Eric Linden

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eric Linden (September 15, 1909, New York City, New York - July 14, 1994, South Laguna Beach, California) was an actor who starred in a handful of movies. He began his film career in 1931 and appeared in over 30 movies, including a small role in Gone with the Wind.

Eric Linden’s parents were Phillip Linden and Elvira Lundborg, both of Swedish descent. His father was a professional pianist and an actor on stage with the Theater Royal when he lived in Stockholm, Sweden. When Eric was six, Phillip Linden deserted his family in New York City, leaving Eric with a lifetime feeling of bitterness and hatred toward his father. To help support his family, he sold newspapers on Tenth Avenue.

Linden participated in school plays at DeWitt Clinton High School. After graduation, he worked his way through Columbia University.

He starred in his debut in the 1931 RKO Radio Pictures crime film Are These Our Children?. Other films included Big City Blues (1932), costarring with Joan Blondell, Ah, Wilderness! (1935), Old Hutch (1936), opposite Wallace Beery, A Family Affair (1937), the first Andy Hardy movie, and The Good Old Soak (1937), again with Beery. However, his career petered out and he left Hollywood after his final film, Criminals Within (1943).