Leif Erickson (born William Wycliffe Anderson; October 27, 1911 – January 29, 1986) was an American stage, film, and television actor.

Early life

Erickson was born in

Alameda, California Alameda ( ; ; Spanish for " tree-lined path") is a city in Alameda County, California, located in the East Bay region of the Bay Area. The city is primarily located on Alameda Island, but also spans Bay Farm Island and Coast Guard Island, as we ...

, near San Francisco. He worked as a soloist in a band as vocalist and trombone player, performed in

Max Reinhardt Max Reinhardt (; born Maximilian Goldmann; 9 September 1873 – 30 October 1943) was an Austrian-born theatre and film director, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his innovative stage productions, he is regarded as one of the most pr ...

's productions, and then gained a small amount of stage experience in a comedy

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

act. Initially billed by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

as Glenn Erickson, he began his screen career as a leading man in Westerns.

Military service

Erickson enlisted in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during World War II. Rising to the rank of

Chief Petty Officer A chief petty officer (CPO) is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards. Canada "Chief petty officer" refers to two ranks in the Royal Canadian Navy. A chief petty officer 2nd class (CPO2) (''premier maître de deuxiè ...

in the Naval Aviation Photographic Unit, he served as a military photographer, shooting film in combat zones, and as an instructor. He was shot down twice in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

, and received two

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

s. Erickson was in the unit that filmed and photographed the Japanese surrender aboard the in

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan, and spans the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. The Tokyo Bay region is both the most populou ...

on September 2, 1945. Over four years service, he shot more than of film for the Navy.

Acting career

Leif Erickson Yaphet Kotto The High Chaparral 1968

Erickson's first films were two 1933 band films with

Betty Grable Elizabeth Ruth Grable (December 18, 1916 – July 2, 1973) was an American actress, pin-up girl, dancer, model, and singer. Her 42 films during the 1930s and 1940s grossed more than $100 million; for 10 consecutive years (1942–1951) she reign ...

before starting a string of

Buster Crabbe Clarence Linden Crabbe II (; February 7, 1908 – April 23, 1983), known professionally as Buster Crabbe, was an American two-time Olympic swimmer and film and television actor. He won the 1932 Olympic gold medal for 400-meter freestyle swimmi ...

Western films based on

Zane Grey Pearl Zane Grey (January 31, 1872 – October 23, 1939) was an American author and dentist. He is known for his popular adventure novels and stories associated with the Western genre in literature and the arts; he idealized the American fronti ...

novels. He went on to appear in films such as ''

The Snake Pit ''The Snake Pit'' is a 1948 American psychological drama film directed by Anatole Litvak and starring Olivia de Havilland, Mark Stevens, Leo Genn, Celeste Holm, Beulah Bondi, and Lee Patrick. Based on Mary Jane Ward's 1946 semi-autobiogra ...

'','' Sorry, Wrong Number'', ''

Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd ''Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd'' is a 1952 comedy film directed by Charles Lamont and starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, along with Charles Laughton, who reprised his role as the infamous pirate from the 1945 film ''Captain ...

'', '' Invaders from Mars'', ''

On the Waterfront ''On the Waterfront'' is a 1954 American crime drama film, directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg. It stars Marlon Brando and features Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Pat Henning, and Eva Marie Saint in her film debut. ...

'', ''

A Gathering of Eagles ''A Gathering of Eagles'' is a 1963 SuperScope Eastmancolor film about the U.S. Air Force during the Cold War and the pressures of command. The plot is patterned after the World War II film ''Twelve O'Clock High'', which producer-screenwrite ...

'', '' Roustabout'', '' The Carpetbaggers'', and ''

Mirage A mirage is a naturally-occurring optical phenomenon in which light rays bend via refraction to produce a displaced image of distant objects or the sky. The word comes to English via the French ''(se) mirer'', from the Latin ''mirari'', meanin ...

''. One of his more notable roles was as

Deborah Kerr Deborah Jane Trimmer CBE (30 September 192116 October 2007), known professionally as Deborah Kerr (), was a British actress. She was nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Actress. During her international film career, Kerr won a ...

's macho husband in the stage and film versions of '' Tea and Sympathy''. He appeared with

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses, she was known for her melancholic, somber persona, her film portrayals of tragic ch ...

, as her brother, in ''

Conquest Conquest is the act of military subjugation of an enemy by force of arms. Military history provides many examples of conquest: the Roman conquest of Britain, the Mauryan conquest of Afghanistan and of vast areas of the Indian subcontinent, ...

'' (1937). He played the role of Pete, the vindictive boat engineer, in the 1951

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the sam ...

of the famed musical ''

Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the performers, stagehands and dock worke ...

''. His final appearance in a feature film was in '' Twilight's Last Gleaming'' (1977). Leif Erickson Linda Cristal High Chaparral 1970

Erickson appeared frequently on television; he was cast as Dr. Hillyer in "Consider Her Ways" (1964) and as Paul White in "The Monkey's Paw—A Retelling" (1965) on CBS's '' The Alfred Hitchcock Hour''. He is probably best known, however, for ''

The High Chaparral ''The High Chaparral'' television series, which was broadcast on NBC from 1967 to 1971, is an American Western action adventure drama set in the 1870s. It stars Leif Erickson and Cameron Mitchell. The series was made by Xanadu Productions ...

'', which aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

from 1967 until 1971. He portrayed a rancher, Big John Cannon, determined to establish a cattle empire in the

Arizona Territory The Territory of Arizona (also known as Arizona Territory) was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state o ...

while keeping peace with the Apache. Erickson guest-starred in several television series, including '' Rawhide'', ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on ...

'' (two episodes, 1961–1965), as Aaron Burr in ''

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the we ...

'' (two episodes, 1964–1970) ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

'', ''

Marcus Welby, M.D. Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to: * Marcus (name), a masculine given name * Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name Places * Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44 * Mărcuş, a village in Dobârl ...

'', '' Medical Center'', '' Longstreet'', ''

Cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

'', ''

The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The sho ...

'', ''

The Rockford Files ''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network from September 13, 1974 to January 10, 1980, and remains in syndication. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investiga ...

'', '' The Rookies'', ''

Night Gallery ''Night Gallery'' is an American anthology television series that aired on NBC from December 16, 1970, to May 27, 1973, featuring stories of horror and the macabre. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, ''The Twilight Zone ...

'', and the 1977 series ''

Hunter Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

''. His final role was in an episode of ''

Fantasy Island ''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tatto ...

'' in 1984.

Personal life

Erickson was married to actress

Frances Farmer Frances Elena Farmer (September 19, 1913August 1, 1970) was an American actress and television hostess. She appeared in over a dozen feature films over the course of her career, though she garnered notoriety for sensationalized accounts of her l ...

from 1936 until 1942. The same day that his divorce from Farmer was finalized, on June 12, 1942, he married actress Margaret Hayes; the marriage lasted only a month. He married Ann Diamond in 1945. The couple had two children: William Leif Erickson, who died in a car accident, and Susan Irene Erickson.

Death

Erickson died of cancer in

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal c ...

, on January 29, 1986, aged 74.

Selected filmography

* ''The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi'' (1933) as Band Singer with Ted Fio Rito * '' Wanderer of the Wasteland'' (1935) as Lawrence * ''

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

'' (1935) as Bill Ide * '' Drift Fence'' (1936) as Curley Prentiss * '' Desert Gold'' (1936) as Glenn Kasedon * '' Girl of the Ozarks'' (1936) as Tom Bolton * '' College Holiday'' (1936) as Dick Winters * '' Waikiki Wedding'' (1937) as Dr. Victor Quimby * ''

'' (1937) as Paul Lachinski * ''

Thrill of a Lifetime ''Thrill of a Lifetime'' is a television reality series (before that term was coined) created by Sidney M. Cohen (who also directed many of the episodes) and Willie Stein. It was telecast from 1981 to 1988 in Canada on the CTV network. ''Thril ...

'' (1937) as Howard 'Howdy' Nelson * ''

The Big Broadcast of 1938 ''The Big Broadcast of 1938'' is a Paramount Pictures musical comedy film starring W. C. Fields and featuring Bob Hope. Directed by Mitchell Leisen, the film is the last in a series of ''Big Broadcast'' movies that were variety show anthologies. ...

'' (1938) as Bob Hayes * '' Ride a Crooked Mile'' (1938) as Johnny Simpkins * '' ...One Third of a Nation...'' (1939) as Peter Cortlant * '' Nothing but the Truth'' (1941) as Tommy Van Dusen * '' The Blonde from Singapore'' (1941) as Terry Prescott * '' H. M. Pulham, Esq.'' (1941) as Rodney 'Bo-Jo' Brown * '' The Fleet's In'' (1942) as Jake * '' Are Husbands Necessary?'' (1942) as Bill Stone * '' Eagle Squadron'' (1942) as Johnny M. Coe * '' Pardon My Sarong'' (1942) as Whaba * '' Night Monster'' (1942) as Laurie * ''

Arabian Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' ( ar, أَلْفُ لَيْلَةٍ وَلَيْلَةٌ, italic=yes, ) is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the ''Arabian ...

'' (1942) as Kamar * ''Blonde Savage'' (1947) as Steve Blake * '' The Gangster'' (1947) as Beaumont * '' Sorry, Wrong Number'' (1948) as Fred Lord * '' The Gay Intruders'' (1948) as Dr. Harold Matson * ''

'' (1948) as Gordon * ''

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronat ...

'' (1948) as Dunois, Bastard of Orleans * '' Miss Tatlock's Millions'' (1948) as Dr. Mason * ''

The Lady Gambles ''The Lady Gambles'' is a 1949 American film noir drama film directed by Michael Gordon and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Preston and Stephen McNally. Plot When his estranged wife Joan is found badly beaten after using loaded dice in a back ...

'' (1949) as Tony * '' Johnny Stool Pigeon'' (1949) as Pringle * '' Mother Didn't Tell Me'' (1950) as Dr. Bruce Gordon * '' Love That Brute'' (1950) as Elmdale Military Academy Captain (uncredited) * '' Stella'' (1950) as Fred Anderson Jr. * '' The Showdown'' (1950) as Big Mart * '' Three Secrets'' (1950) as Bill Chase * ''

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

'' (1950) as U.S. Marshal Martin Weatherby * ''

Fourteen Hours ''Fourteen Hours'' is a 1951 American drama directed by Henry Hathaway, which tells the story of a New York City police officer trying to stop a despondent man from jumping to his death from the 15th floor of a hotel. The film won critical accla ...

'' (1951) as Bit Part (uncredited) * ''

'' (1951) as Pete * ''

The Tall Target ''The Tall Target'' is a 1951 American historical crime film directed by Anthony Mann and starring Dick Powell, Paula Raymond and Adolphe Menjou. Powell stars as a police sergeant who tries to stop the assassination of Abraham Lincoln at a train ...

'' (1951) as Stranger * ''

Reunion in Reno ''Reunion in Reno'' is a 1951 American comedy film directed by Kurt Neumann and starring Mark Stevens, Peggy Dow and Gigi Perreau.Quinlan p.143 The screenplay concerns a girl who hires an attorney to get her a divorce from her parents. The fil ...

'' (1951) as B. Frederick Linaker * '' The Cimarron Kid'' (1952) as Marshal John Sutton * '' Sailor Beware'' (1952) as Cmdr. Lane * '' With a Song in My Heart'' (1952) as General (uncredited) * '' Carbine Williams'' (1952) as Feder * '' My Wife's Best Friend'' (1952) as Nicholas Reed * ''

'' (1952) as Morgan * ''

Never Wave at a WAC ''Never Wave at a WAC'' is a 1953 American comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod, and starring Rosalind Russell, Paul Douglas and Marie Wilson. Plot Divorced socialite Jo McBain, daughter of United States Senator Reynolds, would like to joi ...

'' (1953) as Sgt. Norbert 'Noisy' Jackson * '' Born to the Saddle'' (1953) as Bob Marshall * ''

Trouble Along the Way ''Trouble Along the Way'' is a 1953 comedy film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring John Wayne and Donna Reed, with a supporting cast including Charles Coburn and Marie Windsor. The black-and-white film was released by Warner Bros. with an ...

'' (1953) as Father Provincial aka Ed * ''

Trial At Tara In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, ...

'' (1953) as King Laera * '' A Perilous Journey'' (1953) as Richards * '' Invaders from Mars'' (1953) as Mr. George MacLean * '' Fort Algiers'' (1953) as Kalmani * ''

Captain Scarface ''Captain Scarface'' is a 1953 American thriller film directed by Paul Guilfoyle. Plot In the waters off South America, the Soviets torpedo the tramp steamer and banana boat SS ''Baños'' and murder the survivors with the cooperation of the shi ...

'' (1953) as Sam * ''

Paris Model ''Paris Model'' is a 1953 American comedy drama film directed by Alfred E. Green and starring Marilyn Maxwell, Paulette Goddard, Eva Gabor and Barbara Lawrence.Wojcik p.235 It is an anthology featuring four separate parts, each focused on on ...

'' (1953) as Edgar Blevins * ''

'' (1954) as Glover, Lead Investigator for Crime Commission * '' Star in the Dust'' (1956) as George Ballard * ''

The Fastest Gun Alive ''The Fastest Gun Alive'' is a 1956 MGM Western film starring Glenn Ford, Jeanne Crain, and Broderick Crawford directed by Russell Rouse. Plot Son of a notorious fast-drawing sheriff, George Kelby Jr. (Ford) and his wife Dora (Jeanne Crain) s ...

'' (1956) as Lou Glover * '' Tea and Sympathy'' (1956) as Bill Reynolds * ''

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

'' (1957) as Charlie Boyle * '' The Vintage'' (1957) as Louis Morel * '' Kiss Them for Me'' (1957) as Eddie Turnbill * ''

Twilight for the Gods ''Twilight for the Gods'' is a 1958 American Eastmancolor adventure film directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Rock Hudson and Cyd Charisse. The story is based on the novel ''Twilight for the Gods'' by Ernest K. Gann (though the opening credits ...

'' (1958) as Harry Hutton * '' Once Upon a Horse...'' (1958) as Granville 'Granny' Dix * ''Shoot Out at Big Sag'' (1962) as Sam Barbee * ''

'' (1963) as Gen. Hewitt * ''

Strait-Jacket ''Strait-Jacket'' is a 1964 American psychological thriller film directed and produced by William Castle, written by Robert Bloch and starring Joan Crawford. Its plot follows a woman who, having murdered her husband and his lover decades prior, ...

'' (1964) as Bill Cutler * '' The Carpetbaggers'' (1964) as Jonas Cord Sr. * '' Roustabout'' (1964) as Joe Lean * ''

'' (1965) as Major Crawford Gilcuddy * '' I Saw What You Did'' (1965) as Dave Mannering * '' Man and Boy'' (1971) as Mossman * '' Terror in the Sky'' (1971) as Marty Treleavan * ''

The Mod Squad ''The Mod Squad'' is an American crime drama series, originally broadcast for five seasons on ABC from September 24, 1968, to March 1, 1973. It starred Michael Cole as Peter "Pete" Cochran, Peggy Lipton as Julie Barnes, Clarence Williams III ...

'' (1972) as Lt. Jerry Price * ''

'' (1973) as Charlie Wheatland * ''

Abduction Abduction may refer to: Media Film and television * "Abduction" (''The Outer Limits''), a 2001 television episode * " Abduction" (''Death Note'') a Japanese animation television series * " Abductions" (''Totally Spies!''), a 2002 episode of an ...

'' (1975) as Prescott * '' Winterhawk'' (1975) as Guthrie * '' Twilight's Last Gleaming'' (1977) as Ralph Whittaker - CIA Director

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Erickson, Leif 1911 births 1986 deaths 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American singers 20th-century trombonists American male film actors American male television actors United States Navy personnel of World War II American trombonists Male trombonists Deaths from cancer in Florida Male actors from San Francisco Musicians from San Francisco People from Alameda, California People from Pensacola, Florida United States Navy sailors Western (genre) television actors 20th-century American male singers Male Western (genre) film actors

Early life

Military service

Acting career

Personal life

Death

Selected filmography

See also

References

External links