Lee Majors

The Six Million Dollar Man who didn't want to act

Harvey Lee Yeary landed in Los Angeles with a back wrecked by football and no intention of becoming an actor. He changed his name to Lee Majors out of respect for Johnny Majors, his college coach. That young man from Kentucky wasn't chasing applause but a steady paycheck to survive on the West Coast.

Fate works in strange ways.

In 1965, he landed the role of Heath Barkley in The Big Valley after beating out hundreds of hopefuls at casting calls. Sharing the screen with Barbara Stanwyck was his real acting school. She taught him that punctuality and respect for the crew were worth more than any dramatic method learned from textbooks.

But his real commercial breakthrough came in 1973 with The Six Million Dollar Man. Playing Steve Austin forced him to run in slow motion for years while the audience believed he was moving at superhuman speed. That series sold millions of toy figures and placed him at the top of the global television industry.

The original contract stipulated a salary of $50,000 per episode in 1975.

The shadow of the angels and the stunt man's success

His marriage to Farrah Fawcett that same decade was a logistical nightmare for the gossip press. They were Hollywood royalty, but media harassment eventually destroyed the relationship. Her fame grew so much with Charlie’s Angels that the rivalry between them became unbearable at home.

Majors always preferred the coveralls to the tuxedo.

In 1981, he decided he wanted to sing the theme song for his new series. The Fall Guy starred Colt Seavers, a stuntman who hunted fugitives in his spare time. It was a project that raked in astronomical syndication royalties around the world.

And the gamble paid off.

Because audiences connected with a character who took real hits and had no technological powers. The series stayed on the air for five seasons, and it allowed Majors to work as an executive producer to control the flow of money.

The lean years and a nostalgic comeback

During the nineties, his presence faded into supporting roles of varying quality. He appeared in Raven and voiced characters in video games such as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City in 2002. He never shied away from poking fun at his tough-guy bionic image in commercials or low-budget comedies.

In 2016, he joined the cast of Ash vs Evil Dead to play the lead character's father. It was a smart move to connect with a generation that hadn't been born when he was clearing hurdles in the 1970s. His ability to stay active without major scandals allowed him to manage his fortune wisely.

In 2024, he appeared in the film adaptation of The Fall Guy starring Ryan Gosling. It was a brief nod for nostalgic fans who remembered the GMC Sierra pickup from the original series. At 85 years old, the actor still cashes checks at fan conventions where people still ask him to make the bionic sound effect with his mouth.

Universal Pictures holds the film rights to his most famous character and has spent decades without managing to release a new feature film.