Leif Erickson

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

Known For	Acting
Most Rating	1.9057
Birthday	1911-10-27
Place of Birth	Alameda, California, USA
Also Known As	Leif Erikson, Glenn Erickson, Glen Erickson, Glenn Erikson, William Wycliffe Anderson,

Roustabout

On the Waterfront

Invaders from Mars

Conquest

Sorry, Wrong Number

The Gangster

The Fastest Gun Alive

The Tall Target

I Saw What You Did

Trouble Along the Way

Strait-Jacket

The Lady Gambles

Arabian Nights

The Cimarron Kid

Blonde Savage

The Big Broadcast of 1938

Three Secrets

Joan of Arc

The Snake Pit

Tea and Sympathy

Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd

The Gay Intruders

With a Song in My Heart

The Fleet's In

Kiss Them for Me

Mirage

Johnny Stool Pigeon

Waikiki Wedding

Twilight's Last Gleaming

Drift Fence

Nothing but the Truth

Night Monster

Never Wave at a WAC

A Gathering of Eagles

The Daughters of Joshua Cabe

Man and Boy

Star in the Dust

Dallas

Winterhawk

A Perilous Journey

Istanbul

Desert Gold

Stella

One Third of a Nation

Mother Didn't Tell Me

My Wife's Best Friend

The New Healers

The Deadly Dream

The Vintage

Paris Model

Terror in the Sky

College Holiday

Thrill of a Lifetime

Are Husbands Necessary?

H.M. Pulham, Esq.

Crisis

The Carpetbaggers

Miss Tatlock's Millions

Show Boat

Born to the Saddle

Fort Algiers

The Showdown

Fourteen Hours

Ride a Crooked Mile

Once Upon a Horse...

Eagle Squadron

The Blonde from Singapore

Pardon My Sarong

Hill Number One: A Story of Faith and Inspiration

Abduction

Sailor Beware

Captain Scarface

Force Five

Girl of the Ozarks

Shootout at Big Sag

Twilight for the Gods

Reunion in Reno

The Six Million Dollar Man: The Solid Gold Kidnapping

The Family Rico

Wanderer of the Wasteland