried to catch the fugitive Vietnam veterans. He played the role of Colonel Decker from 1983 to 1986. He also had a recurring role in the other 1980s hit TV series Magnum, P.I.
as a United States Marine Corps colonel, Colonel "Buck" Greene. His other shows include the short lived series Werewolf
in 1987. In 1980, he starred with Kenny Rogers
in the TV movie The Gambler. He made a few appearances during Dynasty
s second season, as Ray Bonning, a henchman for Vegas mobster "Logan Rhinewood" (actually Cecil Colby). He also appeared in the other hit 1980s hit TV series Knight Rider in the pilot episode "Knight of the Phoenix
" and appeared (as a different character) in the season 2 episode "Knight in Shining Armor"; and also played three different bad-guy characters in Airwolf
(in To Snare a Wolf, Sweet Britches and Wildfire) as well as doing the voice-overs for the series' 1st Season "saga sell" teasers. He also guest-starred on the hit 1980s TV series Dallas
as Al Halliday in 1989.
He has made many guest appearances on TV shows, his appearances range from The Rockford Files
episode "A Deadly Maze", Gunsmoke
, Barbary Coast, Logan's Run
, Battlestar Galactica
, The Incredible Hulk, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
, The Dukes of Hazzard
(episode "Treasure of Hazzard"), TJ Hooker, Voyagers!
, MacGyver
, Star Trek: The Next Generation
, Renegade
and Crusade
. He also appeared in Land of the Giants
in the first season episode "Underground" as a police officer.
His most recent role is in the 2005 movie Tugger: The Jeep Who Wanted to Fly.
work. LeGault's trademark voice was at one point featured on self-guided tour cassettes at Elvis Presley's Graceland
in Memphis, Tennessee
.
In the video game world he appeared as the voice of Major Manson in the 1998 video game Battlezone II: Combat Commander
.
He currently does occasional voiceover work for Burger King
, lately with the new "Angry Whopper" burger.
He provided the voice of Junior the Buffalo in Disney's Home on the Range (2004).
The A-Team
The A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...
.
Personal life
LeGault was born in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
to a French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
father and a Slavic
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
Jewish mother. The family was poor. He lived in an orphanage for a time between his dad's death when Lance was 4 and when his mother remarried. He started working at 11, and was fired from the railroad at 13 when they discovered he was not 18 as he'd said. He grew up in Chillicothe, Illinois
Chillicothe, Illinois
Chillicothe is a city on the Illinois River in Peoria County, Illinois. The population was 5,996 at the 2000 census. Chillicothe is just north of the city of Peoria and is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.- Geography :...
and graduated from Chillicothe Township High School in 1955, later earning a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from The Municipal University of Wichita
Wichita State University
Wichita State University is a NCAA Division I public university in Wichita, Kansas with selective admissions. WSU is one of six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The current president is Dr. Donald Beggs....
, Kansas. He is married with four children.
Career
His first three feature films he starred in were three Elvis PresleyElvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
movies, Girls! Girls! Girls!
Girls! Girls! Girls!
Girls! Girls! Girls! is a 1962 musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley as a penniless Hawaiian fisherman who loves his life on the sea and dreams of owning his own boat. "Return to Sender", which reached #2 on the Billboard pop singles chart, is featured in the movie...
(1962) in which he was a stunt double for Elvis Presley, Kissin' Cousins
Kissin' Cousins
Kissin' Cousins is a 1964 musical film comedy starring Elvis Presley in two roles, one as an American soldier, the other a hillbilly. The screenplay was nominated in the category of best written American musical by the Writers Guild of America...
(1964), and Viva Las Vegas
Viva Las Vegas
Viva Las Vegas is a 1964 American romantic musical movie starring music icon Elvis Presley and actress/dancer Ann-Margret. This movie is regarded by many fans of these actors and by film critics as one of Presley's best movies, and it is noted for the apparent on-screen chemistry between Presley...
(1964). He also appeared in Elvis Presley's groundbreaking 1968 NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television special Elvis (also known as Elvis' 68 Comeback Special), where he sat at the side of the stage playing a tambourine
Tambourine
The tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
.
In 1969, he appeared as Iago
Iago
Iago is a fictional character in Shakespeare's Othello . The character's source is traced to Giovanni Battista Giraldi Cinthio's tale "Un Capitano Moro" in Gli Hecatommithi . There, the character is simply "the ensign". Iago is a soldier and Othello's ancient . He is the husband of Emilia,...
in the UK stage version of Jack Good's Catch My Soul: Rock Othello
Catch My Soul (UK stage version)
Disambiguation: for Film version see Catch My SoulCatch My Soul was the UK stage version of the rock musical produced by Jack Good. The show was a showcase for the talents of Lance LeGault, PP Arnold, P.J. Proby and an introduction to the rock musician Robert Tench and the band Gass...
, and played Iago again in the 1974 Metromedia
Metromedia
Metromedia was a media company that owned radio and television stations in the United States from 1956 to 1986 and owned Orion Pictures from 1986-1997.- Overview :...
film version of Catch My Soul.
He has starred on some TV shows and in TV movies and is known mainly for portraying military personnel, especially officers. His best known TV role was in the 1980s hit series The A-Team
The A-Team
The A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...
as Colonel Roderick Decker, a United States Army colonel who tried to catch the fugitive Vietnam veterans. He played the role of Colonel Decker from 1983 to 1986. He also had a recurring role in the other 1980s hit TV series Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....
as a United States Marine Corps colonel, Colonel "Buck" Greene. His other shows include the short lived series Werewolf
Werewolf (TV series)
Werewolf is an American horror series, and one of the original shows in the Fox network's broadcast line-up during its inaugural season of 1987–1988.The show follows the adventures of Eric Cord Werewolf is an American horror series, and one of the original shows in the Fox network's broadcast...
in 1987. In 1980, he starred with Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
in the TV movie The Gambler. He made a few appearances during Dynasty
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...
s second season, as Ray Bonning, a henchman for Vegas mobster "Logan Rhinewood" (actually Cecil Colby). He also appeared in the other hit 1980s hit TV series Knight Rider in the pilot episode "Knight of the Phoenix
Knight of the Phoenix (Knight Rider episode)
Knight of the Phoenix is the syndication title to the two-hour long pilot to the popular 1980s television show Knight Rider, which starred David Hasselhoff, Edward Mulhare, Richard Basehart, and William Daniels . It first aired September 26, 1982, and was written by Glen A...
" and appeared (as a different character) in the season 2 episode "Knight in Shining Armor"; and also played three different bad-guy characters in Airwolf
Airwolf
Airwolf is an American television series that ran from 1984 until 1987. The program centers on a high-tech military helicopter, code named Airwolf, and its crew as they undertake various missions, many involving espionage, with a Cold War theme....
(in To Snare a Wolf, Sweet Britches and Wildfire) as well as doing the voice-overs for the series' 1st Season "saga sell" teasers. He also guest-starred on the hit 1980s TV series Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
as Al Halliday in 1989.
He has made many guest appearances on TV shows, his appearances range from The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files is an American television drama series which aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980. It has remained in regular syndication to the present day. The show stars James Garner as Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford and features Noah...
episode "A Deadly Maze", Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
, Barbary Coast, Logan's Run
Logan's Run
Logan's Run is a novel by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. Published in 1967, it depicts a dystopic ageist future society in which both population and the consumption of resources are maintained in equilibrium by requiring the death of everyone reaching a particular age...
, Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction television series, created by Glen A. Larson. It starred Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict and ran for one season in 1978–79. After cancellation, its story was continued in 1980 as Galactica 1980 with Adama, Lieutenant Boomer and...
, The Incredible Hulk, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is an American science fiction adventure television series produced by Universal Studios. The series ran for two seasons between 1979–1981, and the feature-length pilot episode for the series was released as a theatrical film several months before the series aired....
, The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985.The series was inspired by the 1975 film Moonrunners, which was also created by Gy Waldron and had many identical or similar character names and concepts.- Overview :The Dukes of Hazzard...
(episode "Treasure of Hazzard"), TJ Hooker, Voyagers!
Voyagers!
Voyagers! is an American science fiction time travel-based television series that aired on NBC during the 1982–1983 season. The series stars Jon-Erik Hexum and Meeno Peluce.-Plot:...
, MacGyver
MacGyver
MacGyver is an American action-adventure television series created by Lee David Zlotoff. Henry Winkler and John Rich were the executive producers. The show ran for seven seasons on ABC in the United States and various other networks abroad from 1985 to 1992. The series was filmed in Los Angeles...
, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
, Renegade
Renegade (TV series)
Renegade is an American television series that ran for 110 episodes spanning 5 seasons between September 19, 1992 and April 4, 1997.The series stars Lorenzo Lamas as Reno Raines, a police officer who is framed for a murder he didn't commit. Raines goes on the run and joins forces with Native...
and Crusade
Crusade (TV series)
Crusade is a spin-off TV show from J. Michael Straczynski's Babylon 5. Its plot is set in AD 2267, five years after the events of Babylon 5, and just after the movie A Call to Arms. A race called the Drakh have released a nanovirus plague on Earth, which will destroy all life on Earth within five...
. He also appeared in Land of the Giants
Land of the Giants
Land of the Giants was an hour-long American science fiction television program lasting two seasons beginning on September 22, 1968 and ending on March 22, 1970. The show was created and produced by Irwin Allen. Land of the Giants was the fourth of Allen's science fiction TV series. The show was...
in the first season episode "Underground" as a police officer.
His most recent role is in the 2005 movie Tugger: The Jeep Who Wanted to Fly.
Voicework
On the Knight Rider season 1 DVD pilot commentary, creator Glen Larson mentioned that Lance LeGault had "a voice that was four octaves lower than God's." This trait helped him obtain roles (often) as a villain or other "tough guy". It also resulted in a side career doing voice-overVoice-over
Voice-over is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations...
work. LeGault's trademark voice was at one point featured on self-guided tour cassettes at Elvis Presley's Graceland
Graceland
Graceland is a large white-columned mansion and estate that was home to Elvis Presley in Memphis, Tennessee. It is located at 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard in the vast Whitehaven community about 9 miles from Downtown and less than four miles north of the Mississippi border. It currently serves as...
in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
.
In the video game world he appeared as the voice of Major Manson in the 1998 video game Battlezone II: Combat Commander
Battlezone II: Combat Commander
Battlezone II: Combat Commander, often abbreviated to BZII or BZ2, is a 1999 computer game released by Pandemic Studios as a sequel to Activision's 1998 Battlezone. Like Activision's Battlezone, Battlezone II is a hybrid tank shooter, first-person shooter and real-time strategy game...
.
He currently does occasional voiceover work for Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
, lately with the new "Angry Whopper" burger.
He provided the voice of Junior the Buffalo in Disney's Home on the Range (2004).
Filmography
- Stuntmen (2009)
- The Legend of SasquatchThe Legend of SasquatchThe Legend of Sasquatch is a 2006 computer-animated independent film released by Gorilla Pictures that stars William Hurt and John Rhys-Davies...
(2006) (voice) - Tugger: The Jeep Who Wanted to Fly (2005)
- Home on the Range (2004) (voice)
- CrusadeCrusade (TV series)Crusade is a spin-off TV show from J. Michael Straczynski's Babylon 5. Its plot is set in AD 2267, five years after the events of Babylon 5, and just after the movie A Call to Arms. A race called the Drakh have released a nanovirus plague on Earth, which will destroy all life on Earth within five...
: Each Night I Dream of Home (1999) (TV) - Scorpio One (1998)
- Mortal Kombat: AnnihilationMortal Kombat: AnnihilationMortal Kombat: Annihilation is a 1997 American martial arts action film that was the sequel to 1995's Mortal Kombat, and was directed by John R. Leonetti, who had served as the cinematographer for the previous film...
(1997) - Executive Target (1997)
- Dark Breed (1996)
- Two Bits & Pepper (1995) (V)
- Columbo: No Time to Die (1992) (TV)
- Shadow ForceShadow Force (film)Shadow Force is a 1993 American film. It was filmed in the San Antonio area of Texas and was released straight to DVD.-Plot:In the fictional town of Norman, close to San Antonio, the local police is composed of professional assassins...
(1992) - MacGyverMacGyverMacGyver is an American action-adventure television series created by Lee David Zlotoff. Henry Winkler and John Rich were the executive producers. The show ran for seven seasons on ABC in the United States and various other networks abroad from 1985 to 1992. The series was filmed in Los Angeles...
episode "Jack in the Box" (1987) (TV) - Iron EagleIron EagleIron Eagle is a 1986 action film directed by Sidney J. Furie and starring Jason Gedrick and Louis Gossett, Jr. While it received mixed reviews, the film earned US$24,159,872 at the U.S. box office. Iron Eagle was followed by three sequels: Iron Eagle II, Aces: Iron Eagle III and Iron Eagle on the...
(1986) - AirwolfAirwolfAirwolf is an American television series that ran from 1984 until 1987. The program centers on a high-tech military helicopter, code named Airwolf, and its crew as they undertake various missions, many involving espionage, with a Cold War theme....
(1984) 1984–1985 - The A-TeamThe A-TeamThe A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...
(1983) 1983–1986 - Knight Rider (1982 TV series);1982
- Fast-WalkingFast-WalkingFast-Walking is a 1982 dramatic film directed by James B. Harris. The film is based on Ernest Brawley's 1974 novel The Rap. It was also issued theatrically in the U.S. under the title The Joint....
(1982) - DynastyDynastyA dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...
(1981–1982) - StripesStripes (film)Stripes is a 1981 American comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman, starring Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, P. J. Soles, and John Candy. It also featured several actors in their first significant film roles, including John Larroquette, Sean Young, John Diehl, and Judge Reinhold. It was one...
(1980) - ComaComa (film)Coma is a 1978 suspense film based on the novel of the same name by Robin Cook. The film rights were acquired by director Michael Crichton, and the movie was produced by Martin Erlichmann for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
(1978) - The Kentucky Fried MovieThe Kentucky Fried MovieThe Kentucky Fried Movie is an American comedy film, released in 1977 and directed by John Landis. The film's writers were the team of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker. This same team would go on to write and direct Airplane!, Top Secret! and the Police Squad! television series and its...
(1977) (voice) - Catch My SoulCatch My SoulFor UK Stage version see Catch My Soul Catch My Soul is a 1974 film produced by Jack Good and Richard M. Rosenbloom, and directed by Patrick McGoohan. It was an adaptation of Good's stage musical of the same title, which itself was loosely adapted from William Shakespeare's Othello...
(1974) - The Young RunawaysThe Young RunawaysThe Young Runaways is a 1968 teen-exploitation film that stars Brooke Bundy, Kevin Coughlin and Patty McCormack. The supporting players are Lloyd Bochner, Dick Sergeant and in one of his earliest roles Richard Dreyfuss, has a small part as Terry, a juvenile delinquent who meets a bad end...
(1968) - The SwingerThe SwingerThe Swinger is a 1966 film directed by George Sidney. It stars Ann-Margret and Anthony Franciosa.-Cast:*Ann-Margret as Kelly Olsson*Anthony Franciosa as Ric Colby*Robert Coote as Sir Hubert Charles*Yvonne Romain as Karen Charles...
(1966) - Roustabout (1964) (uncredited)
- Viva Las VegasViva Las VegasViva Las Vegas is a 1964 American romantic musical movie starring music icon Elvis Presley and actress/dancer Ann-Margret. This movie is regarded by many fans of these actors and by film critics as one of Presley's best movies, and it is noted for the apparent on-screen chemistry between Presley...
(1964) (uncredited) - Kissin' CousinsKissin' CousinsKissin' Cousins is a 1964 musical film comedy starring Elvis Presley in two roles, one as an American soldier, the other a hillbilly. The screenplay was nominated in the category of best written American musical by the Writers Guild of America...
(1964) (uncredited) - Girls! Girls! Girls!Girls! Girls! Girls!Girls! Girls! Girls! is a 1962 musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley as a penniless Hawaiian fisherman who loves his life on the sea and dreams of owning his own boat. "Return to Sender", which reached #2 on the Billboard pop singles chart, is featured in the movie...
(1962) (uncredited)