Eric Linden
| Eric Linden | |
|---|---|
in Born to Gamble (1935)
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| Born |
Eric Linden September 15, 1909 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | July 14, 1994 (aged 84) South Laguna Beach, California, U.S. |
| Years active | 1928-1941 |
| Spouse(s) | Joanna Brown (1955-1977) (divorced) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) | Phillip and Elvira Linden |
Eric Linden (September 15, 1909 – July 14, 1994) was a Swedish–American actor, primarily active during the 1930s.
Eric Linden was born in New York City to Phillip and Elvira (née Lundborg) Linden, both of Swedish descent. His father was a professional pianist and an actor on stage with the Theater Royal when he lived in . When Eric was six, Phillip Linden deserted his family in New York City.
To help support his mother, sister and two brothers, he began washing dishes at a cafe after school when he was 7 years old. He also sold newspapers on Tenth Avenue. Linden attended Angela Patri elementary school participated in school plays at DeWitt Clinton High School. After graduation, he worked his way through Columbia University. His first job after graduating from Columbia was being a runner for a bank.
Linden had ambitions of becoming a writer rather than an actor. By the time he was 22 years old, he had written three plays and 40 short stories, but none had been published. He hoped to have saved enough money by age 30 to retire from acting and spend his time writing.
Linden trained with the Theatre Guild for two years and went on to appear on Broadway in addition to acting in stock theater in and acting in Paris, France, with the Paris-American Company. He appeared in an adaption of Goethe's Faust on Broadway in 1928. Linden's other Broadway's credits include The Silver Cord, The Age of Consent, Life Begins, Sweepings, and Big City Blues.
Linden made his film debut during the Great Depression in RKO Radio Pictures' 1931 crime film, Are These Our Children?, where he played a young murderer who gets executed.
He later appeared in 33 films until 1941, mostly playing second leads. He mostly portrayed "sensitive, intellectual, slightly weak-willed juveniles", often with tragic destinies. His notable films include Big City Blues (1932) with Joan Blondell, Old Hutch (1936), opposite Wallace Beery, A Family Affair (1937) with Lionel Barrymore and Mickey Rooney, and The Good Old Soak (1937), again Wallace Beery. In 1939, Linden had a minor role as the "amputation case" soldier in the hospital in Gone with the Wind. Linden's role in Gone with the Wind was originally quite extensive, but his role was later reduced down to less than a minute. His career petered out and he left Hollywood after his final from 33 films, Criminals Within (1941).
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