Leif Erickson (born William Wycliffe Anderson; October 27, 1911 â€"
January 29, 1986) 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.
January 29, 1986) 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.
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