James Drummond Erskine III (April 7, 1919 â€" March 21, 2009) was an
American character actor. He appeared in more than 75 films during his
decades long acting career, which spanned over 50 years.Erskine became
known in his later life for a series of cameo appearances on various
television shows, including a running gag on the Late Show with David
Letterman in which he parodied an aging Regis Philbin beginning in
2008.Erskine was born in 1919 in Manhattan. He attended private
schools before enrolling at the University of Virginia.Erskine left
college at the beginning of World War II in order to enlist in the
United States Army. He volunteered to serve in the Army's first
airborne unit beginning in 1942. He was trained in the proper ways to
jump and operate a glider at Fort Benning, Georgia. Erskine served in
the Army as a trainer with the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, the
same regiment which would later be the subject of Band of Brothers, a
History Channel documentary. The 506th Regiment was based in Currahee
Mountain, Georgia, during the war.
American character actor. He appeared in more than 75 films during his
decades long acting career, which spanned over 50 years.Erskine became
known in his later life for a series of cameo appearances on various
television shows, including a running gag on the Late Show with David
Letterman in which he parodied an aging Regis Philbin beginning in
2008.Erskine was born in 1919 in Manhattan. He attended private
schools before enrolling at the University of Virginia.Erskine left
college at the beginning of World War II in order to enlist in the
United States Army. He volunteered to serve in the Army's first
airborne unit beginning in 1942. He was trained in the proper ways to
jump and operate a glider at Fort Benning, Georgia. Erskine served in
the Army as a trainer with the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, the
same regiment which would later be the subject of Band of Brothers, a
History Channel documentary. The 506th Regiment was based in Currahee
Mountain, Georgia, during the war.
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