Jimmy Lydon, Who Gave Elizabeth Taylor Her 1st Screen Kiss, Dies at 98

Actor Jimmy Lydon has died at 98, his daughter Julie Lydon Cornell announced Saturday.

He died peacefully at his home in San Diego.

Among many highlights in Lydon's long career, he gave Elizabeth Taylor her first on-screen kiss, in 1947's "Cynthia"; appeared in the film classic "Life with Father" (1947); and starred on the first network-TV daytime soap, "The First Hundred Years" (1950-1952).

Lydon was born May 30, 1923, in Harrington Park, New Jersey. He launched his Broadway career 85 years ago in the play "Western Waters."

After two years on the boards, he moved with his family to Hollywood, where he appeared in such films as "Back Door to Heaven" (1939), "Tom Brown's School Days" (1940), and played high-voiced Henry Aldrich in a series of family films (1941-1944).

Working with Elizabeth Taylor in "Cynthia" and then in "Life with Father," he also voiced a character on the popular radio series "Young Love" (1949-1950) opposite Janet Waldo, who was later the voice of Judy Jetson.

He worked with James Cagney in "The Time of Your Life" (1948), John Wayne with "Island in the Sky" (1953), and appeared in the serial "Rocky Jones, Space Ranger" (1954).

Continuing to act, he also worked for Warner Bros. on the western "Temple Houston" (1963-1964) and had a hand in producing the popular series "77 Sunset Strip" (1958-1964) and "M*A*S*H" (1972-1983).

Lydon made dozens of episodic-TV guest appearances after his work as a regular character on "Love That Jill" (1958), including "Maverick" (1959), "The Twilight Zone" (1961), "Dr. Kildare" (1961), "Gunsmoke" (1968 & 1974), "Love, American Style" (1971), "The Six Million Dollar Man" (1974), "Lou Grant" (1976), "The Fall Guy" (1982 & 1983), and his last, "St. Elsewhere" (1987).