Leif Erickson

Actor Leif Erickson's Nordic good looks earned him lots of screen time as well as pinning him in frequent second-banana spots reserved for the highly attractive but moderately talented. His first love was music, and he worked first as a vocalist and trombone player. After dabbling in theater, he moved into films, playing alongside Buster Crabbe in a series of Westerns based on the stories of Zane Grey. Though the parts kept coming, Erickson took a four-year break from acting to serve in World War II, returning afterward to success in such notable films as "The Snake Pit," a drama of life in a psychiatric hospital, and "Show Boat," the 1951 version of the famous musical. Erickson continued to work steadily in supporting roles, including that of an investigator in the classic drama of life on the docks, "On the Waterfront." After numerous spots on anthology and Western series, he landed the top spot on "The High Chaparral" as the head of a family of ranchers, leading the show for four seasons. Once that show ended, he mainly played one-off parts on TV series through the '70s. His final appearance came in 1984 in an episode of "Fantasy Island." In his personal life, Erickson gained some notoriety for trading actress wives in 1942, divorcing Frances Farmer and marrying Margaret Hayes on the same day.