Leif Erickson

Leif Erickson

Biography: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Leif Erickson (born William Wycliffe Anderson) was an American stage, film, and television actor. 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. 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. He was shot down twice in the Pacific as well as receiving two Purple Hearts. Erickson was in the unit that filmed and photographed the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. Over four years service, he shot more than 200,000 feet of film for the Navy. 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 would go 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. 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 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. However, he is probably best known 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, Gunsmoke, Marcus Welby, M.D., Medical Center, Cannon, The Rifleman, The Rockford Files, and the 1977 series Hunter. His final role was in an episode of Fantasy Island in 1984. 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). Erickson died of cancer in Pensacola, Florida, on January 29, 1986, aged 74 CLR

Place of Birth: Not available

Birthday: October 27, 1911

Deathday: January 29, 1986

Popularity:

5.789

Known For

Roustabout
Roustabout

1964-11-11

On the Waterfront
On the Waterfront

1954-06-22

Invaders from Mars
Invaders from Mars

1953-04-22

Conquest
Conquest

1937-10-22

Sorry, Wrong Number
Sorry, Wrong Number

1948-09-24

The Gangster
The Gangster

1947-11-25

The Fastest Gun Alive
The Fastest Gun Alive

1956-07-12

The Tall Target
The Tall Target

1951-08-17

I Saw What You Did
I Saw What You Did

1965-07-21

Trouble Along the Way
Trouble Along the Way

1953-04-04

Strait-Jacket
Strait-Jacket

1964-01-19

The Lady Gambles
The Lady Gambles

1949-05-20

Arabian Nights
Arabian Nights

1942-12-25

The Cimarron Kid
The Cimarron Kid

1952-01-13

Blonde Savage
Blonde Savage

1947-11-22

The Big Broadcast of 1938
The Big Broadcast of 1938

1938-02-11

Three Secrets
Three Secrets

1950-10-20

Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc

1948-12-22

The Snake Pit
The Snake Pit

1948-11-04

Tea and Sympathy
Tea and Sympathy

1956-09-27

Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd

1952-12-27

The Gay Intruders
The Gay Intruders

1948-09-02

With a Song in My Heart
With a Song in My Heart

1952-04-03

The Fleet's In
The Fleet's In

1942-01-24

Kiss Them for Me
Kiss Them for Me

1957-12-10

Mirage
Mirage

1965-10-29

Johnny Stool Pigeon
Johnny Stool Pigeon

1949-04-20

Waikiki Wedding
Waikiki Wedding

1937-03-23

Twilight's Last Gleaming
Twilight's Last Gleaming

1977-02-09

Drift Fence
Drift Fence

1936-02-14

Nothing But the Truth
Nothing But the Truth

1941-10-10

Night Monster
Night Monster

1942-10-20

Never Wave at a WAC
Never Wave at a WAC

1953-01-28

A Gathering of Eagles
A Gathering of Eagles

1963-06-21

The Daughters of Joshua Cabe
The Daughters of Joshua Cabe

1972-09-13

Man and Boy
Man and Boy

1971-06-23

Star in the Dust
Star in the Dust

1956-06-13

Dallas
Dallas

1950-12-30

Winterhawk
Winterhawk

1975-11-05

A Perilous Journey
A Perilous Journey

1953-04-05

Istanbul
Istanbul

1957-01-23

Desert Gold
Desert Gold

1936-03-26

Stella
Stella

1950-07-20

One Third of a Nation
One Third of a Nation

1939-02-10

Mother Didn't Tell Me
Mother Didn't Tell Me

1950-03-03

My Wife's Best Friend
My Wife's Best Friend

1952-10-09

The New Healers
The New Healers

1972-03-27

The Deadly Dream
The Deadly Dream

1971-09-25

The Vintage
The Vintage

1957-05-08

Paris Model
Paris Model

1953-11-10

Terror in the Sky
Terror in the Sky

1971-09-17

College Holiday
College Holiday

1936-12-19

Thrill of a Lifetime
Thrill of a Lifetime

1937-12-03

Are Husbands Necessary?
Are Husbands Necessary?

1942-06-15

H.M. Pulham, Esq.
H.M. Pulham, Esq.

1941-12-04

Crisis
Crisis

1939-03-13

The Carpetbaggers
The Carpetbaggers

1964-04-08

Miss Tatlock's Millions
Miss Tatlock's Millions

1948-11-19

Show Boat
Show Boat

1951-07-19

Born to the Saddle
Born to the Saddle

1953-03-15

Fort Algiers
Fort Algiers

1953-08-30

The Showdown
The Showdown

1950-08-15

Fourteen Hours
Fourteen Hours

1951-04-01

Ride a Crooked Mile
Ride a Crooked Mile

1938-12-09

Once Upon a Horse...
Once Upon a Horse...

1958-09-01

Eagle Squadron
Eagle Squadron

1942-06-16

The Blonde from Singapore
The Blonde from Singapore

1941-10-15

Pardon My Sarong
Pardon My Sarong

1942-08-07

Hill Number One: A Story of Faith and Inspiration
Hill Number One: A Story of Faith and Inspiration

1951-03-25

Abduction
Abduction

1975-05-05

Sailor Beware
Sailor Beware

1952-02-08

Captain Scarface
Captain Scarface

1953-10-15

Force Five
Force Five

1975-03-28

Girl of the Ozarks
Girl of the Ozarks

1936-06-12

Shootout at Big Sag
Shootout at Big Sag

1962-05-31

Twilight for the Gods
Twilight for the Gods

1958-08-04

Reunion in Reno
Reunion in Reno

1951-10-09

The Six Million Dollar Man: The Solid Gold Kidnapping
The Six Million Dollar Man: The Solid Gold Kidnapping

1973-11-17

The Family Rico
The Family Rico

1972-09-13

Wanderer of the Wasteland
Wanderer of the Wasteland

1935-09-09

Nevada
Nevada

1935-11-29

Carbine Williams
Carbine Williams

1952-05-01

The Fantastic Journey
The Fantastic Journey

1977-02-03

Air Tonic
Air Tonic

1933-12-22