‘NYPD Blue’ and ‘Felicity’ Actor Dies of Cancer: Erich Anderson Was 67

Actor Erich Anderson has died. The NYPD Blue and Felicity star died of esophageal cancer at his Los Angeles home at 67 on June 1, according to his obituary. The Mayo Clinic states that the cancer is “a growth of cells that starts in the esophagus” and is more common in men, with risk factors including drinking alcohol and smoking. His wife, actress Saxon Trainor, confirmed the news on her Instagram.

“My husband Erich died this morning. I am sharing my brother-in-law Michael O’Malley’s words as I am too bereft now to write anything,” Trainor wrote. “My brother in law Erich Anderson passed this morning after a brutal struggle with cancer. He had a long successful career as an actor—he was on that old show Thirtysomething; he was Felicity’s father on Felicity; he was killed in a basement in a Friday the 13th movie: he was on Star Trek and dozens of other shows. He was a smart and funny guy, a fantastic cook; he wrote three great novels which you can find on Amazon. I’ll miss him but his ordeal is over.”

Anderson was born in Sagamihara, Japan, on Oct. 24, 1956, and graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a Bachelor’s Degree in biochemistry and molecular biology. He made his acting debut in an episode of For Love and Honor in 1983, and his big break came the following year when he starred as Rob Dier in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter. He recurred in the seventh season of NYPD Blue as Don Kirkendall and recurred on Felicity as Dr. Edward Porter, the titular character’s father.

Other credits include Murder, She Wrote, Dallas, Thirtysomething, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Class of ’96, Melrose Place, Matlock, 7th Heaven, Chicago Hope, ER, CSI, The X-Files, Boston Public, JAG, NCIS, House, Bones, Knight Rider, Cold Case, Ghost Whisperer, Monk, and Cold Brook. His final TV role was as D.A. Phillip Eckert in the Paramount+ series Interrogation in 2020. That same year, he starred in the short film Those Who Wait. Anderson’s final role was in the podcast series The Big Lie in 2022.

Along with acting, Erich Anderson also wrote an episode of The Marshal in 1995 and was set to write the upcoming thriller Spin Out. Anderson is survived by his wife of 21 years, Saxon Trainor.