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John Ericson 1926 - 2020

John Ericson of Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, New Mexico United States was born on September 25, 1926 in Germany, and died at age 93 years old on May 3, 2020 at Santa Fe, NM in United States. John Ericson was buried on May 7, 2020 at Santa Fe National Cemetery 501 N Guadalupe St, in Santa Fe.

John Ericson

Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, New Mexico United States

September 25, 1926

Germany

May 3, 2020

Santa Fe, NM in , United States

Male

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John Ericson John Ericson (1926 - 2020)

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John Ericson's History: 1926 - 2020

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Introduction

September 25, 1926 – May 3, 2020) was a German-American film and television actor. Years active‎: ‎1950–2008
09/25

1926

Birthday

September 25, 1926

Birthdate

Germany

Birthplace

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Nationality & Locations

German and Swedish. American Citizen.
Professional Career

Born September 25, 1926 in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Died May 3, 2020 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA (pneumonia) Birth Name Joseph Meibes Height 6' 2" (1.88 m) Ericson was born in Düsseldorf, the son of a German chemist and a Swedish actress and opera singer. Escaping from the Nazi regime, his family emigrated to the U.S. when he was three. At first living in Detroit, they eventually settled in New York where his dad (according to a 1955 newspaper article) found lucrative employment as president of a food extract company. After graduating from Newton High School, John enrolled at the Academy of Dramatic Arts, financially supporting his studies working at a Walgreen drug store. Most sources incorrectly cite his acting debut as being Stalag 17 on Broadway, but Ericson himself stated (in a 1989 interview with Skip E. Lowe) that his career kick-started with the romantic wartime drama Teresa (1951), filmed in Italy by Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Afterwards, he made the decision not to sign a studio contract for fear of being typecast as 'boy-next-door' types. On the strength of his performance in Teresa, producer/director José Ferrer offered Ericson not only what amounted to being the nominal lead in Stalag 17, but the opportunity to play an initially unsympathetic part as the slick, cynical gambler J. J. Sefton (the coveted motion picture role was eventually assigned to William Holden and won the star an Academy Award). Between 1954 and 1955, Ericson was under contract at MGM and made for four films for the studio: Rhapsody (1954) (opposite Elizabeth Taylor), Green Fire (1954) (co-starring Grace Kelly who had been in his class at the Academy) and the seminal Spencer Tracy western Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) (as a nervy hotel clerk). During the next three decades, he worked as a free-lance actor, his wavy-haired good looks and athletic build not lost on the industry. He co-starred with Anne Francis in Honey West (1965), a short-lived series -- apparently modelled on The Avengers (1961) -- which featured a crime-solving, judo savvy lady detective (even wearing Diana Rigg-style jumpsuits) and her right hand man. The show only lasted for 30 episodes but has since gained a minor cult following. Ericson's frequent TV guest appearances included Rawhide (1959), Burke's Law (1963), Bonanza (1959), The Invaders (1967) and The F.B.I. (1965). For the big screen, he starred in several James Bond pastiches and spaghetti westerns, produced in Italy and Spain. In the U.S., he had leads in thrillers (The Money Jungle (1967) ), westerns (notably, The Return of Jack Slade (1955) and the High Noon (1952)-lookalike Day of the Badman (1958) ) and science fiction B-graders (The Destructors (1968) and Dan Duryea's last film, The Bamboo Saucer (1968)). He also starred as the titular 1930s depression-era gangster in Pretty Boy Floyd (1960). On the stage, he played King Arthur to Kathryn Grayson's Guinevere in a 1967 production of the musical Camelot. A reviewer commented that what Ericson lacked in the vocal department he more than made up for by a 'masterful performance'. His dramatic theatrical credits included Richard III, Mr. Roberts and A Streetcar Named Desire. In his spare time, John Ericson sidelined as a painter of landscapes and still life, a sculptor and a keen amateur photographer. Until his death on May 3 2020, he resided in New Mexico with his second wife Karen Huston whom he married in 1974. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Personal Life & Family

Spouse (2) Karen Ericson (1974 - present) Milly Coury (12 September 1953 - 1971) ( divorced) ( 2 children) Trivia (6) Children, with Coury, Brett and Nicole Studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. Was in the same class as Grace Kelly, Jack Palance, Don Murray and Don Rickles. Posed for the nude centerfold in Playgirl magazine's January 1974 issue. Currently living in New Mexico [2003] In 1951 appeared on Broadway in the hit drama Stalag 17. Was in a relationship with Anne Bancroft in the early 1950s before his 1st marriage.
05/3

2020

Death

May 3, 2020

Death date

pneumonia

Cause of death

Santa Fe, NM in United States
Death location

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05/7

2020

Gravesite & Burial

May 7, 2020

Funeral date
Santa Fe National Cemetery 501 N Guadalupe St, in Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, New Mexico 87501, United States
Burial location
Obituary

John Ericson Famous Memorial Veteran Birth 25 Sep 1926 Düsseldorf, Stadtkreis Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany Death 3 May 2020 (aged 93) Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, New Mexico, USA Burial John Ericson Famous memorial VVeteran Birth 25 Sep 1926 Düsseldorf, Stadtkreis Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany Death 3 May 2020 (aged 93) Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, New Mexico, USA Burial Santa Fe National Cemetery Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, New Mexico, USA Plot SECTION COL4 ROW D SITE 302 Memorial ID 210343328 · View Source Memorial Photos 3 Flowers 136 Actor. Extremely handsome, his career spanned six decades with appearances on Broadway and in films and television. Born Joachim Alexander Ottokar Meibes, his mother was a German actress and operatic star and his father was a businessman. Prior to World War II, his family emigrated from Germany to the US, settling in New York City where, after a stint in the US Army, he studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He made his initial bow in the leading role of the 1951 Broadway show "Stalag 17" and then moved to California where he signed with MGM and appeared in a series of films, including "Teresa" (1951), "Rhapsody" (1954), "The Student Prince" (1954), "Green Fire" (1954), and "Bad Day at Black Rock" (1955). His career transitioned to television where he made appearances in "The Millionaire", "The Restless Gun", "Target: The Corruptors!", "Bonanza", "Honey West", and "The Virginian". His other film appearances include "Pretty Boy Floyd", "Under Ten Flags" (1960), "Slave Queen of Babylon" (1963), "7 Faces of Dr. Lao" (1964), "Operation Atlantis" (1965), "The Money Jungle" (1968), "The Bamboo Saucer" (1968), "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" (1971), and "Crash!" (1976). He then moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico where he performed in local theatrical productions. His final film appearance was in "The Far Side of Jericho" (2006). He died of complications from pneumonia at the age of 93. Bio by: William Bjornstad Family Members Parents Carl Frederick Meibes 1899–1976 Helene Margrete Erbse Meibes 1888–1972 Spouse Milly Coury Ericson 1927–2011 (m. 1953) Children Brett Ericson 1961–2017 Plot SECTION COL4 ROW D SITE 302 Memorial ID 210343328 · View Source Memorial Photos 3 Flowers 136 Actor. Extremely handsome, his career spanned six decades with appearances on Broadway and in films and television. Born Joachim Alexander Ottokar Meibes, his mother was a German actress and operatic star and his father was a businessman. Prior to World War II, his family emigrated from Germany to the US, settling in New York City where, after a stint in the US Army, he studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He made his initial bow in the leading role of the 1951 Broadway show "Stalag 17" and then moved to California where he signed with MGM and appeared in a series of films, including "Teresa" (1951), "Rhapsody" (1954), "The Student Prince" (1954), "Green Fire" (1954), and "Bad Day at Black Rock" (1955). His career transitioned to television where he made appearances in "The Millionaire", "The Restless Gun", "Target: The Corruptors!", "Bonanza", "Honey West", and "The Virginian". His other film appearances include "Pretty Boy Floyd", "Under Ten Flags" (1960), "Slave Queen of Babylon" (1963), "7 Faces of Dr. Lao" (1964), "Operation Atlantis" (1965), "The Money Jungle" (1968), "The Bamboo Saucer" (1968), "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" (1971), and "Crash!" (1976). He then moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico where he performed in local theatrical productions. His final film appearance was in "The Far Side of Jericho" (2006). He died of complications from pneumonia at the age of 93. Bio by: William Bjornstad Family Members Parents Carl Frederick Meibes 1899–1976 Helene Margrete Erbse Meibes 1888–1972 Spouse Milly Coury Ericson 1927–2011 (m. 1953) Children Brett Ericson 1961–2017 The rugged star also appeared in several movies for MGM, including 'Bad Day at Black Rock' and 'Rhapsody.' John Ericson, who starred alongside Anne Francis on TV's Honey West and with Spencer Tracy in Bad Day at Black Rock and with Angela Lansbury in Bedknobs and Broomsticks, has died. He was 93. Ericson died Sunday of pneumonia in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he had been living since the mid-1990s, a family spokesman said. Ericson appeared on Broadway in the original production 1951 of Stalag 17, directed by José Ferrer, and he made his film debut in Teresa (1951), directed by Fred Zinnemann. Three years later, he starred with Elizabeth Taylor in Rhapsody (1954). Ericson played "Man Friday" Sam Bolt opposite Francis' private eye title character and a pet ocelot named Bruce on ABC's Honey West, produced by Aaron Spelling. The action show lasted just one 30-episode season (1965-66), but Francis' karate kicks lived long afterward in reruns and in syndication. He and Francis had played brother and sister in John Sturges' classic Bad Day at Black Rock (1955). Born Joseph Meibes on Sept. 25, 1926, in Düsseldorf, Germany, Ericson studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York in the same class as Grace Kelly, Jack Palance and Don Rickles. He went on to portray the title bad guy in Pretty Boy Floyd (1960), and his credits also included Forty Guns (1957), starring Barbara Stanwyck, and Day of the Badman (1958), featuring Fred MacMurray. On television before and after Honey West, Ericson showed up on Shirley Temple's Storybook; Wagon Train; The Fugitive; Bonanza; Marcus Welby, M.D.; Police Woman; CHiPs; General Hospital; and many other shows. Survivors include his wife, Karen, and daughter, Nicole.

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