Arthur John Miles Anderson (August 29, 1922 – April 9, 2016) was an American actor of radio, film, television, and stage.

Early years

Anderson was born August 29, 1922, on Staten Island, New York. His parents, George Christian Anderson and Violet Brookfield Anderson, came from Denmark and England respectively. He was educated at the

Professional Children's School The Professional Children's School (PCS) is a not-for-profit, college-preparatory school geared toward working and aspiring child actors and dancers in grades four through twelve. The school was founded in New York City in 1914 to provide an ac ...

in Manhattan. "He first came to radio through a children's community playhouse and started appearing regularly in 1934 on ''Uncle Nick Kenny's Radio Kindergarten'' at WMCA."DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 11-12.

''Let's Pretend''

As a child, he was heard on NBC in the role of the orphan Buddy on the radio network's musical serial drama, ''Tony and Gus'' (1935). The following year he joined the cast of Nila Mack's ''

Let's Pretend ''Let's Pretend'', created and directed by Nila Mack, was a CBS radio series for children. Prior to being renamed ''Let's Pretend'', the program had a variety of titles and formats. In its most famous form, ''Let's Pretend'', the Peabody Awar ...

'' and continued on that children's program until it came to an end in 1954. In 2004, he wrote a history of the show, ''Let's Pretend and the Golden Age of Radio'' (BearManor Media), which includes a foreword by

Norman Corwin Norman Lewis Corwin (May 3, 1910 – October 18, 2011) was an American writer, screenwriter, producer, essayist and teacher of journalism and writing. His earliest and biggest successes were in the writing and directing of radio drama during th ...

and a complete broadcast log by Derek Tague and Martin Grams, Jr.

Other radio

Anderson acted in Welles's ''

The Mercury Theatre on the Air ''The Mercury Theatre on the Air'' is a radio series of live radio dramas created and hosted by Orson Welles. The weekly hour-long show presented classic literary works performed by Welles's celebrated Mercury Theatre repertory company, with mus ...

'', his CBS Radio series as characters in "

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", "

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

", and "

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

". Additional radio credits include the juvenile quiz show, ''March of Games'' (1938–1941), produced by Nila Mack and featuring many of the young actors from ''Let's Pretend''.

Stage

Anderson appeared in

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...

Mercury Theatre The Mercury Theatre was an independent repertory theatre company founded in New York City in 1937 by Orson Welles and producer John Houseman. The company produced theatrical presentations, radio programs and motion pictures. The Mercury also r ...

production of ''

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war. He ...

'' on Broadway, as portrayed as the character Richard Samuels in the 2008 film ''

Me and Orson Welles ''Me and Orson Welles'' is a 2008 period drama film directed by Richard Linklater and starring Zac Efron, Christian McKay, and Claire Danes. Based on Robert Kaplow's novel of the same name, the story, set in 1937 New York, tells of a teenager ...

''. His other Broadway credits include ''1776'', ''Il Trovatore'', ''Aida'', ''Carmen'', ''Good Neighbor'', and ''The Shoemakers' Holiday''.

From serials to cereals

Beginning in 1963 he was the voice of the

General Mills General Mills, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded ultra-processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in ...

Lucky Charms Lucky Charms is a brand of breakfast cereal produced by General Mills since 1964. The cereal consists of multi-colored marshmallows and pieces of shaped pulverized oat, each resembling one of several objects or symbols associated with good luc ...

mascot Lucky the

Leprechaun A leprechaun () is a diminutive supernatural being in Irish folklore, classed by some as a type of solitary fairy. They are usually depicted as little bearded men, wearing a coat and hat, who partake in mischief. In later times, they have bee ...

, continuing the character for 29 years even though he is not Irish. In 2005, he recalled: :People have expectations. I just have an Irish-sounding name. I have reason to celebrate. I had the luck of the Irish to get that part. I never got free cereal, but they gave me lots of green money. And it was a fun character to play. Hardly a day goes by when somebody doesn't ask me to sing the Lucky Charms jingle, and I'm proud of that.Wolf, Buck. ABC News: "Lucky Charms Leprechaun: 'I'm Not Irish'," March 15. 2005.
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Television and film

Anderson succeeded Lionel Wilson as the voice of

Eustace Bagge This is a list of characters from the Cartoon Network animated series, ''Courage the Cowardly Dog''. Main characters Courage :Voiced by Howard Hoffman (pilot) and Marty Grabstein (series; "The Fog of Courage"; ''Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-D ...

in ''

Courage the Cowardly Dog ''Courage the Cowardly Dog'' is an American animated comedy horror television series created by John R. Dilworth for Cartoon Network. It was produced by Dilworth's animation studio, Stretch Films. The eponymous character is an anxious dog who li ...

''. His film credits include ''

Midnight Cowboy ''Midnight Cowboy'' is a 1969 American drama film directed by John Schlesinger, adapted by Waldo Salt from the 1965 novel by James Leo Herlihy. The film stars Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight, with supporting roles played by Sylvia Miles, J ...

'', ''

Zelig ''Zelig'' is a 1983 American satirical mockumentary comedy film written, directed by and starring Woody Allen as Leonard Zelig, a nondescript enigma, who, apparently out of his desire to fit in and be liked, unwittingly takes on the characteris ...

'', ''

Green Card A green card, known officially as a permanent resident card, is an identity document which shows that a person has permanent residency in the United States. ("The term 'lawfully admitted for permanent residence' means the status of having been ...

'' and ''

I'm Not Rappaport ''I'm Not Rappaport'' is a play by Herb Gardner, which originally ran on Broadway in 1985. Productions The play was originally staged by Seattle Repertory Theatre in 1984. The play premiered on Broadway at the Booth Theatre on November 19 ...

'', and his onscreen television appearances include episodes of ''

Car 54, Where Are You? ''Car 54, Where Are You?'' is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 1961 to April 1963. Filmed in black and white, the series starred Joe E. Ross as Gunther Toody and Fred Gwynne as Francis Muldoon, two mismatched New York City Po ...

'', ''

Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) is one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The high ...

'', and ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the ''Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire ...

''.

Later years

Late in life, Anderson was active in Friends of Old Time Radio, a group that recreated broadcasts using the original scripts and was a regular participant in their conventions. He appeared at the convention 30 times, the most of any actor. He appeared at the very last convention on October 23, 2011. In 2012, he took on the role of honorary chairman for the successor event to Friends of Old Time Radio, NY OTR, which took place on October 12–13, 2012.

Personal life

Anderson was married to casting director Alice Middleton. They had one daughter.

Death

Anderson died at his

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

home on April 9, 2016, at age 93.

Autobiography

''An Actor's Odyssey: Orson Welles to Lucky the Leprechaun,'' by Arthur Anderson. Albany, 2010. BearManor Media. .

References

External links

* * *
New York Public Library: Nila Mack Personal Papers, Photos and Scripts

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Arthur 1922 births 2016 deaths American people of Danish descent American people of English descent 20th-century American male actors American male child actors American male radio actors American male stage actors American male voice actors American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from Staten Island