The actor that played the Cowardly Lion was Bert Lahr. In my opinion he was a great actor for the Cowardly Lion. I really liked the way he acted when he was afraid of something. He was born August 13, 1895 and he died December 4, 1967. He acted as the Cowardly Lion in the movie the Wizard of Oz. He also played one of the farm boys in the Wizard of Oz. Bert Lahr was signed to play the Cowardly Lion on July 25, 1938. He died twenty-eight years after the movie was made. He died due to pneumonia.