Leif Erickson was a talented American stage, film, and television actor, born William Wycliffe Anderson in Alameda, California, near San Francisco. Before pursuing an acting career, Erickson worked as a soloist in a band, performing as a vocalist and trombone player, and gained experience in comedy vaudeville acts. Initially billed as Glenn Erickson, he began his screen career as a leading man in Westerns, eventually becoming a prominent figure in the film industry.
Erickson's early life was marked by his service in the United States Navy during World War II, where he rose 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. During his time in the Navy, Erickson was shot down twice in the Pacific and received two Purple Hearts. He was part of the unit that filmed the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945, capturing over 200,000 feet of film for the Navy.
After the war, Erickson transitioned back to his acting career, appearing 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 most notable roles was as Deborah Kerr's macho husband in the stage and film adaptations of Tea and Sympathy. He also appeared alongside Greta Garbo in Conquest (1937) and played the role of Pete, the vindictive boat engineer, in the 1951 remake of the classic musical Show Boat.
Erickson's television career was equally impressive, with notable roles in shows such as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The High Chaparral, Rawhide, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Marcus Welby, M.D., Medical Center, Cannon, The Rifleman, The Rockford Files, and Hunter. His final role was in an episode of Fantasy Island in 1984.
In his personal life, Erickson was married three times: to actress Frances Farmer from 1936 until 1942, to actress Margaret Hayes from 1942 until 1942, and to Ann Diamond in 1945. The couple had two children, William Leif Erickson (born 1946 - died 1971 in a car accident) and Susan Irene Erickson (born 1950). Erickson passed away on January 29, 1986, at the age of 74, due to cancer complications in Pensacola, Florida.
