Leif Erickson
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- October 27, 1911
- Died
- January 29, 1986
- Birthplace
- Alameda, California, USA
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
Filmography
Twilight's Last Gleaming 1977
as Ralph Whittaker - CIA Director
The Fantastic Journey 1977
as Ben Wallace
Winterhawk 1975
as Guthrie
Abduction 1975
as Prescott
Force Five 1975
as Cal Newkirk
The Six Million Dollar Man: The Solid Gold Kidnapping 1973
as William Henry Cameron
The Daughters of Joshua Cabe 1972
as Amos Wetherall
The Family Rico 1972
as Mike Lamont
The New Healers 1972
as Dr. Victor Briggs
The Deadly Dream 1971
as Dr. Harold Malcolm
Terror in the Sky 1971
as Marty Treleavan
Man and Boy 1971
as Sheriff Mossman
Mirage 1965
as The Major
I Saw What You Did 1965
as Dave Mannering
Roustabout 1964
as Joe Lean
The Carpetbaggers 1964
as Jonas Cord Sr.
Strait-Jacket 1964
as Bill Cutler
A Gathering of Eagles 1963
as Gen. Hewitt
Shootout at Big Sag 1962
as Sam Barbee
- The Shape of the River
The Shape of the River 1960
as William Dean Howells
Once Upon a Horse... 1958
as Granville "Granny" Dix
Twilight for the Gods 1958
as Harry Hutton
Kiss Them for Me 1957
as Eddie Turnbill
- Panic Button
Panic Button 1957
as Paul Henderson
The Vintage 1957
as Louis Morel
One Coat of White 1957
as Ben Riggs
Istanbul 1957
as Charlie Boyle
Tea and Sympathy 1956
as Bill Reynolds
The Fastest Gun Alive 1956
as Lou Glover
Star in the Dust 1956
as George Ballard
On the Waterfront 1954
as Glover
Paris Model 1953
as Edgar Blevins
Captain Scarface 1953
as Sam
Fort Algiers 1953
as Kalmani
Invaders from Mars 1953
as George MacLean
A Perilous Journey 1953
as Richards
Trouble Along the Way 1953
as Father Provincial aka Ed
Born to the Saddle 1953
as Bob Marshall
Never Wave at a WAC 1953
as Norbert 'Noisy' Jackson
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd 1952
as Morgan
My Wife's Best Friend 1952
as Nicholas Reed
Carbine Williams 1952
as Feder
With a Song in My Heart 1952
as General (uncredited)
Sailor Beware 1952
as Commander Lane
The Cimarron Kid 1952
as Marshal John Sutton
Reunion in Reno 1951
as B. Frederick Linaker
The Tall Target 1951
as Stranger
Show Boat 1951
as Pete
Fourteen Hours 1951
as Bit Part (uncredited)
Hill Number One: A Story of Faith and Inspiration 1951
as Pilate
Dallas 1950
as U.S. Marshal Martin Weatherby
Three Secrets 1950
as Bill Chase
The Showdown 1950
as Big Mart
Stella 1950
as Fred Anderson Jr.
Mother Didn't Tell Me 1950
as Dr. Bruce Gordon
The Lady Gambles 1949
as Tony
Johnny Stool Pigeon 1949
as Pringle
Joan of Arc 1948
as Dunois, Bastard of Orleans
Miss Tatlock's Millions 1948
as Dr. Mason
The Snake Pit 1948
as Gordon
Sorry, Wrong Number 1948
as Fred Lord
The Gay Intruders 1948
as Dr. Harold Matson
The Gangster 1947
as Beaumont
Blonde Savage 1947
as Steve Blake
Arabian Nights 1942
as Kamar (as Leif Erikson)
Night Monster 1942
as Laurie
Pardon My Sarong 1942
as Whaba
Eagle Squadron 1942
as Johnny M. Coe
Are Husbands Necessary? 1942
as Bill Stone
The Fleet's In 1942
as Jake
H.M. Pulham, Esq. 1941
as Rodney 'Bo-Jo' Brown
The Blonde from Singapore 1941
as Terry Prescott
Nothing but the Truth 1941
as Tommy Van Dusen
Crisis 1939
as Narrator (voice)
One Third of a Nation 1939
as Peter Cortlant
Ride a Crooked Mile 1938
as Johnny Simpkins
The Big Broadcast of 1938 1938
as Bob Hayes
Thrill of a Lifetime 1937
as Howard Nelson
Conquest 1937
as Paul Lachinski
Waikiki Wedding 1937
as Dr. Victor Quimby
College Holiday 1936
as Dick Winters
Girl of the Ozarks 1936
as Tom Bolton
Desert Gold 1936
as Glenn Kasedon
Drift Fence 1936
as Curley Prentice
Nevada 1935
as Bill Ide
Wanderer of the Wasteland 1935
as Lawrence
Air Tonic 1933
as Band Singer
Credits from TMDB.