Leif Erickson (actor)

Leif Erickson
Erickson in Blonde Savage (1947)
Born	William Wycliffe Anderson (1911-10-27)October 27, 1911 Alameda, California, U.S.
Died	January 29, 1986(1986-01-29) (aged 74) Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1933–1984
Spouse(s)	Frances Farmer ​ ​ (m. 1936; div. 1942)​ Margaret Hayes ​ ​ (m. 1942; div. 1942)​ Ann Diamond ​ (m. 1945)​
Children	2
Military career
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1941–45
Rank	Chief petty officer[1]
Awards	Purple Heart with one gold 5/16 inch star Combat Action Ribbon

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, near San Francisco. He worked as a soloist in a band as vocalist and trombone player, performed in Max Reinhardt's productions, and then gained a small amount of stage experience in a comedy vaudeville act. Initially billed by Paramount Pictures as Glenn Erickson, he began his screen career as a leading man in Westerns.^[1]

Military service[]

Erickson enlisted in the United States Navy during World War II. Rising to the rank of Chief Petty Officer in the Naval Aviation Photographic Unit, he served as a military photographer, shooting film in combat zones, and as an instructor.^[1] He was shot down twice in the Pacific, and received two Purple Hearts.^[2] Erickson was in the unit that filmed and photographed the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.^[1] Over four years service, he shot more than 200,000 feet of film for the Navy.^[1]

Acting career[]

Erikson (left) alongside Yaphet Kotto in The High Chaparral, perhaps his best known television role

Erickson's first films were two 1933 band films with Betty Grable before starting a string of Buster Crabbe Western films based on Zane Grey novels. He went on to appears in films such as The Snake Pit, Sorry, Wrong Number, Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd, Invaders from Mars, On the Waterfront, A Gathering of Eagles, Roustabout, The Carpetbaggers, and Mirage.^[3]

One of his more notable roles was as Deborah Kerr's macho husband in the stage and film versions of Tea and Sympathy. He appeared with Greta Garbo, as her brother, in Conquest (1937). He played the role of Pete, the vindictive boat engineer, in the 1951 remake of the famed musical Show Boat. His final appearance in a feature film was in Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977).

Erickson and Linda Cristal in The High Chaparral

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, though, for The High Chaparral, which aired on NBC from 1967 until 1971. He portrayed a rancher, Big John Cannon, determined to establish a cattle empire in the Arizona Territory while keeping peace with the Apache. Erickson guest-starred in several television series, including Rawhide, Bonanza (two episodes, 1961-1965), as Aaron Burr in Daniel Boone (two episodes, 1964–1970) Gunsmoke, Marcus Welby, M.D., Medical Center, Cannon, The Rifleman, The Rockford Files, The Rookies, Night Gallery, and the 1977 series Hunter. His final role was in an episode of Fantasy Island in 1984.^[4]

Personal life[]

Erickson was married to actress Frances Farmer from 1936 until 1942. The same day that his divorce from Farmer was finalized, June 12, 1942, he married actress Margaret Hayes. They divorced a month later. He married Ann Diamond in 1945. They had two children, William Leif Erickson (born 1946 - died 1971 in a car accident) and Susan Irene Erickson (born 1950).

Death[]

Erickson died of cancer in Pensacola, Florida, on January 29, 1986, aged 74.^[5]

Selected filmography[]

Leif Erickson and Frances Farmer (front row, from left) with members of the Group Theatre in 1938

See also[]

References[]

External links[]

• Leif Erickson at IMDb
• Leif Erickson at Find a Grave