Will Lyman

Biography:

William Lyman (born May 20, 1948) is an American actor and narrator, widely recognized for his deep, commanding voice. Since 1984, he has served as the exclusive narrator of PBS’s Frontline, beginning with its second season. He is also known for playing the title role in the adventure series Crossbow.

Born in Burlington, Vermont, Lyman is the son of Mabry (née Remington), an editor and educator, and Edward Phelps Lyman, an educator. He graduated in 1971 from Boston University’s School of Fine and Applied Art. In the early 1970s, he worked at Allston Piano and also performed as a first-chair bass player with various amateur and semi-professional orchestras.

Lyman began his film career with a small role in Jaws (1975) and appeared on daytime soap operas, including Ryan’s Hope. He gained prominence as the narrator of Vietnam: A Television History (1983), a 13-part PBS documentary, which led to his long-standing work on Frontline.

Over the years, he has balanced work in film, television, and theater. His screen appearances include Hostile Takeover, Welcome to the Dollhouse, and the 2006 film Little Children (as narrator). On television, he has appeared in Commander in Chief (playing the U.S. President), Threat Matrix, The West Wing, and Law & Order.

As a voice actor, Lyman has narrated for National Geographic, The Discovery Channel, The History Channel, and WGBH’s Nova. He also provided the voice for BMW commercials, the Dos Equis “Most Interesting Man in the World” campaign, and served as the award ceremony announcer in Marvel’s Iron Man (2008). He even parodied his Frontline work in a 2014 episode of The Simpsons. More recently, he narrated the 2018 PBS documentary Trump’s Showdown.

Lyman has remained active in theater, performing with Boston’s Huntington Theatre Company in productions such as Dead End (2000), All My Sons (2010), Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (2014), and Romeo and Juliet (2019). He has also been involved with the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, serving as Chairman of the Board from 2002 to 2014 and continuing as a trustee. He was also a member of the Screen Actors Guild board for two years.

In his personal life, Lyman married Anastasia Sylvester in 1972. They have a daughter, Georgia, and reside in the greater Boston area.