Lee Majors Biography

Lee Majors was born on April 23rd 1939 in Detroit, Michigan as Harvey Lee Yeary to Carl and Alice Yeary, both of whom were dead by 1941 leaving Lee, as an only child to be adopted by his aunt and uncle, Harvey and Mildred  Yeary who relocated him to Kentucky, where he was raised with their biological son, Bill.

With a big brother who loved the game of football, Lee followed in his footsteps and participated in all sporting activities. But it was during a football game that he badly injured his back which saw him paralyzed for 2 weeks. It was at this time he decided that acting may be his forte.

Yeary graduated from Eastern in 1962 with a degree in History and Physical Education.
After graduating, he received an offer to try out for the St. Louis Cardinals football team; however, he turned it down and moved to Los Angeles and found work at the Los Angeles Park and Recreation Department as the Recreation Director for North Hollywood Park.

It was there that he met with James Dean’s agent who took him under his wing and after just one year of training at acting school, Yeary was renamed, Lee Majors and his career as an actor was born.

Majors landed his first role in Strait-Jacket in 1964, which starred veteran actress Joan Crawford.

Many would remember Majors form the show that gave him his big break, The Big Valley, a role he won by beating Burt Reynolds. Starring alongside greats such as Barbara Stanwyck, Lee, and new comer Linda Evans, made the show an instant success.

Major’s acting career went from strength to strength appearing in Will Penny with Charlton Heston. One movie that eluded the young Lee was appearing in Midnight Cowboy which at the time schedules collided with The Big Valley and his role went to Jon Voight instead. But following the cancellation of The Big Valley, Lee signed a contract with Universal Studios.

In 1970, Lee found himself landing a role in the popular TV series The Virginian and in 1971 he acted alongside his real wife Farrah Fawcett in Owen Marshall: Counselor At Law.

But it was 1973 that really put Major’s acting career on the map when he landed the role of Colonel Steve Austin, an ex astronaut who had been fitted with bionic limbs and an ex ray eye, The Six Million Dollar Man. By 1974 the studio had turned it into a weekly show in which Lee later received a love interest in the form of Lindsay Wagner who played a bionic woman, Jamie Sommers. Jamie was fitted with bionic limbs and a bionic ‘all hearing’ ear. The series spawned the spin off series, The Bionic Woman. Both shows dropped in the ratings by 1978 and were dropped from Universal Television’s schedule.

Following the termination of The Six Million Dollar Man, Lee landed roles in several B rate movies including, The Norseman (1978), Steel (1979), Killer Fish (1979), Agency (1980), The Last Chase (1981), Starflight One (1983), and also made cameo appearances in Scrooged (1988) Out Cold (2001) Big Fat Liar (2002) and The Brothers Solomon (2007).

By the time 1981 had come around Majors was ready to return to TV and starred in the pilot of The Fall Guy, in which Majors played Colt Seavers, a Hollywood stuntman and part-time bounty hunter. The Fall Guy allowed Majors an opportunity to show off his comedic abilities, something audiences hadn’t yet seen.

Lee was to fall foul to heart problems in 2003 when he underwent heart bypass surgery.

As a handsome Hollywood actor Lee had his fair share of beautiful women and married a total of four times and divorced three times. His most famous marriage was to actress Farrah Fawcett, another 1970s acting icon with her famed role as the beautiful blonde, Jill Monroe in the 1970’s cult series, Charlie’s Angels. Their marriage lasted 6 years and the couple separated in 1979, but were not formally divorced until February 16, 1982.

From his marriages Majors had four children from two of his marriages

Major’s marriage to Playboy Playmate Karen Velez which produced one daughter, Nikki Loren, and twin sons, Dane Luke and Trey Kulley.

Lee’s most recent marriage was to actress and model Faith Majors, a marriage that sees the couple still together.