Eric Fleming: Difference between revisions

Eric Fleming
Eric Fleming
	Fleming in 1961
Born	Edward Heddy Jr.; July 4, 1925; Santa Paula, California, U.S.
Died	September 28, 1966 (aged 41); Tingo María, Peru
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1944–1966
Partner	Lynne Garber

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Eric Fleming (born Edward Heddy Jr.; July 4, 1925^{[citation needed]} – September 28, 1966) was an American actor known primarily for his role as Gil Favor in the long-running CBS Western television series Rawhide.

Early life

Fleming was born as Edward Heddy Jr. in Santa Paula, California, the only child of Mildred (née Anderson) and Edward Heddy.^[1]

Born with a club foot, he needed crutches to get around and was often severely beaten by his father. At the age of eight, he attempted to kill his father with a gun, which jammed.^[2] He left home shortly after, first to Los Angeles, and then to Chicago, where he lived roughly and associated with gangsters, doing odd jobs for them to make money. At the age of 11, after being wounded in a gunfight between some gangsters and hospitalized, he was returned home to his mother, who had recently divorced.^[3]

During the Depression, he dropped out of school and worked at various jobs until he joined the Merchant Marine, before joining the United States Navy in 1942 for World War II. He was a Seabee in the 88th Naval Construction Battalion as a carpenter.^[3] He served until 1945 and became a petty officer second class.^{[citation needed]}

He received severe facial injuries during a bet in which he was attempting to lift a 200-pound (91 kg) weight and had to undergo extensive plastic surgery to reconstruct his forehead, nose, and jaw. Before this, Fleming had always thought himself "ugly" and considered the incident a "wonderful balance of values."^[4]

After his facial reconstruction, he returned to Paramount Studios, where he had been working as a construction worker, grip, and carpenter. He made a bet with an actor that he could do a better audition. He lost the bet and it cost him $100 and "I lost a lot of pride too, which hurt but the $100 hurt worse." Upon deciding that acting had cost him $100, and acting would get it back, he entered acting classes at the studio in the evenings.^[4]

Fleming's acting debut came in a road company production of Happy Birthday.^[1] He appeared on stage in Chicago and in a number of successful Broadway plays, including the musical Plain and Fancy. He began acting in television shows about the same time. Fleming then moved to Hollywood and starred in several low-budget films, including Fright, Curse of the Undead, and the cult classic Queen of Outer Space.^{[citation needed]}

Rawhide

In 1958, the 6-foot, 31⁄2-inch (192 cm) Fleming landed the starring role as trail boss Gil Favor in Rawhide. Set in the 1860s, Rawhide portrayed the challenges faced by the men of the cattle drive from San Antonio, Texas, to Sedalia, Missouri. Producer Charles Marquis Warren called on the diary written in 1866 by trail boss George C. Duffield to shape the character of Favor: a savvy, strong, and fair leader who persevered and got the job done.^[5]

The top-rated Western, with co-stars Clint Eastwood, Sheb Wooley, and Paul Brinegar, ran from 1959 to 1966. Fleming and Eastwood more or less rotated in playing the lead from week-to-week, but the former was always billed first. Fleming also co-wrote two Rawhide scripts—"Incident of the Night on the Town" (season three, episode 29) and "A Woman's Place" (season four, episode 25).^{[citation needed]}

Fleming, Wooley (trail scout Pete Nolan), James Murdock (Wishbone's clumsy meal assistant Mushy), Robert Cabal (wrangler Hey Soos), and Rocky Shahan (drover Joe Scarlet) were all dismissed by Ben Brady during Rawhide’s summer 1965 hiatus prior to shooting the eighth season. The recently installed sixth executive producer of Rawhide had been tasked with revitalizing the series and reversing declining ratings. Fleming boasted to TV Guide that "CBS fired me because they were paying me a million dollars a year" (only $220,000 to be exact).^[6]

With Eastwood promoted against his better judgment to trail boss, the cattle drive continued for 13 episodes before CBS chief William S. Paley preemptively axed it that December.^[7] Another cancellation factor, according to Eastwood, was that "Rawhide had been the network's only show to get a rating on Friday night, so they switched us to Tuesday opposite a show with the same type of male audience, Combat!" (ABC's gritty World War II drama starring Rick Jason and Vic Morrow involving the Western Front).^[8]

The Glass Bottom Boat and Bonanza

Fleming rebounded with a supporting role as a suave spy in The Glass Bottom Boat, a Doris Day comedy vehicle, and also guest-starred in three episodes of the number-one rated, family-themed NBC Western Bonanza alongside Michael Landon (as Little Joe Cartwright) and action director William Witney. Effective as the sadistic Wes Dunn in the titular "Peace Officer" from season seven, Fleming was brought back by series creator David Dortort for the subsequent season to star as honorable Mormon rancher Heber Clauson in "The Pursued", a two-parter exploring religious persecution and intolerance. The first installment was aired only four days after Fleming's accidental death.^[9]

High Jungle and death

Fleming signed to star in High Jungle, a two-part episode of the short-lived Off to See the Wizard, also intended for theatrical distribution in Europe. Six weeks into the location shoot in Peru, Fleming and co-star Nico Minardos were in a dugout canoe that overturned in the Huallaga River.^[10] Minardos managed to swim to safety. Fleming was swept away by the current and drowned on September 28, 1966, at age 41, leaving behind fiancée Lynne Garber. His body was recovered three days later.^[11] Production of the episode was terminated.^[12]

Selected filmography

Year	Title	Role
1955	Conquest of Space	Capt. Barney Merritt
1956	Fright	Dr. James Hamilton
1958	Queen of Outer Space	Capt. Neal Patterson
1959	Curse of the Undead	Preacher Dan
1966	The Glass Bottom Boat	Edgar Hill

Selected television appearances

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1956	Secret File, U.S.A.	German Sergeant	Episode "Mission Rhino"
1956	The Big Story		Episode "The Victor Reisel Story "
1956	The Phil Silvers Show	Rory Mundane	Episode "Hollywood"
1956	The Phil Silvers Show	USN Recruiting Chief	Episode "The Recruiting Sergeant "
1956	The Phil Silvers Show	Private Mike McLusty	Episode "The Face on the Recruiting Poster "
1957	Suspicion		Episode "Heartbeat"
1958	The Silent Service	Lt. Cmdr. C. C. Kirkpatrick	Episode "The Triton's Christmas"
1958	Studio One	Jace Farrow	Episode "The Strong Man"
1958	Flight		Episode "Master Sergeant"
1959-1965	Rawhide	Gil Favor	Cast Regular
1966	Bonanza	Heber Clauson	Episode "The Pursued, part I and 2"
1966	Bonanza	Wes Dunn	Episode "Peace Officer"
1967	Off to See the Wizard		Episode "High Jungle"

^[13]

References

^ ^a ^b Aaker, Everett (2017). Television Western Players, 1960-1975: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland. pp. 164–165. ISBN 9781476662503. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
^ Greenland, David R. (2011). Rawhide: A history of television's longest cattle drive. Albany, GA: BearManor Media. pp. 18–19. ISBN 9781593936273.
^ ^a ^b Greenland, David R. (2011). Rawhide: A history of television's longest cattle drive. Albany, GA: BearManor Media. p. 19. ISBN 9781593936273.
^ ^a ^b Eric Fleming- Rawhide Star, actor Archived June 1, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, trivia.ellenthorp.com; accessed May 1, 2018.
^ "The Legend of Rawhide – The Katy Depot, Sedalia Missouri". Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
^ "Rawhide Star Eric Fleming Had the Roughest and Most Rugged Life of Any TV Star", MeTV (Weigel Broadcasting). Retrieved March 4, 2020.
^ "I Used to Watch Rawhide As a ...", TV Guide (CBS Interactive). Retrieved March 4, 2020.
^ Schickel, Richard (1996). Clint Eastwood: A Biography. Vintage Books, a division of Random House. pp. 163–164. ISBN 0679749918.
^ Miller, Rick (2000). "Bonanza: Scenery of the Ponderosa—Episode Guide—Season Eight—1966-1967 (The Golden Years Close: Great Dramas and Comedies)". PonderosaScenery.Homestead.com. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
^ TV Actor Eric Fleming is Drowned, St. Petersburg Times. October 1, 1966
^ TV Actor Eric Fleming is Drowned, St. Petersburg Times. October 1, 1966
^ "ERIC FLEMING, 41, OF 'RAWHIDE,' DIES; Drowns in River in Peru During Filming of Movie". New York Times.
^ "Eric Fleming". IMDb.

External links

Eric Fleming at the Internet Broadway Database
Eric Fleming at IMDb
Eric Fleming United States Navy Memorial Log

[twp-1] Aaker, Everett (2017). Television Western Players, 1960-1975: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland. pp. 164–165. ISBN 9781476662503. Retrieved November 3, 2017.

[2] Greenland, David R. (2011). Rawhide: A history of television's longest cattle drive. Albany, GA: BearManor Media. pp. 18–19. ISBN 9781593936273.

[Rawhide_19-3] Greenland, David R. (2011). Rawhide: A history of television's longest cattle drive. Albany, GA: BearManor Media. p. 19. ISBN 9781593936273.

[wwref-4] Eric Fleming- Rawhide Star, actor Archived June 1, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, trivia.ellenthorp.com; accessed May 1, 2018.

[5] "The Legend of Rawhide – The Katy Depot, Sedalia Missouri". Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2010.

[6] "Rawhide Star Eric Fleming Had the Roughest and Most Rugged Life of Any TV Star", MeTV (Weigel Broadcasting). Retrieved March 4, 2020.

[7] "I Used to Watch Rawhide As a ...", TV Guide (CBS Interactive). Retrieved March 4, 2020.

[8] Schickel, Richard (1996). Clint Eastwood: A Biography. Vintage Books, a division of Random House. pp. 163–164. ISBN 0679749918.

[9] Miller, Rick (2000). "Bonanza: Scenery of the Ponderosa—Episode Guide—Season Eight—1966-1967 (The Golden Years Close: Great Dramas and Comedies)". PonderosaScenery.Homestead.com. Retrieved June 22, 2021.

[10] TV Actor Eric Fleming is Drowned, St. Petersburg Times. October 1, 1966

[11] TV Actor Eric Fleming is Drowned, St. Petersburg Times. October 1, 1966

[12] "ERIC FLEMING, 41, OF 'RAWHIDE,' DIES; Drowns in River in Peru During Filming of Movie". New York Times.

[13] "Eric Fleming". IMDb.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|American actor (1925–1966)}}
 {{about|the American actor|other people named Eric Fleming|Eric Fleming (disambiguation)}}
+{{Use American English|date=September 2021}}
+{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
 {{Infobox person
 | name                  = Eric Fleming
@@ Line 9: / Line 12: @@
 | death_date            = {{Death date and age|1966|09|28|1925|07|04}}
 | death_place           = [[Tingo María]], Peru
-| death_cause           = Drowned
 | occupation            = Actor
 | years_active          = 1944–1966
 | domesticpartner       = Lynne Garber
 }}
+[[File:Clint Eastwood Paul Brinegar Eric Fleming Rawhide 1961 (cropped).jpg|right|thumb|[[Clint Eastwood]], [[Paul Brinegar]] and Eric Fleming in ''Rawhide'' (1961)]]
-'''Eric Fleming''' (born '''Edward Heddy Jr.'''; July 4, 1925 – September 28, 1966) was an American [[actor]] known primarily for his role as Gil Favor in the [[Columbia Broadcasting Company|CBS]] [[television series]] ''[[Rawhide (TV series)|Rawhide]]''.
+'''Eric Fleming''' (born '''Edward Heddy Jr.'''; July 4, 1925{{Citation needed |date=December 2023}} – September 28, 1966) was an American actor known primarily for his role as Gil Favor in the long-running [[Columbia Broadcasting Company|CBS]] [[Western (genre)|Western]] [[television series]] ''[[Rawhide (TV series)|Rawhide]]''.
 ==Early life==
-Fleming was born as Edward Heddy Jr. in [[Santa Paula, California]], the only child of Edward and Mildred (Anderson) Heddy.<ref name="twp">{{cite book|last1=Aaker|first1=Everett|title=Television Western Players, 1960-1975: A Biographical Dictionary|date=2017|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9781476662503|pages=164–165|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ltUkDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA1938&dq=%22Edward+Heddy%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjpt-OipKHXAhUCCcAKHVZTBW0Q6AEIOjAD#v=onepage&q=%22Edward%20Heddy%22&f=false|access-date=3 November 2017|language=en}}</ref>
+Fleming was born as Edward Heddy Jr. in [[Santa Paula, California]], the only child of Mildred (née Anderson) and Edward Heddy.<ref name="twp">{{cite book|last1=Aaker|first1=Everett|title=Television Western Players, 1960-1975: A Biographical Dictionary|date=2017|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9781476662503|pages=164–165|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ltUkDwAAQBAJ&q=%22Edward+Heddy%22&pg=PA1938|access-date=3 November 2017|language=en}}</ref>
-Born with a [[club foot]], he needed crutches to get around and was often severely beaten by his father. At the age of eight, he attempted to kill his father with a gun, which jammed.<ref>{{cite book|title=Rawhide: A history of television's longest cattle drive|author=Greenland, David R.|publisher=BearManor Media|location=Albany, GA|pages=18–19|ISBN=9781593936273}}</ref> He left home shortly after, first to [[Los Angeles]], and then to [[Chicago]], where he lived roughly and associated with gangsters, doing odd jobs for them to make money. At the age of 11, after being wounded in a gunfight between some gangsters and hospitalized, he was returned home to his mother, who had recently divorced.<ref name="Rawhide_19">{{cite book|title=Rawhide: A history of television's longest cattle drive|author=Greenland, David R.|publisher=BearManor Media|location=Albany, GA|page=19|ISBN=9781593936273}}</ref>
+Born with a [[club foot]], he needed crutches to get around and was often severely beaten by his father. At the age of eight, he attempted to kill his father with a gun, which jammed.<ref>{{cite book|title=Rawhide: A history of television's longest cattle drive|author=Greenland, David R.|year=2011|publisher=BearManor Media|location=Albany, GA|pages=18–19|isbn=9781593936273}}</ref> He left home shortly after, first to [[Los Angeles]], and then to [[Chicago]], where he lived roughly and associated with gangsters, doing odd jobs for them to make money. At the age of 11, after being wounded in a gunfight between some gangsters and hospitalized, he was returned home to his mother, who had recently divorced.<ref name="Rawhide_19">{{cite book|title=Rawhide: A history of television's longest cattle drive|author=Greenland, David R.|year=2011|publisher=BearManor Media|location=Albany, GA|page=19|isbn=9781593936273}}</ref>
-During [[the Depression]], he dropped out of school and worked at various jobs until he joined the [[United States Merchant Marine|Merchant Marine]], before joining the [[United States Navy]] in 1942 for [[World War II]]. He served as a [[Seabee (US Navy)|Seabee]] in a naval construction battalion.<ref name="Rawhide_19"/>
+During [[the Depression]], he dropped out of school and worked at various jobs until he joined the [[United States Merchant Marine|Merchant Marine]], before joining the [[United States Navy]] in 1942 for [[World War II]]. He was a [[Seabee (US Navy)|Seabee]] in the 88th Naval Construction Battalion as a carpenter.<ref name="Rawhide_19"/> He served until 1945 and became a petty officer second class.{{Citation needed |date=December 2023}}
-He received severe facial injuries during a bet in which he was attempting to lift a {{convert|200|lb|kg|adj=on}} weight and had to undergo extensive plastic surgery to reconstruct his forehead, nose, and jaw. Before this, Fleming had always thought himself "ugly" and considered the incident a "wonderful balance of values."<ref name="wwref">[http://trivia.ellenthorp.com/eric-fleming-rawhide-star Eric Fleming- Rawhide Star, actor], trivia.ellenthorp.com; accessed May 1, 2018.</ref>
+He received severe facial injuries during a bet in which he was attempting to lift a {{convert|200|lb|kg|adj=on}} weight and had to undergo extensive plastic surgery to reconstruct his forehead, nose, and jaw. Before this, Fleming had always thought himself "ugly" and considered the incident a "wonderful balance of values."<ref name="wwref">[http://trivia.ellenthorp.com/eric-fleming-rawhide-star Eric Fleming- Rawhide Star, actor] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190601111859/http://trivia.ellenthorp.com/eric-fleming-rawhide-star |date=June 1, 2019 }}, trivia.ellenthorp.com; accessed May 1, 2018.</ref>
 After his facial reconstruction, he returned to Paramount Studios, where he had been working as a construction worker, grip, and carpenter. He made a bet with an actor that he could do a better audition. He lost the bet and it cost him $100 and "I lost a lot of pride too, which hurt but the $100 hurt worse." Upon deciding that acting had cost him $100, and acting would get it back, he entered acting classes at the studio in the evenings.<ref name="wwref"/>
@@ Line 31: / Line 33: @@
 ==''Rawhide''==
+[[File:Eric Fleming Rawhide postcard.JPG|right|thumb|{{center|Postcard}}]]
-In 1958, the 6-foot, 3½-inch ({{convert|75.5|in|cm|disp=output only}}) Fleming landed the starring role as trail boss Gil Favor in ''[[Rawhide (TV series)|Rawhide]]''. Set in the 1860s, ''Rawhide'' portrayed the challenges faced by the men of the [[cattle drive]] from [[San Antonio, Texas]], to [[Sedalia, Missouri]]. Producer [[Charles Marquis Warren]] called on the diary written in 1866 by trail boss George C. Duffield to shape the character of Favor: a savvy, strong, and fair leader who persevered and got the job done.<ref>[http://www.katydepotsedalia.com/thelegendofrawhide.htm The Legend of Rawhide – The Katy Depot, Sedalia Missouri]</ref>
+[[File:Eric Fleming Linda Cristal Rawhide 1959.JPG|right|thumb|With [[Linda Cristal]] (1959)]]
+[[File:CurseOfTheUndead1959.jpg|right|thumb|Poster with Fleming on horseback]]
+In 1958, the 6-foot, 3{{frac|1|2}}-inch ({{convert|75.5|in|cm|disp=output only}}) Fleming landed the starring role as trail boss Gil Favor in ''[[Rawhide (TV series)|Rawhide]]''. Set in the 1860s, ''Rawhide'' portrayed the challenges faced by the men of the [[cattle drive]] from [[San Antonio, Texas]], to [[Sedalia, Missouri]]. Producer [[Charles Marquis Warren]] called on the diary written in 1866 by trail boss George C. Duffield to shape the character of Favor: a savvy, strong, and fair leader who persevered and got the job done.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.katydepotsedalia.com/thelegendofrawhide.htm |title=The Legend of Rawhide – The Katy Depot, Sedalia Missouri |access-date=July 2, 2010 |archive-date=March 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331034607/https://www.katydepotsedalia.com/thelegendofrawhide.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
-The top-rated [[Western (genre)|Western]], with co-stars [[Clint Eastwood]], [[Sheb Wooley]], and [[Paul Brinegar]], ran from 1959 to 1966. Fleming and Eastwood more or less rotated in playing the lead from week-to-week, but the former was always billed first. Fleming also co-wrote two ''Rawhide'' scripts—"Incident of the Night on the Town" (season three, episode 29) and "A Woman's Place" (season four, episode 25).
+The top-rated [[Western (genre)|Western]], with co-stars [[Clint Eastwood]], [[Sheb Wooley]], and [[Paul Brinegar]], ran from 1959 to 1966. Fleming and Eastwood more or less rotated in playing the lead from week-to-week, but the former was always billed first. Fleming also co-wrote two ''Rawhide'' scripts—"Incident of the Night on the Town" (season three, episode 29) and "A Woman's Place" (season four, episode 25).{{Citation needed |date=December 2023}}
-Fleming, Wooley (trail scout Pete Nolan), James Murdock (Wishbone's clumsy meal assistant Mushy), Robert Cabal (wrangler Hey Soos), and Rocky Shahan (drover Joe Scarlet) were all dismissed by Ben Brady during ''Rawhide''’s summer 1965 hiatus prior to shooting the eighth season. The recently installed sixth executive producer of ''Rawhide'' had been tasked with revitalizing the series and reversing declining ratings. Fleming boasted to ''TV Guide'' that "CBS fired me because they were paying me a million dollars a year" (only $220,000 to be exact).<ref>[https://www.metv.com/lists/rawhide-star-eric-fleming-had-the-roughest-and-most-rugged-life-of-any-tv-star/ "Rawhide Star Eric Fleming Had the Roughest and Most Rugged Life of Any TV Star"], MeTV (Weigel Broadcasting). Retrieved March 4, 2020.</ref> With Eastwood promoted against his better judgment to trail boss, the cattle drive continued for 13 episodes before CBS chief [[William S. Paley]] preemptively axed it that December.<ref>[https://www.tvguide.com/news/used-watch-rawhide-66282/ "I Used to Watch Rawhide As a ..."], TV Guide (CBS Interactive). Retrieved March 4, 2020.</ref> Another cancellation factor, according to Eastwood, was that "''Rawhide'' had been the network's only show to get a rating on Friday night, so they switched us to Tuesday opposite a show with the same type of male audience, ''Combat!''" (ABC's gritty World War II drama involving the Western Front).<ref>{{cite book|title=Clint Eastwood: A Biography|author=Schickel, Richard|publisher=Vintage Books, a division of Random House|year=1996|pages=163-164|ISBN=0679749918}}</ref>
+Fleming, Wooley (trail scout Pete Nolan), [[James Murdock (actor)|James Murdock]] (Wishbone's clumsy meal assistant Mushy), [[Robert Cabal]] (wrangler Hey Soos), and [[Rocky Shahan]] (drover Joe Scarlet) were all dismissed by Ben Brady during ''Rawhide''’s summer 1965 hiatus prior to shooting the eighth season. The recently installed sixth executive producer of ''Rawhide'' had been tasked with revitalizing the series and reversing declining ratings. Fleming boasted to ''TV Guide'' that "CBS fired me because they were paying me a million dollars a year" (only $220,000 to be exact).<ref>[https://www.metv.com/lists/rawhide-star-eric-fleming-had-the-roughest-and-most-rugged-life-of-any-tv-star/ "Rawhide Star Eric Fleming Had the Roughest and Most Rugged Life of Any TV Star"], MeTV (Weigel Broadcasting). Retrieved March 4, 2020.</ref>
+With Eastwood promoted against his better judgment to trail boss, the cattle drive continued for 13 episodes before CBS chief [[William S. Paley]] preemptively axed it that December.<ref>[https://www.tvguide.com/news/used-watch-rawhide-66282/ "I Used to Watch Rawhide As a ..."], TV Guide (CBS Interactive). Retrieved March 4, 2020.</ref> Another cancellation factor, according to Eastwood, was that "''Rawhide'' had been the network's only show to get a rating on Friday night, so they switched us to Tuesday opposite a show with the same type of male audience, ''Combat!''" (ABC's gritty World War II drama starring [[Rick Jason]] and [[Vic Morrow]] involving the Western Front).<ref>{{cite book|title=Clint Eastwood: A Biography|author=Schickel, Richard|publisher=Vintage Books, a division of Random House|year=1996|pages=163–164|isbn=0679749918}}</ref>
 ==''The Glass Bottom Boat'' and ''Bonanza''==
-Fleming rebounded with a supporting role as a suave spy in ''[[The Glass Bottom Boat]]'', a [[Doris Day]] [[Star vehicle|comedy vehicle]], and also guest-starred in three episodes of the number-one rated, family-themed NBC Western ''[[Bonanza]]'' alongside [[Michael Landon]] (as Little Joe Cartwright) and action director [[William Witney]]. Effective as the sadistic Wes Dunn in the titular "Peace Officer" from season seven, Fleming was brought back by series creator [[David Dortort]] for the subsequent season to star as honorable Mormon rancher Heber Clauson in "The Pursued", a two-parter exploring religious persecution and intolerance. The first installment was aired only four days after Fleming's accidental death.{{Citation needed |date=December 2020}}
+Fleming rebounded with a supporting role as a suave spy in ''[[The Glass Bottom Boat]]'', a [[Doris Day]] [[Star vehicle|comedy vehicle]], and also guest-starred in three episodes of the number-one rated, family-themed NBC Western ''[[Bonanza]]'' alongside [[Michael Landon]] (as Little Joe Cartwright) and action director [[William Witney]]. Effective as the sadistic Wes Dunn in the titular "Peace Officer" from season seven, Fleming was brought back by series creator [[David Dortort]] for the subsequent season to star as honorable Mormon rancher Heber Clauson in "The Pursued", a two-parter exploring religious persecution and intolerance. The first installment was aired only four days after Fleming's accidental death.<ref>{{cite web|last=Miller |first=Rick |url=http://ponderosascenery.homestead.com/files/episode/season8.html |title=Bonanza: Scenery of the Ponderosa—Episode Guide—Season Eight—1966-1967 (The Golden Years Close: Great Dramas and Comedies) |website=PonderosaScenery.Homestead.com|date=2000 |access-date=June 22, 2021}}</ref>
 ==''High Jungle'' and death==
-Fleming signed to topline ''High Jungle'', an adventurous two-part episode of the short-lived [[MGM Television]]-ABC ''[[Off to See the Wizard]]'' anthology also intended for theatrical distribution in Europe. Six weeks into the location shoot in [[Peru]], Fleming and co-star [[Nico Minardos]] were in a dugout canoe that overturned in the [[Huallaga River]]. Minardos managed to swim to safety. Fleming was swept away by the current and drowned on September 28, 1966, at age 41, leaving behind fiancée Lynne Garber, a model and photographer. In 2020, Garber published a biography, ''Death on the Amazon: My Memories of Eric Fleming''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wboc.com/story/42543095/new-book-by-lynne-garber-released-entitled-death-on-the-amazon-my-memories-of-eric-fleming|title=New Book by Lynne Garber Released Entitled, “Death On the Amazon: My Memories of Eric Fleming”|publisher=[[WBOC-TV]]}}</ref> ''High Jungle'' remains lost, but photographs survive.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IsYNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-nMDAAAAIBAJ&dq=eric%20fleming%20rawhide&pg=7120,70927|title=St. Petersburg Times - Google News Archive Search}}</ref>
+Fleming signed to star in ''[[High Jungle]]'', a two-part episode of the short-lived ''[[Off to See the Wizard]]'', also intended for theatrical distribution in Europe. Six weeks into the location shoot in Peru, Fleming and co-star [[Nico Minardos]] were in a dugout canoe that overturned in the [[Huallaga River]].<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IsYNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-nMDAAAAIBAJ&dq=eric%20fleming%20rawhide&pg=7120%2C70927 TV Actor Eric Fleming is Drowned, St. Petersburg Times. October 1, 1966]</ref> Minardos managed to swim to safety. Fleming was swept away by the current and drowned on September 28, 1966, at age 41, leaving behind fiancée Lynne Garber.  His body was recovered three days later.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IsYNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-nMDAAAAIBAJ&dq=eric%20fleming%20rawhide&pg=7120%2C70927 TV Actor Eric Fleming is Drowned, St. Petersburg Times. October 1, 1966]</ref> Production of the episode was terminated.<ref>{{Cite news |title=ERIC FLEMING, 41, OF 'RAWHIDE,' DIES; Drowns in River in Peru During Filming of Movie |work=New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/10/01/archives/eric-fleming-41-of-rawhide-dies-drowns-in-river-in-peru-during.html}}</ref>
+==Selected filmography==
+{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
+|-
+!scope="col"|Year
+!scope="col"|Title
+!scope="col"|Role
+!scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
+|-
+| 1955
+| ''[[Conquest of Space]]''
+| Capt. Barney Merritt
+|
+|-
+| 1956
+| ''Fright''
+| Dr. James Hamilton
+|
+|-
+| 1958
+| ''[[Queen of Outer Space]]''
+| Capt. Neal Patterson
+|
+|-
+| 1959
+| ''[[Curse of the Undead]]''
+| Preacher Dan
+|
+|-
+| 1966
+| ''[[The Glass Bottom Boat]]''
+| Edgar Hill
+|
+|}
+==Selected television appearances==
+{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
+|-
+!scope="col"|Year
+!scope="col"|Title
+!scope="col"|Role
+!scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
+|-
+| 1956
+| ''Secret File, U.S.A.''
+| German Sergeant
+| Episode "Mission Rhino"
+|-
+| 1956
+| ''[[The Big Story (radio and TV series)|The Big Story]]''
+|
+| Episode "The Victor Reisel Story "
+|-
+| 1956
+| ''[[The Phil Silvers Show]]''
+|  Rory Mundane
+| Episode "Hollywood"
+|-
+| 1956
+| ''[[The Phil Silvers Show]]''
+| USN Recruiting Chief
+| Episode "The Recruiting Sergeant "
+|-
+| 1956
+| ''[[The Phil Silvers Show]]''
+| Private Mike McLusty
+| Episode "The Face on the Recruiting Poster "
+|-
+| 1957
+| ''[[Suspicion (American TV series)|Suspicion]]''
+|
+| Episode "Heartbeat"
+|-
+| 1958
+| ''[[The Silent Service]]''
+| Lt. Cmdr. C. C. Kirkpatrick
+| Episode "The Triton's Christmas"
+|-
+| 1958
+| ''[[Studio One (American TV series)|Studio One]]''
+| Jace Farrow
+| Episode "The Strong Man"
+|-
+| 1958
+| ''[[Flight (TV series)|Flight]]''
+|
+| Episode "Master Sergeant"
+|-
+| 1959-1965
+| ''[[Rawhide (TV series)|Rawhide]]''
+| Gil Favor
+| Cast Regular
+|-
+| 1966
+| ''[[Bonanza]]''
+| Heber Clauson
+| Episode "The Pursued, part I and 2"
+|-
+| 1966
+| ''[[Bonanza]]''
+| Wes Dunn
+| Episode "Peace Officer"
+|-
+| 1967
+| ''[[Off to See the Wizard]]''
+|
+| Episode "High Jungle"
+|}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0281661/|title=Eric Fleming|website=[[IMDb]]}}</ref>
 ==References==
@@ Line 47: / Line 162: @@
 ==External links==
+{{commons category}}
 *{{IBDB name}}
 *{{IMDb name|0281661}}
+*[http://navylog.navymemorial.org/fleming-eric Eric Fleming] United States Navy Memorial Log
-{{commons category}}
 {{Authority control}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Fleming, Eric}}
-[[Category:American male film actors]]
-[[Category:American male television actors]]
-[[Category:Western (genre) television actors]]
 [[Category:1925 births]]
 [[Category:1966 deaths]]
-[[Category:Male actors from California]]
+[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
-[[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II]]
-[[Category:United States Navy sailors]]
-[[Category:People from Santa Paula, California]]
 [[Category:Accidental deaths in Peru]]
+[[Category:American male film actors]]
+[[Category:American male television actors]]
 [[Category:Deaths by drowning]]
 [[Category:Filmed deaths of entertainers]]
-[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
+[[Category:Male actors from California]]
+[[Category:Military personnel from California]]
+[[Category:People from Santa Paula, California]]
+[[Category:United States Merchant Mariners]]
+[[Category:United States Navy non-commissioned officers]]
+[[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II]]
+[[Category:Western (genre) television actors]]
+[[Category:Seabees]]

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