Lee Majors

Harvey Lee Yeary (born April 23, 1939), known professionally as Lee Majors, is an American actor.

He portrayed the characters of Heath Barkley on the American television Western series The Big Valley (1965–1969), Colonel Steve Austin on the American television science-fiction action series The Six Million Dollar Man (1973–1978), and Colt Seavers on the American television action series The Fall Guy (1981–1986).

Early life

Majors was born Harvey Lee Yeary on April 23, 1939, in Wyandotte, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit to Carl and Alice Yeary. His father died in a work accident five months prior to his birth, and his mother was killed in a car accident when he was almost seventeen months old. At the age of two, Majors was adopted by his uncle and aunt, Harvey and Mildred Yeary, and he moved with them to Middlesboro, Kentucky.

Majors participated in track and football at Middlesboro High School. He graduated in 1957, and played football at Indiana University in 1957–1958. Majors transferred to Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky in 1959. He played in his first football game the following year, but suffered a severe back injury which left him paralyzed for two weeks and ruined his college athletic career. Following his injury, he turned his attention to acting and performed in plays at the Pioneer Playhouse in Danville, Kentucky. Majors graduated from Eastern Kentucky in 1962 with a degree in history and physical education. He planned to be a football coach.

After college, he received an offer to try out for the St. Louis Cardinals football team. Instead, he moved to Los Angeles and found work at the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department as the recreation director at the North Hollywood Park. In Los Angeles, Majors met many actors and industry professionals, including Dick Clayton, who had been James Dean's agent, and Clayton suggested he attend his acting school. After one year of acting school, Clayton felt that Majors was ready to start his career. At this time, he picked up the stage name Lee Majors as a tribute to childhood hero Johnny Majors who was a player and future coach for the University of Tennessee. Majors also studied at Estelle Harman's acting school at MGM.