Actor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of the stern Sam Bolen in the drama film "Norma Rae" (1979). After serving in the United States Navy during the Korean War, he attended Ohio University on the G.I. Bill and after attaining his degree in theatrical arts, he settled in California and made his debut in a small guest role on an episode of "Bonanza" in 1964. From there, he went on to enjoy a 30-year career as a character actor in film and television; often typecast as husbands, fathers, doctors, lawyers, educators, eccentrics, blue-collared guys, military men, detectives, reporters, adventurers, cowboys, sheriffs, retail clerks, policemen, neighbors, clergymen, best friends, sidekicks, mechanics, public servants, and patriarchs. He appeared in such films as "Fever Heat" (1968), "Eat My Dust" (1976), "Poco: The Little Lost Dog" (1977), "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977), "Record City" (1978), "Born Again" (1978), "Raise the Titanic" (1980), "Poltergeist" (1982), and "Sonny Boy" (1989). On television, he flourished as a household name appearing in various guest spots on such syndicated sitcoms as "Family Affair," "The Mod Squad," "My Three Sons," "The High Chaparral," "Mission: Impossible," "Diana," "Shazam," "The Rockford Files," "Police Story," "Lou Grant," "Police Woman," "Flamingo Road," "Fantasy Island," "The Dukes of Hazzard," "The Wonderful World of Disney," "Matlock," "Hart to Hart," and "Bette". During his career, he was a member of the Screen Actors Guild, was supportive of the Motion Picture and Television Fund, was supportive of the California State Democratic Committee, was a regular parishioner of the Methodist church, presided as a chairman for his local charters of the American Red Cross and the Boys & Girls Clubs, and he was a playwright and dramatic instructor for the prestigious Pasadena Playhouse. In 2000, Broyles, who neither married nor had any children, retired from acting and spent the final years of his life sculpting, writing, and being a regular attendee at autograph conventions until his death from undisclosed causes.