John Anderson (actor)

John Robert Anderson (October 20, 1922 – August 7, 1992) was an American character actor who performed in hundreds of stage, film, and television productions during a career that spanned over four decades.

Life and career

Anderson was born and raised in Clayton, Illinois in 1922. Anderson served in the United States Coast Guard during World War II. Anderson held a master's degree in drama from the University of Iowa.

Anderson started out on Broadway, including an appearance in the musical '' Paint Your Wagon'' in 1951. He later worked primarily in film and television.

Standing 6 ft 2 in tall (188 cm), he bore a strong resemblance to U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, whom he portrayed three times. He appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's '' Psycho'' (1960) as "California Charlie", the used car salesman who helps Marion Crane (Janet Leigh). On television, he appeared in such series as ''The Rockford Files'', ''Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre'', '' Gunsmoke'', ''The Rifleman'', '' Laramie'', '' Have Gun – Will Travel '', '' The Alfred Hitchcock Hour'', '' The Virginian'', ''The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'', '' The Californians'', ''Johnny Ringo'', '' Bonanza'', ''Little House on the Prairie'', '' Trackdown'', '' The Big Valley'', '' Tales of Wells Fargo'', ''Emergency!'', ''The Incredible Hulk'', ''MacGyver'' and ''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' (episode "Cradle of the Deep").

Anderson was cast on ''The Rat Patrol'' four times (three of those occasions as the same character). He also made three guest appearances on ''Perry Mason'', which include the episodes "The Case of the Calendar Girl" (1959), "The Case of the Bartered Bikini" (1959), and "The Case of the Greek Goddess". In 1961 Anderson appeared as Hassayampa Edwards in the TV western '' Lawman'' in the episode titled "Hassayampa". He can also be seen in other series produced in this period, such as '' Overland Trail'', '' The Tall Man'', and '' The Legend of Jesse James''. He portrays an eccentric farmer who jealously guards his prize watermelon with a shotgun in "For the Love of Willadean: A Taste of Melon", a story originally broadcast on Walt Disney's '' Wonderful World of Color'' in 1964.

Anderson had a recurring role in ''MacGyver'' as Harry Jackson, MacGyver's grandfather. Other credits include: ''Man Without a Gun''; ''Hawaii Five-O''; '' M*A*S*H'' as Major General Collins; '' Once an Eagle''; ''Rich Man, Poor Man Book II''; ''Backstairs at the White House''; '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' and ''Dallas''. A recurring '' Twilight Zone'' actor, he appeared in four different episodes: " The Old Man in the Cave", "Of Late I Think of Cliffordville", "The Odyssey of Flight 33", and " A Passage for Trumpet". He was also The Interrogator on an episode of '' The Outer Limits'' titled "Nightmare".

The first release of the 1993 soundtrack album ''Music from the Television Series Quantum Leap'' was dedicated to him. He had been featured in the fourth season episode "The Last Gunfighter" of that sci-fi series as Pat Knight; the episode had first aired about six months before his death.

Personal life and death

On June 8, 1946, Anderson married Patricia A. Cason in the rectory of St. Boniface Catholic Church. They moved to Iowa City, Iowa, where Anderson studied in the liberal arts college at the University of Iowa and earned his master's degree in drama. Anderson was married to Patricia Ann Cason until her death on February 18, 1989. Three years later, Anderson suffered a fatal heart attack at his home in Sherman Oaks, California, at the age of 69.

Body of work

Partial filmography

* 1953 '' The Eddie Cantor Story'' as Bobby (uncredited)
* 1955 ''Target Zero'' as Undetermined Role (uncredited)
* 1957 ''Perry Mason'' as George Andrews
* 1957 '' Gunsmoke'' 15 appearances
* 1957 ''Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre'' Episode: "Episode in Darkness"
* 1958 ''The True Story of Lynn Stuart'' as Doc (uncredited)
* 1958 '' The Californian'' (three episodes) as Reed Bullard / Slater / The Deacon
* 1959 '' Last Train from Gun Hill'' as Salesman In Horseshoe (uncredited)
* 1960 '' Psycho'' as Charlie "California Charlie"
* 1960 ''The Twilight Zone''
* 1960 '' Le olimpiadi dei mariti''
* 1960 '' The Wackiest Ship in the Army'' as Sailor (uncredited)
* 1960-1969 '' Bonanza'' (three episodes)
* 1961 ''The Rifleman'' (Eleven episodes) as Will Temple
* 1961 '' Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' (Season 7, Episode 8) "The Old Pro" as Nicholson
* 1961 ''Bat Masterson'' (Season 3, Episode 15) "The Court-marshal of Major Mars" as Major Mars
* 1962 '' Walk on the Wild Side'' as Preacher
* 1962 '' Geronimo'' as Jeremiah Burns
* 1962 ''Ride the High Country'' as Elder Hammond
* 1963 ''Perry Mason'' as Dan O'Malley
* 1963 '' The Outer Limits'' as Ebonite Interrogator
* 1963 ''My Favorite Martian'' (episode "Raffles No. 2") as Captain Farrow
* 1963 '' Laramie'' (episode "The Violent Ones") as Bob Blayne
* 1965 '' The Satan Bug'' as Agent Reagan
* 1965 ''The Hallelujah Trail'' as Sergeant Buell
* 1966 '' Namu, the Killer Whale'' as Joe Clausen
* 1966 ''The Fortune Cookie'' as Abraham Lincoln (uncredited)
* 1967 '' A Covenant with Death'' as Dietrich
* 1967 '' Welcome to Hard Times'' as Ezra Maple / Isaac Maple
* 1968 '' Day of the Evil Gun'' as Captain Jefferson Addis
* 1968 ''A Man Called Gannon'' as Capper
* 1968 '' 5 Card Stud'' as Marshal Dana
* 1968 ''Massacre Harbor'' as Major Indrus
* 1969 '' Heaven with a Gun'' as Asa Beck
* 1969 '' The Great Bank Robbery'' as Mayor Kincaid
* 1969 '' Young Billy Young'' as Boone
* 1970 ''The Animals'' as Sheriff Allan Pierce
* 1970 ''Cotton Comes to Harlem'' as Captain Bryce
* 1970 '' Soldier Blue'' as Colonel Iverson
* 1971 '' Man and Boy'' as Stretch
* 1971 ''Bearcats!'' (episode "Man in a Cage") as Judge Juan O'Brian
* 1972 ''The Stepmother'' as Inspector Darnezi
* 1972 '' Molly and Lawless John'' as Sheriff Marvin Parker
* 1973 '' Counselor at Crime'' as Don Vito Albanese
* 1973 ''Night Gallery'' (episode "Through the Flame Darkly") as Sheriff
* 1973 '' Executive Action'' as Halliday
* 1974 '' Heatwave!'' as Toler
* 1974 '' The Dove'' as Mike Turk
* 1974 ''Kung Fu'' (Episode "Crossties") as Jack Youngblood
* 1975 ''Little House On The Prairie'' as Mr. Pike
* 1975 ''The Specialist'' as Pike Smith
* 1975 ''Emergency!'' "Smoke Eater" as Captain Bob Roberts
* 1976 ''Rich Man, Poor Man Book II'' (mini-series) as Scotty
* 1976 ''The Rockford Files'' (episode "Coulter City Wildcat") as Gerald A. O'Malley
* 1976 '' Once an Eagle'' (mini-series) as George Varney
* 1977 '' The Lincoln Conspiracy'' as Abraham Lincoln
* 1977 '' The Last Hurrah'' as Amos Force
* 1979 ''Backstairs at the White House'' (mini-series) as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
* 1979 ''The Incredible Hulk'' (episode "Wildfire") as Mike Callahan
* 1980 '' Out of the Blue'' as T.V. Interviewer
* 1980 ''Smokey and the Bandit II'' as Governor
* 1981 '' Zoot Suit'' as Judge F.W. Charles
* 1982 '' The American Adventure'' as Mark Twain / Franklin D. Roosevelt (voice)
* 1982 ''The First Time'' as Paul Cooper
* 1982 ''Voyagers!'' - "The Day the Rebs Took Lincoln" as Abraham Lincoln
* 1983 '' M*A*S*H'' - "Say No More" as General Addison Collins
* 1985 ''MacGyver'' - as "Grandpa" Harry Jackson
* 1985 '' North and South'' (mini-series) as William Hazard
* 1986 ''Amerasia''
* 1986 '' Dream West'' (TV mini-series) as Brigadier General Brooke
* 1986 '' Never Too Young to Die'' as Arliss
* 1986 ''Scorpion'' as Joel / Noel G. Koch
* 1988 ''Eight Men Out'' as Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis
* 1989 ''Deadly Innocents'' as Gus
* 1989 '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' - " The Survivors" as Kevin Uxbridge
* 1991 '' In Broad Daylight'' (television movie) as Wes Westerman
* 1991 ''Babe Ruth'' as Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis
* 1992 ''Quantum Leap'' as Pat Knight

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, John
1922 births
1992 deaths
20th-century American male actors
Actors from Quincy, Illinois
American male film actors
American male stage actors
American male television actors
Film directors from Illinois
Male Western (genre) film actors
United States Coast Guard enlisted
United States Coast Guard personnel of World War II
University of Iowa alumni
Western (genre) television actors