Leif Erickson

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 William Wycliffe Anderson 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.

Military service Erickson enlisted in the U.S. 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, and received two Purple Hearts. Erickson was in the unit that filmed and photographed the Japanese surrender aboard the in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.

Acting career

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 appear 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.

Among Erickson's more notable roles were as Deborah Kerr's macho husband in the stage and film versions of Tea and Sympathy and as Greta Garbo's brother in Conquest (1937). He also 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. He is probably best known, however, 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 Colgate Theatre, Rawhide; Bonanza (two episodes, 1961–1965); as Aaron Burr in Daniel Boone (two episodes, 1964–1970); Gunsmoke; Marcus Welby, M.D.; Medical Center; Longstreet; 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.

Death Erickson died of cancer in Pensacola, Florida, on January 29, 1986, aged 74.

Selected filmography

The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi (1933) as Band Singer with Ted Fio Rito Wanderer of the Wasteland (1935) as Lawrence Nevada (1935) as Bill Ide Drift Fence (1936) as Curley Prentiss Desert Gold (1936) as Glenn Kasedon Girl of the Ozarks (1936) as Tom Bolton College Holiday (1936) as Dick Winters Waikiki Wedding (1937) as Dr. Victor Quimby Conquest (1937) as Paul Lachinski Thrill of a Lifetime (1937) as Howard 'Howdy' Nelson The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938) as Bob Hayes Ride a Crooked Mile (1938) as Johnny Simpkins ...One Third of a Nation... (1939) as Peter Cortlant Nothing but the Truth (1941) as Tommy Van Dusen The Blonde from Singapore (1941) as Terry Prescott H. M. Pulham, Esq. (1941) as Rodney 'Bo-Jo' Brown The Fleet's In (1942) as Jake Are Husbands Necessary? (1942) as Bill Stone Eagle Squadron (1942) as Johnny M. Coe Pardon My Sarong (1942) as Whaba Night Monster (1942) as Laurie Arabian Nights (1942) as Kamar Blonde Savage (1947) as Steve Blake The Gangster (1947) as Beaumont Sorry, Wrong Number (1948) as Fred Lord The Gay Intruders (1948) as Dr. Harold Matson The Snake Pit (1948) as Gordon Joan of Arc (1948) as Dunois, Bastard of Orleans Miss Tatlock's Millions (1948) as Dr. Mason The Lady Gambles (1949) as Tony Johnny Stool Pigeon (1949) as Pringle Mother Didn't Tell Me (1950) as Dr. Bruce Gordon Love That Brute (1950) as Elmdale Military Academy Captain (uncredited) Stella (1950) as Fred Anderson Jr. The Showdown (1950) as Big Mart Three Secrets (1950) as Bill Chase Dallas (1950) as U.S. Marshal Martin Weatherby Fourteen Hours (1951) Bit Part (uncredited) Show Boat (1951) as Pete The Tall Target (1951) as Stranger Reunion in Reno (1951) as B. Frederick Linaker The Cimarron Kid (1952) as Marshal John Sutton Sailor Beware (1952) as Commander Lane With a Song in My Heart (1952) as General (uncredited) Carbine Williams (1952) as Feder My Wife's Best Friend (1952) as Nicholas Reed Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952) as Morgan Never Wave at a WAC (1953) as Sergeant Norbert 'Noisy' Jackson Born to the Saddle (1953) as Bob Marshall Trouble Along the Way (1953) as Father Provincial aka Ed Trial at Tara (1953) as King Laera A Perilous Journey (1953) as Richards Invaders from Mars (1953) as Mr. George MacLean Fort Algiers (1953) as Kalmani Captain Scarface (1953) as Sam Paris Model (1953) as Edgar Blevins On the Waterfront (1954) as Glover, Lead Investigator for Crime Commission Star in the Dust (1956) as George Ballard The Fastest Gun Alive (1956) as Lou Glover Tea and Sympathy (1956) as Bill Reynolds Istanbul (1957) as Charlie Boyle The Vintage (1957) as Louis Morel Kiss Them for Me (1957) as Eddie Turnbill Twilight for the Gods (1958) as Harry Hutton Once Upon a Horse... (1958) as Granville 'Granny' Dix Shoot Out at Big Sag (1962) as Sam Barbee A Gathering of Eagles (1963) as General Hewitt Strait-Jacket (1964) as Bill Cutler The Carpetbaggers (1964) as Jonas Cord Sr. Roustabout (1964) as Joe Lean Mirage (1965) as Major Crawford Gilcuddy I Saw What You Did (1965) as Dave Mannering Man and Boy (1971) as Mossman Terror in the Sky (1971) as Marty Treleavan Abduction (1975) as Prescott Winterhawk (1975) as Guthrie Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977) as Ralph Whittaker - CIA Director

Television

Year Title Role Notes1958Zane Grey TheatreJim LewisS2:E21 "The Sharpshooter" - became series pilot episode for "The Rifleman"1958 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Wayne Phillips Season 3 Episode 19: "The Equalizer"1959 Rawhide Jeremiah Walsh S2:E6, "Incident at the Buffalo Smokehouse"1961 Rawhide Frank Travis S3:E19, "Incident Near Gloomy River"1963 Hazel Zachary King S3:E11, "The Vanishing Hero"1963 Arrest and Trial Mort Vallos Season 1 Episode 7: "Whose Little Girl Are You?"1964 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour Dr. John S. Hellyer Season 3 Episode 11: "Consider Her Ways"1965 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour Paul White Season 3 Episode 26: "The Monkey's Paw - A Retelling"1965 Daniel Boone Aaron Burr S2:E7, "The Aaron Burr Story" 1966 Branded Roy Beckwith S2:E22 "Barbed Wire"1967–1971 The High Chaparral Big John Cannon 98 episodes1972 The Mod Squad Lieutenant Jerry Price 1973 Night Gallery Charlie Wheatland 1973 The Streets of San Francisco Fr. Henry Driscoll S2:E3, "For the Love of God"1973 List of The Six Million Dollar Man episodes William Henry Cameron Pilot Movie "The Solid Gold Kidnapping"