Arthur Anderson, who appeared in the Mercury Theatre’s famed production of Caesar on Broadway and several radio broadcasts with Orson Welles, died on April 9 at his New York home. He was 93.
Anderson first met Welles on the set of NBC radio’s Peter Absolute, when he was 13. The following year, Welles directed him on stage in Second Hurricane and later in Caesar and Shoemaker’s Holiday.
The teenage actor appeared, who had been part of radio’s Let’s Pretend, appeared on The Mercury Theatre on the Air as characters in Treasure Island, Life with Father, Julius Caesar, Sherlock Holmes and A Christmas Carol.
The character of Richard Samuels in Me and Orson Welles was loosely based on Anderson.
He worked again with Welles in a televised production of King Lear in 1953.
Years later, he reflected on working with Welles on television.
I did not see Mr. Welles again until fifteen years later. By then in virtual exile in England due to income tax troubles, he was allowed to return to this country to play the title role in King Lear, directed by Peter Brook, on the CBS Omnibus television series, on October 18, 1953. I snagged a job as an extra, as I wanted the satisfaction of working with him once more.
Orson sat on the edge of the stage in a ballroom where we were rehearsing. I approached him and said, “Hello, Orson. Do you remember me?”
“Please help me,” he said. “I’m so tired.”
“Arthur Anderson. I was your Lucius in Julius Caesar”
“Of course, dear boy. How good to see you.”
When I reported for the next rehearsal, I had been upgraded to the role of First Knight, and given lines taken away from another actor, who I am sure cordially hated my guts.
Orson Welles and the microphone were made for each other. He had a rich, flexible and resonant voice, nowhere used to greater dramatic effect than on radio. Whatever his successes and failures, he lived his life intensely, and every one of his productions was an adventure. I was lucky to be included in a few of them.
Anderson remained a popular voice actor. Between 1963 and 1992 he was the voice of Lucky the Leprechaun in commercials for Lucky Charms cereal. He was also the voice of Ducky Drake, the cartoon duck mascot for Drake’s Cakes.
His film credits included Midnight Cowboy, Green Card and I’m Not Rappaport and appearances on the television series Car 54, Where Are You?, Courage, the Cowardly Dog and Law & Order.
Anderson continued to work until his 90th year. One of his last performances was in 2012 at the Episcopal Actor’s Guild, where he recreated his 1938 Mercury The Ghost of Christmas Past in the Quicksilver Radio Theater’s 200th anniversary production of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
He authored two books, Let’s Pretend and An Actor’s Odyssey, both available through BearManor Media.
Anderson was predeceased by his wife, Alice, and is survived by his daughter, Amy.
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