(Hedison with Roger Moore on the set of Live and Let Die, 1973)

BY LEE PFEIFFER

David Hedison has died at age 92. The Rhode Island native started in theater, studying at the famed Actor's Studio under the guidance of Lee Strasberg and made an impression off-Broadway in the 1950s. Hedison originally was billed under his birth name as "Al Hedison" but would later change it to David. He found himself in demand for television and feature film. He played the role of a scientist who is transformed into a deadly creature in the 1958 cult classic "The Fly" in which Hedison co-starred with Vincent Price. Hedison began to guest star on many popular TV series before landing his first series, starring in "Five Fingers", an espionage show that ran from 1959-60. His best-known role was on Irwin Allen's sci-fi series "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea", which ran from 1964-68 and saw Hedison starring with Richard Basehart. He would return to episodic TV as a regular on the popular soap opera "The Young and the Restless" in 2004. Hedison never quite made the front ranks of leading men in feature films but he did appear in many diverse movies. Among them: "The Greatest Story Ever Told", "The Enemy Below" and "The Lost World". When Roger Moore inherited the role of James Bond in 1972, he arranged to have his old friend Hedison (who had appeared with him in an episode of "The Saint") to play the prominent role of 007's C.I.A. colleague Felix Leiter. Hedison would resume the role opposite Timothy Dalton's Bond in the 1989 film "Licence to Kill". He also appeared with Moore in the 1979 adventure film "ffolkes" (aka "North Sea Hijack".).

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