Edward Erich Anderson (October 24, 1956 – June 1, 2024) was an American actor and novelist. He starred in film and on television, and was widely known for his role in the 1984 horror film '' Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter'' as Rob Dier. He also starred in the 1988 film '' Bat*21'' and in the 2002 drama film '' Unfaithful''.

Background

Edward Erich Anderson was born on October 24, 1956, to an American family in Sagamihara, Japan. He grew up in a military family, and moved frequently throughout his childhood. He attended Hilltop High School in

Chula Vista, California Chula Vista ( ; , ) is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. It is the second-most populous city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the Largest cities in Southern California, seventh-most populous city in Southern California ...

, and went on to study biochemistry and molecular biology at the

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an ...

. He initially aspired to attend medical school, but eventually decided to pursue acting.

Career

Among Anderson's early roles was a role on '' Bay City Blues'' in 1983. During this time, he was cast in '' Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter''. Anderson appeared on over 300 television episodes through his career. Noted television appearances included the series '' Second Chances'' as Bruce Christianson, ''

thirtysomething ''Thirtysomething'' is an American drama television series created by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz for United Artists Television (under MGM/UA Television) and aired on ABC from September 29, 1987, to May 28, 1991."The 'don't trust a ...

'' as Billy Sidel, and '' Felicity'' as Felicity's father. He also guest starred on ''

Melrose Place ''Melrose Place'' is an American prime-time television soap opera that aired on Fox from July 8, 1992, to May 24, 1999, for seven seasons. The show follows the lives of a group of young adults living in an apartment complex in West Hollywood, ...

'' as

Courtney Thorne-Smith Courtney Thorne-Smith (born 1966 or 1967) is an American actress. She is known for her starring roles as Alison Parker on '' Melrose Place'', Georgia Thomas on '' Ally McBeal'', and Cheryl Mabel on '' According to Jim'', as well as her recurrin ...

's psychiatrist. Anderson acted on episodes of ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...

'', '' CSI'', '' CSI: Miami'', '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' in the Season 5 episode " Conundrum" as Commander Kieran MacDuff, and ''

Boomtown A boomtown is a community that undergoes sudden and rapid population and economic growth, or that is started from scratch. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although t ...

'' as D.A. Ben Fisher. He also appeared in '' Season 3 Episode 19'' of US drama ''

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

''. He also had a role as Evan, the lead character in '' The Outer Limits'' Season 2 Episode 16 " The Deprogrammers" which co-starred

Brent Spiner Brent Jay Spiner (; born February 2, 1949) is an American actor best known for his role as the android Data on the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (19871994), four subsequent films (19942002), and '' Star Trek: Picard'' ( ...

. Anderson also published three novels between 2012 and 2022.

Personal life and death

Anderson was married to actress Saxon Trainor. He died from

esophageal cancer Esophageal cancer (American English) or oesophageal cancer (British English) is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include dysphagia, difficulty in swallowing and weigh ...

at his home in Los Angeles, on June 1, 2024, at the age of 67.

Select filmography

References

External links

* 1956 births 2024 deaths 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American male writers American male film actors American male television actors Deaths from esophageal cancer in California Hilltop High School (Chula Vista, California) alumni Novelists from Los Angeles People from Sagamihara {{US-screen-actor-1950s-stub