Erich Anderson, actor in ‘Friday the 13th’ and ‘Felicity,’ dies at 67 of esophageal cancer

Erich Anderson, an actor known for his breakout role in the “Friday the 13th” franchise and recurring appearances on television series like “Felicity” and “Thirtysomething,” died Saturday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 67.

His brother-in-law, Michael O’malley, said the cause was esophageal cancer.

In the late 1980s and 90s, Anderson played a recurring love interest on “Thirtysomething,” a drama about a group of friends navigating life and love in Philadelphia; the ex-husband of a detective on “NYPD Blue”; and the father to Keri Russell’s lead role in “Felicity,” a TV series about an introverted high school student who follows her dream guy to college in New York City.

By 2013, he had appeared in roughly 300 episodes for television shows including “Boston Public,” “The X-files,” “CSI,” “ER,” “7th Heaven,” “Star Trek,” “Monk,” “Tour of Duty” and “Murder, She Wrote.”

But it was his first feature film role in “Friday the 13th: the Final Chapter,” the fourth film in the franchise, which follows the serial killer Jason Voorhees, that stuck with fans throughout his career.

When the film debuted in 1984, Anderson thought, “I had a good time and really enjoyed the process and learning about it,” he told a “Friday the 13th” podcast in 2013. “This is out in the world now.”

But over the years, especially as he began attending fan conventions, Anderson came to realize that his role as Rob Dier, who seeks to avenge his sister’s death only to be killed by Jason himself, was “by far the most enduring thing” that he had done.

Edward Erich Anderson was born Oct. 24, 1956, in Sagamihara, Japan, and grew up in a military family, moving around the world as a child, a lifestyle he said helped him embrace his temporary roles.

“I think that adaptation of being able to just throw yourself into whatever situation presents itself leads you to choose professions that kind of may have a freelance thing associated with it,” he said in the 2013 interview.

He married actor Saxon Trainor, who survives him.

As he grew older, he wanted more control over the stories he was telling and turned to writing. He published three novels, including one about five evangelists setting a date for the end of the world.