Robert F. Lyons

Robert F. Lyons, born Robert Francis Lyons on October 17, 1939, is an American actor whose career has spanned Broadway, film, and television.

Lyons made his Broadway appearance in 1963, performing in Andorra. His transition to screen work began with a guest role on the television series I Dream of Jeannie, and he made his feature film debut in Pendulum in 1969. The following year he appeared in Getting Straight (1970), a credit that would become among his most recognized film appearances.

His film work continued throughout subsequent decades with roles in Shoot Out (1971), in which he played the principal villain opposite Gregory Peck, as well as Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981), Death Wish II (1982), Avenging Angel (1985), Murphy's Law (1986), and Platoon Leader (1988). Later film credits include Pray for Morning (2006) and The Burning Dead (2015), the latter a zombie film in which he co-starred with Danny Trejo.

On television, Lyons accumulated guest appearances across numerous series from the 1960s onward, including Gunsmoke, Medical Center, Falcon Crest, Roswell, and Criminal Minds. In 1999 he took on the recurring role of Dr. Lester Arnold on the daytime drama Days of Our Lives.