John Anderson (actor)

John Anderson
Anderson in The Virginian in the 1960s
Born	John Robert Anderson (1922-10-20)October 20, 1922 Clayton, Illinois, U.S.
Died	August 7, 1992(1992-08-07) (aged 69) Sherman Oaks, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Heart attack
Occupation	Actor, film director
Years active	1950-1992

John Robert Anderson (October 20, 1922 – August 7, 1992) was an American character actor.

Anderson was born and raised in Quincy, Illinois. Anderson served in the United States Coast Guard during World War II, where he met artist Orazio Fumagalli, who became his lifelong friend. Anderson held a master's degree in drama from the University of Iowa.

An accomplished actor, Anderson started out on Broadway, including an appearance in the musical Paint Your Wagon in 1951. He later worked primarily in film and television.

Standing 6 ft 5½ in tall (197 cm), he bore a strong resemblance to U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, whom he portrayed three times. He appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) as "California Charlie", the used car salesman who helps Marion Crane (Janet Leigh). On television, he appeared in such series as Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, Laramie, Have Gun – Will Travel , The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Virginian, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, The Californians, Johnny Ringo, Trackdown, The Big Valley, Emergency!, and Outlaws.