Leslie Earnest Lye was a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, radio personality and announcer and voice artist. He was an original cast member and played numerous roles on the children's program You Can't Do That on Television. He had a television and radio career spanning nearly half a century.
In 1948, he moved to Ottawa, to join Frank Ryan's CFRA talkback team. As a radio announcer, Lye worked with the station's popular groups and was also in demand as an emcee at their many live appearances. After heading back to Toronto to work for a short time at CKEY, he returned to Ottawa and CFRA with his alter ego, Abercrombie. Lye worked with comedian and impersonator Rich Little at the station, and in 1963, they made a comedy album together, called My Fellow Canadians.
Television
Lye turned to the new medium of television in 1958. His first job, as a co-host on the talk showContact, lasted three years. In 1961, CJOH-TV went on the air with Lye as a freelance writer and performer. Meanwhile, local entertainer Bill Luxton was busy with several shows, including a morning magazine. Forming what would become a long-lasting partnership, Lye soon began creating comic characters for Bill to interview on his morning show. When puppeteer John Conway decided to give up hosting the CJOH kids show Cartoonerville in 1966, the station's programmers asked Lye and Luxton to team up and take over. Uncle Willy & Floyd was born. Over the years, such personalities as Klea Scott, Bruno Gerussi and Margaret Trudeau would drop by for surprise guest appearances. In addition to Luxton, Lye worked with Don Harron, Ruth Buzzi and Orson Bean, and worked for the CBC, CTV and Global television networks. Uncle Willy & Floyd ran for 22 years in syndication across Canada. Lye is prominently featured in the 2004 independentdocumentary, You Can't Do That on Film, directed by David Dillehunt.
''You Can't Do That on Television''
Lye eventually gained international acclaim appearing on You Can't Do That on Television. The Canadian children's show, which was wildly popular in the United States and a staple on Nickelodeon's programming line-up, enjoyed a ten season run from 3 February 1979 to 25 May 1990. Lye, along with Abby Hagyard, was one of only two adults to ever appear on the show. As a result, Lye played all the adult male characters, and was the only cast member to appear for the entire series run. His characters included the following:
Unnamed school principal, who frequently imposed copying copious numbers of pages from extra-thick books as punishment for minor infractions
Nasti, the Dungeon Master, a German jailer who is often seen chaining people in a dungeon
El Capitano, a Latin American military officer in command of a firing squad
Unnamed doctor/dentist, who has the same glasses, mustache, cigar, and wry sense of humor as Groucho Marx
Lye's castmates described him as "a legend", an "unsung hero", and "a hoot even when he wasn't on the set".
Animation
In animation, he guest-starred on an episode of The Raccoons and appeared as Professor Coldheart in the first two television specials based on the Care Bears franchise, The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings and The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine. In 1987, he became the voice of Quellor on The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin. Lye also did several different voices on Dennis the Menace for DiC Entertainment as well as supplying voices on three TV specials for Atkinson Film-ArtsThe Legend of Hiawatha, Babar and Father Christmas and Rumpelstiltskin.
Lye died in Ottawa, Ontario, after a decade of type-2 diabetes on July 21, 2009. Lye had previously suffered a mild heart attack in 2002. He was survived by his wife of 60 years Jonni Lye, and his three children: Brett, Daralyn and Emily.
