John Anderson (actor)

Life and career

Anderson was born and raised in Quincy, Illinois. Anderson served in the United States Coast Guard during World War II, where he met artist Orazio Fumagalli, who became his lifelong friend. Anderson held a master's degree in drama from the University of Iowa.

An accomplished actor, Anderson started out on Broadway, including an appearance in the musical Paint Your Wagon in 1951. He later worked primarily in film and television.

Standing 6 ft 5½ in tall (197 cm), he bore a strong resemblance to U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, whom he portrayed three times. He appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) as "California Charlie", the used car salesman who helps Marion Crane (Janet Leigh). On television, he appeared in such series as Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, Laramie, Have Gun – Will Travel , The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Virginian, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, The Californians, Johnny Ringo, Trackdown, The Big Valley, Emergency!, and Outlaws.

Anderson appeared in The Rat Patrol (four times, three as the same character). He made three guest appearances on Perry Mason, including in the role of defendant George Andrews in the 1959 episode "The Case of the Calendar Girl" and as murderer Dan O'Malley in the 1963 episode "The Case of the Greek Goddess". He also appeared in Overland Trail, The Tall Man, and The Legend of Jesse James. He played an eccentric farmer who jealously guarded his prize watermelon with a shotgun in "For the Love of Willadean: A Taste of Melon", part of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color.

Anderson had a recurring role in MacGyver as Harry Jackson, MacGyver's grandfather. Other credits include: Man Without a Gun, Hawaii Five-O, M*A*S*M*A*S*H, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Once an Eagle, Rich Man, Poor Man Book II, Backstairs at the White House, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Dallas. A recurring Twilight Zone actor, he appeared in four different episodes: "The Old Man in the Cave", "Of Late I Think of Cliffordville", "The Odyssey of Flight 33", and "A Passage for Trumpet". He was also The Interrogator on an episode of The Outer Limits titled "Nightmare".

Death

Anderson suffered a fatal heart attack at his home in Sherman Oaks, California. He was survived by two children, seven grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and two sisters. He was cremated and his ashes were taken out to sea as part of his membership in the Neptune Society.