14 Facts About Eric Fleming

Eric Fleming 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.

Eric Fleming was a Seabee in the 88th Naval Construction Battalion as a carpenter.

Eric Fleming served until 1945 and became a petty officer second class.

Eric Fleming received severe facial injuries during a bet in which he was attempting to lift a 200-pound weight and had to undergo extensive plastic surgery to reconstruct his forehead, nose, and jaw.

Eric Fleming made a bet with an actor that he could do a better audition.

Eric Fleming's acting debut came in a road company production of Happy Birthday.

Eric Fleming appeared on stage in Chicago and in a number of successful Broadway plays, including the musical Plain and Fancy.

Eric Fleming began acting in television shows about the same time.

Eric 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.

Eric Fleming boasted to TV Guide that "CBS fired me because they were paying me a million dollars a year".

Eric Fleming rebounded with a supporting role as a suave spy in The Glass Bottom Boat, a Doris Day comedy vehicle, and guest-starred in three episodes of the number-one rated, family-themed NBC Western Bonanza alongside Michael Landon and action director William Witney.

Effective as the sadistic Wes Dunn in the titular "Peace Officer" from season seven, Eric 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.

Eric Fleming signed to star in High Jungle, a two-part episode of the short-lived Off to See the Wizard, intended for theatrical distribution in Europe.

Eric Fleming was swept away by the current and drowned on September 28,1966, at age 41, leaving behind fiancee Lynne Garber.