biography

John Ericson Born John Meibes (some sources indicate Joseph as his first name) in Dusseldorf, Germany, on September 23, 1926, John Ericson emigrated with his father and mother to the U.S. in the late 1920s to escape the rise of the Nazi regime. He studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York in the late 1940s and early 1950s, making his Broadway debut in Stalag 17 in May 1951. He also did quite a bit of work in early television in New York, appearing on such programs as The Philco Television Playhouse and Lux Video Theatre. After making his film debut in the MGM drama Teresa (1951; with Pier Angeli and Ralph Meeker), Ericson was offered a contract with MGM in 1953. He was given a starring role in the drama Rhapsody (1954; with Elizabeth Taylor and Vittorio Gassman), but after a few films, including Bad Day at Black Rock (1955; with Spencer Tracy and Anne Francis), the studio dropped his contract.

John EricsonJohn Ericson

Promotional photos of John Ericson. LEFT: Mid 1950s beefcake photo. RIGHT: Ericson in his convertible in 1954

Ericson then moved to low-budget films, including many westerns, and quite a bit of television work, guest starring on many popular programs in the late 1950s and 1960s, such as Wagon Train, Adventures in Paradise, and Route 66. Some of his films from this period include Pretty Boy Floyd (1960; with Barry Newman, Jason Evers, and Peter Falk), The Cruel Tower (1956; with Mari Blanchard, Charles McGraw, and Steve Brodie), and 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964; with Tony Randall and Barbara Eden). In 1965, he accepted the role of Sam Bolt, the right-hand man of Anne Francis, on the ABC TV series Honey West. Although the series proved popular, it was canceled by the network in the spring of 1966.

the films of john ericson

Teresa (1951)

John Ericson and Pier Angeli

With Pier Angeli in the MGM drama Teresa. This was Ericson's first starring role

Green Fire (1954)

John Ericson and Stewart GrangerJohn Ericson and Grace Kelly

From the MGM adventure Green Fire. LEFT: With Stewart Granger. RIGHT: With Grace Kelly

Rhapsody (1954)

John EricsonElizabeth Taylor and John Ericson

LEFT: As James Guest in MGM's musical drama Rhapsody. RIGHT: With co-star Elizabeth Taylor

Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)

Spencer Tracy and John Ericson

With Spencer Tracy in the MGM thriller Bad Day at Black Rock

The Return of Jack Slade (1955)

Mari Blanchard, John Ericson

From the Allied Artists western The Return of Jack Slade with Mari Blanchard

The Cruel Tower (1956)

Mari Blanchard and John Ericson

From the Allied Artists adventure The Cruel Tower with Mari Blanchard

Oregon Passage (1957)

John Ericson

As Lt. Niles Ord in the Allied Artists western Oregon Passage

Day of the Bad Man (1958)

Fred MacMurray, John Ericson, and Edgar Buchanan

With Fred MacMurray and Edgar Buchanan in the Universal-International western Day of the Bad Man

Pretty Boy Floyd (1960)

John Ericson

Ericson as the title character in the low-budget crime drama Pretty Boy Floyd

7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964)

Tony Randall, Barbara Eden, and John Ericson

With Tony Randall and Barbara Eden in the MGM western 7 Faces of Dr. Lao

The Destructors (1968)

John Ericson and Michael Ansara

With Michael Ansara in the low-budget science fiction effort The Destructors

The Money Jungle (1968)

Leslie Parrish and John Ericson

From the little-seen thriller The Money Jungle with Leslie Parrish

The Bounty Man (1972)

Clint Walker, John Ericson, and Margot Kidder

From the ABC TV movie The Bounty Man with Clint Walker and Margot Kidder

Police Story (1973-1977 NBC TV Series)

John Ericson and Christopher George

With Christopher George in a 1975 episode of the NBC series Police Story titled The Execution

Hustler Squad (1976)

John Ericson

From the Crown International war drama Hustler Squad

later years

While John Ericson's film career wrapped up in the 1970s, he remained active in television through the late 1980s, as a guest star on such TV programs as One Day at a Time and Fantasy Island, and as a regular on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital in the late 1980s. In the 1990s, Ericson retired to New Mexico with his second wife, actress Karen Ericson, whom he married in 1974. Sadly, on May 3, 2020, John Ericson passed away from pneumonia at the age of 93. He was survived by his wife, Karen, and his daughter, Nicole, from his first marriage to wife Milly.

filmography

FILM
The Far Side of Jericho (2006) with Patrick Bergin, Lawrence Pressman, C. Thomas Howell, and Jason Connery
Primary Target (1989) with John Calvin
Final Mission (1984) with Richard Young and Karen Ericson
The Ghosts of Buxley Hall (1980) with Victor French, Monte Markham, Ruta Lee, Vito Scotti, and Don Porter
The House of the Dead (1978) with Ivor Francis, Burr DeBenning, Elizabeth MacRae, Charles Aidman, and Bernard Fox
Crash! (1977) with Jose Ferrer, Sue Lyon, Leslie Parrish, and John Carradine
Hustler Squad (1976) with Karen Ericson
Hog Wild (1974) with Diana Muldaur, Denver Pyle, and Fran Ryan
Tenafly (1973) with James McEachin, Ed Nelson, David Huddleston, and Mel Ferrer
The Bounty Man (1972) with Clint Walker, Richard Basehart, Margot Kidder, and Arthur Hunnicutt
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) with Angela Lansbury, David Tomlinson, Roddy McDowall, and Sam Jaffe
Tails You Lose (1969) with Edwige Fenech
The Money Jungle (1968) with Lola Albright, Leslie Parrish, Nehemiah Persoff, Charles Drake, and Don Rickles
The Bamboo Saucer (1968) with Dan Duryea, Lois Nettleton, Bob Hastings, and Bernard Fox
The Destructors (1968) with Richard Egan, Patricia Owens, Michael Ansara, Joan Blackman, David Brian, and John Howard
The Treasure of Pancho Villa (1967)
Operation Atlantis (1965) with Erika Blanc
7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964) with Tony Randall, Barbara Eden, Arthur O'Connell, Noah Beery Jr., Minerva Urecal, and Peggy Rea
Slave Queen of Babylon (1962) with Yvonne Furneaux
Monte Carlo (1961) with Richard Anderson and Jayne Mansfield
Under Ten Flags (1960) with Van Heflin, Charles Laughton, Mylene Demongeot, and Alex Nicol
Pretty Boy Floyd (1960) with Barry Newman, Jason Evers, Peter Falk, and Al Lewis
Day of the Bad Man (1958) with Fred MacMurray, Joan Weldon, Robert Middleton, Marie Windsor, Edgar Buchanan, Peggy Converse, Ann Doran, and Lee Van Cleef
Oregon Passage (1957) with Lola Albright, Edward Platt, and Rachel Ames
Forty Guns (1957) with Barbara Stanwyck, Barry Sullivan, Dean Jagger, Gene Barry, Robert Dix, and Ziva Rodann
The Cruel Tower (1956) with Mari Blanchard, Steve Brodie, Diana Darrin, Alan Hale Jr., and Charles McGraw
The Return of Jack Slade (1955) with Mari Blanchard, Neville Brand, Max Showalter, Angie Dickinson, and Raymond Bailey
Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) with Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Anne Francis, Dean Jagger, Walter Brennan, Ernest Borgnine, and Lee Marvin
Green Fire (1954) with Stewart Granger, Grace Kelly, and Paul Douglas
The Student Prince (1954) with Ann Blyth, Edmund Purdom, Louis Calhern, Edmund Gwenn, Betta St. John, John Hoyt, Richard Anderson, and Mario Lanza
Rhapsody (1954) with Elizabeth Taylor, Vittorio Gassman, Louis Calhern, Barbara Bates, and Stuart Whitman
Teresa (1951) with Pier Angeli, Peggy Ann Garner, Ralph Meeker, and Rod Steiger

TELEVISION SERIES
General Hospital, 1963-present ABC daytime TV series. Ericson portrayed Eric Ingstrom during the 1987 season
Honey West, 1965-1966 ABC TV series. Ericson portrayed Sam Bolt. Also starring in the series were Anne Francis and Irene Hervey

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
Hardball, episode Which Witch Is Witch?, originally aired October 27, 1989
Murder, She Wrote, episode Joshua Peabody Died Here - Possibly, originally aired October 6, 1985
Airwolf, episode Fallen Angel, originally aired November 3, 1984
Fantasy Island, episode Bojangles and the Dancer/Deuces Are Wild, originally aired May 12, 1984
Automan, episode Death by Design, originally aired April 2, 1984
The A-Team, episode Till Death Do Us Part, originally aired April 19, 1983
Knight Rider, episode The Topaz Connection, originally aired January 28, 1983
CHiPs, episode Hot Date, originally aired January 9, 1983
One Day at a Time, episode Meow, Meow, originally aired March 28, 1982
Fantasy Island, episode Daddy's Little Girl/The Whistle, originally aired January 30, 1982
Nero Wolfe, episode Before I Die, originally aired January 30, 1981
Fantasy Island, episode My Late Lover/Sanctuary, originally aired January 3, 1981
Fantasy Island, episode Let the Goodtimes Roll/Nightmare/The Tiger, originally aired November 4, 1978
CHiPs, episode High Flyer, originally aired November 4, 1978
Vega$, episode Centerfold, originally aired September 20, 1978
The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, episode Will the Real Santa...?, originally aired December 18, 1977
Police Woman, episode Means to an End, originally aired November 8, 1977
S.W.A.T., episode Dangerous Memories, originally aired November 15, 1975
Barbary Coast, episode Guns for a Queen, originally aired October 6, 1975
S.W.A.T., episode Strike Force, originally aired September 15, 1975
Police Story, episode The Execution, originally aired February 18, 1975
The Streets of San Francisco, episode Mister Nobody, originally aired December 19, 1974
Doc Elliot, episode Survival, originally aired March 27, 1974
Wide World Mystery, episode Murder Impossible, originally aired March 26, 1974
Hawkins, episode Candidate for Murder, originally aired March 5, 1974
Police Story, episode Cop in the Middle, originally aired January 29, 1974
The F.B.I., episode The Wedding Gift, originally aired February 11, 1973
Assignment Vienna, episode Annalisa, originally aired December 7, 1972
Longstreet, episode The Old Team Spirit, originally aired December 16, 1971
Medical Center, episode The Albatross, originally aired November 3, 1971
The Virginian, episode The Politician, originally aired January 13, 1971
Marcus Welby, M.D., episode Sea of Security, originally aired March 10, 1970
Ironside, episode Beware the Wiles of the Stranger, originally aired January 22, 1970
Medical Center, episode The Sharpest Edge, originally aired November 19, 1969
Gunsmoke, episode The Twisted Heritage, originally aired January 6, 1969
The F.B.I., episode The Phone Call, originally aired February 18, 1968
The Invaders, episode Moonshot, originally aired April 18, 1967
Bonanza, episode Journey to Terror, originally aired February 5, 1967
Vacation Playhouse, episode Sybil, originally aired June 25, 1965
Burke's Law, episode Who Killed the Jackpot?, originally aired April 21, 1965
Profiles in Courage, episode Prudence Crandall, originally aired February 21, 1965
The Fugitive, episode Brass Ring, originally aired January 5, 1965
Burke's Law, episode Who Killed Marty Kelso?, originally aired February 28, 1964
Burke's Law, episode Who Killed Sweet Betsy?, originally aired November 1, 1963
The Dick Powell Show, episode The Sea Witch, originally aired October 23, 1962
Kraft Mystery Theater, episode Night Panic, originally aired July 18, 1962
Target: The Corruptors, episode Goodbye Children, originally aired June 8, 1962
Route 66, episode 1800 Days to Justice, originally aired January 26, 1962
Kraft Mystery Theater, episode The House of Rue Riviera, originally aired August 30, 1961
Rawhide, episode Incident near Gloomy River, originally aired March 17, 1961
The United States Steel Hour, episode The Mating Machine, originally aired January 11, 1961
Bonanza, episode Breed of Violence, originally aired November 5, 1960
The Chevy Mystery Show, episode Blind Man's Bluff, originally aired September 11, 1960
Letter to Loretta, episode The Grenade, originally aired January 3, 1960
Adventures in Paradise, episode Safari at Sea, originally aired November 16, 1959
The David Niven Show, episode Sticks and Stones, originally aired June 23, 1959
The Restless Gun, episode Four Lives, originally aired April 13, 1959
Rawhide, episode Incident of the Chubasco, originally aired April 3, 1959
Zane Grey Theater, episode Trail Incident, originally aired January 2, 1959
Wagon Train, episode The Dick Richardson Story, originally aired December 31, 1958
Zane Grey Theater, episode The Tall Shadow, originally aired November 20, 1958
Shirley Temple's Storybook, episode Hiawatha, originally aired October 13, 1958
Frontier Justice, episode Stage to Tuscon, originally aired July 28, 1958
Playhouse 90, episode The Innocent Sleep, originally aired June 5, 1958
The Restless Gun, episode The Hand Is Quicker, originally aired March 17, 1958
Shirley Temple's Storybook, episode The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, originally aired March 5, 1958
Zane Grey Theater, episode License to Kill, originally aired February 7, 1958
The Millionaire, episode The Peter Bartley Story, originally aired January 15, 1958
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, episode Guys Like O'Malley, originally aired January 10, 1958
Climax!, episode The Devil's Brood, originally aired December 5, 1957
Letter to Loretta, episode Emergency, originally aired March 24, 1957
Climax!, episode The Long Count, originally aired February 21, 1957
Cavalcade of America, episode Decision for a Hero, originally aired February 12, 1957
General Electric Theater, episode No Skin Off Me, originally aired February 3, 1957
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, episode The Enchanted, originally aired January 25, 1957
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, episode The Letter, originally aired November 23, 1956
Zane Grey Theater, episode Stage to Tucson, originally aired November 16, 1956
Playhouse 90, episode Heritage of Anger, originally aired November 15, 1956
Climax!, episode The Man Who Lost His Head, originally aired July 26, 1956
Kraft Television Theatre, episode Long Arm, originally aired July 11, 1956
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, episode Date for Tomorrow, originally aired May 25, 1956
Cavalcade of America, episode A Life to Live By, originally aired March 20, 1956
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, episode The Young and the Brave, originally aired March 16, 1956
Letter to Loretta, episode A Ticket for May, originally aired January 1, 1956
Appointment with Adventure, episode Mutiny, originally aired January 1, 1956
Star Stage, episode The Girl Who Wasn't Wanted, originally aired November 25, 1955
General Electric Theater, episode Shadow on the Heart, originally aired October 30, 1955
Cavalcade of America, episode The Ship That Shook the World, originally aired March 29, 1955
Out There, episode Ordeal in Space, originally aired November 4, 1951
Kraft Television Theatre, episode Delicate Story, originally aired March 7, 1951
The Philco Television Playhouse, episode A Matter of Life and Death, originally aired February 4, 1951
Lux Video Theatre, episode Saturday's Children, originally aired October 2, 1950

john ericson trailers now showing

Watch the trailer for John Ericson's 1964 fantasy 7 Faces of Dr. Lao

john ericson film now showing

Watch John Ericscon's 1956 adventure The Cruel Tower
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This page premiered April 3, 2009.
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