John Anderson Biography

Fast Facts

• Served in the United States Coast Guard during World II
• Earned his Master's degree from the University of Iowa
• Began his acting career as a member on the showboat Goldenrod, which traveled the Mississippi River
• Early in his career, he was most prominently credited in Western TV series, including "The Rifleman" and "Gunsmoke․"
• Before moving to New York and gaining fame on Broadway, he spent a year with the Cleveland Play House
• Made his screen acting debut in the TV series "Fireside Theatre" in 1950
• Best known as a character actor who played California Charlie in "Psycho" and Elder Hammond in "Ride the High Country․"
• Portrayed Abraham Lincoln three separate times due to his likeness in appearance, and also voiced Mark Twain in Disney World's Epcot attraction The American Adventure
• As part of his membership in the Neptune Society, he was cremated and his ashes taken out to sea following his death
• During WWII, he became friends with Italian sculptor and artist Orazio Fumagalli