John Ericson

John Ericson (sometimes spelled Erickson; born Joachim Alexander Ottokar Meibes; September 25, 1926 – May 3, 2020) was a German-American film and television actor.

John Ericson
Ericson in The Student Prince (1954)
Born
Joachim Alexander Ottokar Meibes

(1926-09-25)September 25, 1926
DiedMay 3, 2020(2020-05-03) (aged 93)
Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States
Resting placeSanta Fe National Cemetery
Alma materAmerican Academy of Dramatic Arts
OccupationActor
Years active1950–2008
Spouse(s)
Milly Coury
(m. 1953; div. 1971)

Karen Huston
(m. 1974)
Children2

Early life

Ericson was born Joachim Alexander Ottokar Meibes in Düsseldorf, Germany.[1] His parents, Ellen Wilson, an actress and operatic star, and Carl F. Meibes, who later became president of a New York food extract corporation,[2] left Germany, reportedly to escape the rising Nazi regime, and came to the United States.[2] Ericson trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York in the same class as Grace Kelly, Jack Palance and Don Rickles.

Career

Ericson gained early acting experience with stock companies at the Gateway Theatre in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia.[2] He appeared on Broadway in the original 1951 production of Stalag 17, directed by José Ferrer.[3]

Ericson made a number of films for MGM in quick succession in the 1950s. His first appearance was in Teresa (1951), directed by Fred Zinnemann. He also appeared in Rhapsody, The Student Prince, Green Fire (all in 1954), and in Bad Day at Black Rock (1955). He co-starred with Barbara Stanwyck in Forty Guns (1957).[4] In 1958 he appeared as Sheriff Barney Wiley in the Western Day of the Badman which starred Fred MacMurray.  

For the next 30 years, his career continued mostly on television. He appeared in the lead role in "The Peter Bartley Story" of the CBS drama The Millionaire. He appeared with Dorothy Malone in the episode "Mutiny" of CBS's Appointment with Adventure (which aired on January 1, 1956). He made guest appearances in The Restless Gun (1958) and Target: The Corruptors! (1961). Ericson also guest starred twice on Bonanza: he played Vince Dagen in the 1960 episode "Breed of Violence" and he portrayed Wade Hollister in the 1967 episode "Journey to Terror". From 1965 to 1966, he co-starred as the partner of Anne Francis in Honey West. (He and Francis had played brother and sister in Bad Day at Black Rock.) In 1971, he appeared as Jack Bonham on The Men From Shiloh in the episode "The Political".

He played the title role in Pretty Boy Floyd (1960), and his other film appearances included roles in Under Ten Flags (1960), Slave Queen of Babylon (1963), 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964), Operation Atlantis (1965), The Money Jungle (1968), The Bamboo Saucer (1968), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), Crash! (1976), and The Far Side of Jericho (2006).

Personal life and death

He was married twice and had two children from his first marriage to Milly Coury. He was married to his second wife Karen Huston Ericson for over 45 years. He died of pneumonia on May 3, 2020, aged 93.[3]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1951TeresaPhilip Cass
1951It's a Big CountryNaval EnsignUncredited
1954RhapsodyJames Guest
1954The Student PrinceCount Von Asterburg
1954Green FireDonald Knowland
1955Bad Day at Black RockPete Wirth
1955The Return of Jack SladeJack Slade, Jr.
1956The Cruel TowerTom Kittredge
1957Forty GunsBrockie Drummond
1957Oregon PassageLt. Niles Ord
1958Day of the BadmanSheriff Barney Wiley
1960Pretty Boy FloydCharles Arthur 'Pretty Boy' Floyd
1960Under Ten FlagsKrüger
1963Slave Queen of BabylonKir
19647 Faces of Dr. LaoEd Cunningham / Transformed Pan
1965Operation AtlantisGeorge Steele
1967The Vengeance of Pancho VillaDon Diego Alvarado / Diego Owens
1967The Money JungleBlake Heller
1968The DestructorsDutch Holland
1968The Bamboo SaucerFred Norwood
1969Black TalismanWill Hunter
1971Bedknobs and BroomsticksCol. Heller
1975Kumander Agimat
1975Hustler SquadMaj. Stonewell / Stony
1976Crash!Dr. Gregg Martin
1978The House of the DeadTalmudge
1984Final MissionColonel Joshua Cain
1989Primary TargetPhil Karlson
2006The Far Side of JerichoCharlie

References

  1. "When Hollywood was "Golden"". Facebook.
  2. "John Ericson Scored Hit With Audience At Movie Premier". The Kingston Daily Freeman. New York, Kingston. January 18, 1955. p. 11. Retrieved January 20, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  3. Barnes, Mike. "John Ericson, Actor in 'Honey West,' Dies at 93". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  4. Hanson, Andrew (July 6, 2010). "John Ericson profile". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
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