Who Are Those Guys? ~ John Ericson

 

Joseph Alexander Ottokar Meibes was born in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany on September 25, 1926. Ericson's parents were Ellen Wilson, a Swedish actress and operatic star, and Carl F. Meibes, who later became president of a New York food extract corporation. The family went to the United States from Belgium when he was three.

As John Ericson, he gained early acting experience with stock companies at the Gateway Theatre in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia. He appeared on Broadway in the original 1951 production of “Stalag 17”, directed by José Ferrer.

For the next 30 years, his career continued mostly on television. He appeared in the lead role in ‘The Peter Bartley Story’ of the CBS drama ‘The Millionaire’. He appeared with Dorothy Malone in the episode ‘Mutiny’ of CBS's ‘Appointment with Adventure’. He made guest appearances in ‘The Restless Gun’ (1958) and ‘Target: The Corruptors!’ (1961). Ericson also starred twice on ‘Bonanza’. From 1965 to 1966, he co-starred as the partner of Anne Francis on ‘Honey West’. He appeared as Jack Bonham on ‘The Men From Shiloh’ in the episode ‘The Political’.

Ericson made a number of films for MGM in quick succession in the 1950s. His first appearance was in “Teresa” (1951), directed by Fred Zinnemann. He also appeared in “Rhapsody”, “The Student Prince”, “Green Fire” (all in 1954), and in “Bad Day at Black Rock” (1955). He co-starred with Barbara Stanwyck in “Forty Guns” (1957). In 1958 he appeared as Sheriff Barney Wiley in the Western “Day of the Badman” which starred Fred MacMurray. 

Ericson was engaged to Anne Bancroft in 1951. He married twice and had a son and a daughter from his first marriage to Milly Coury. He was married to his second wife Karen Huston Ericson for 46 years. He died of pneumonia on May 3, 2020, aged 93.

John Ericson appeared in two Spaghetti westerns: “Los 7 de Pancho Villa” (Vengeance of Pancho Villa) in 1966 as Don Diego Alvarado/Diego Owens/Django and “Testa o croce” (Heads or Tails) in 1968 as Will Hunter/Bill Abilene/William Huston/Black Talisman.

ERICSON, John (aka John Erickson) (Joseph Alexander Ottokar Meibes) [9/25/1926, Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany – 5/3/2020, Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.A. (pneumonia)] – theater, film, TV actor, married to singer, actress Milly Coury [1927-2011] (1953-1971) father of writer Nicole E. Ericson [1957-    ], actor Brett Ericson [1961-    ], married to actress Karen Ericson (Karen Huston Heassler) [1938-    ] (1974-2020).

Vengeance of Pancho Villa – 1966 (Don Diego Alvarado/Diego Owens/Django)

Heads or Tails 1968 (Will Hunter/Bill Abilene/William Huston/Black Talisman)