Will Lyman
Biography
Will Lyman is an American actor and narrator, born in Burlington, Vermont, and a 1971 graduate of Boston University's School of Fine and Applied Art. His film work started with a small part in Jaws, and in 1979 he played Ken Alexander on the daytime serial Ryan's Hope. Since 1984 he has been the exclusive narrator of PBS's Frontline, and he also narrated the 1983 documentary series Vietnam: A Television History. He played William Tell, the lead, in the series Crossbow, and appeared in Welcome to the Dollhouse (1996) and Mother/Android, while his voice work includes the 2006 film Little Children and the award ceremony narrator in Iron Man (2008). On television he was seen in Commander in Chief, The West Wing and Law & Order, and he has acted on Boston stages, including Romeo and Juliet in 2019. He received a 2022 Peabody Award for narrating The Power of Big Oil.
78years old
Turns 79 on May 20in 218 days
- Born Burlington
- Star sign: TaurusLast day of the sign, on the Gemini cusp
- Also credited as William Lyman
Movie Career
- Films
- 10
- Career span
- 29 years1996 to 2025
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First role
Lyman got his start in movies with a small role in Jaws, which came out in 1975. That part marked the beginning of his film career.
Big break
Lyman took on the job of exclusive narrator for Frontline, the long-running PBS television series, in 1984, and that is the role he is best known for.
Beyond film
Lyman was the narrator of Vietnam: A Television History, a documentary series in 13 parts about the war. WGBH in Boston produced it in 1983, and PBS broadcast it nationally.
Beyond film
For a run of Dos Equis ads, Will Lyman did the voiceover work. The Mexican beer's campaign centered on a character called "The Most Interesting Man in the World," and actor Jonathan Goldsmith played that role onscreen.
Beyond film
Lyman spoofed his own Frontline voiceovers in the January 26, 2014 episode of The Simpsons, titled "Specs and the City".
Will Lyman movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Worked with
Will Lyman shares two films with Gwyneth Paltrow, and one with each of the others. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Gwyneth Paltrow's page
Christopher Plummer's page
Woody Harrelson's page
Stanley Tucci's page
Christopher McDonald's page
Dan Aykroyd's page
All films by Jon Favreau
Andrew DavisDirector, 1 film, 1998
All films by Andrew Davis
All films by Anthony Russo
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.