SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Actor Lloyd Bochner, best known for his roles as Cecil Colby on TV's Dynasty and in the classic "To Serve Man" episode of The Twilight Zone, has died. He was 81.

Bochner died of cancer at his Santa Monica home on Oct. 29, family members said Tuesday.

Bochner's career in television and film spanned more than five decades. He was a character actor who "almost always played a suave, handsome, wealthy villain," said his son, Paul Bochner.

Lloyd Bochner began his career on the radio in his native Toronto when he was 11. He went on to perform on stage and screen, earning two Liberty Awards, Canada's top acting honor.

He started working in New York in 1951 and moved to Los Angeles in 1960 to co-star in the television series, Hong Kong.

In 1963, Bochner starred as a government cryptographer in The Twilight Zone episode "To Serve Man," which TV Guide ranks No. 11 in its "100 Greatest TV Episodes of All Time."

He also appeared in such films as The Detective and Tony Rome, both with Frank Sinatra, and The Night Walker with Barbara Stanwyck. Other films included The Man in the Glass Booth, Point Blank and Naked Gun 33 1/3.

His television work included appearances in Columbo, Mission: Impossible, McCloud, Wild, Wild West, Battlestar Galactica and Designing Women.

In 1998 he co-founded the Committee to End Violence to address the impact of violence in TV and movies on popular culture. Bochner was also active in the Association of Canadian Radio and Television Artists.

In addition to his son Paul, of Valley Cottage, N.Y., Bochner is survived by his wife, Ruth Bochner of Santa Monica, son Hart Bochner of Los Angeles and a daughter, Johanna Courtleigh of Portland, Ore.

A memorial service was scheduled for Nov. 10 at the Leo Baeck Temple in West Los Angeles.