Herbert Anderson (March 30, 1917 – June 11, 1994) was an American character actor from Oakland, California, probably best remembered for his role as Henry Mitchell, the father, in the CBS television sitcom Dennis The Menace,[1] which was based on the Hank Ketcham comic strip of the same name.
After a few minor roles in films for Warner Bros., Anderson got his big break in the 1941 picture Navy Blues, starring Martha Raye and Ann Sheridan, followed by The Body Disappears and The Male Animal in which he co-starred with Henry Fonda and Olivia de Havilland. His other films include the 1949 World War II film Battleground, Give My Regards to Broadway, Excuse My Dust, Island in the Sky, The Benny Goodman Story, Kelly and Me,Joe Butterfly, My Man Godfrey (1957), I Bury the Living, Sunrise at Campobello, Hold On! and Rascal.
Anderson also acted extensively in Broadway shows, including the role of Dr. Bird in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial. He was also in the film version ofThe Caine Mutiny, with Humphrey Bogart; he was the only person to be both in the Broadway play and the movie.
Anderson is also known for both lead and guest-starring roles in many television shows, including, in addition to Dennis the Menace, Crossroads, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Real McCoys, Perry Mason, The David Niven Show, Mr. Adams and Eve, Sea Hunt, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, My Three Sons, The Bing Crosby Show, I Dream of Jeannie, The Smothers Brothers Show, The Cara Williams Show, Petticoat Junction, Bewitched,Daniel Boone, Family Affair, Adam-12, Green Acres, Batman, Dragnet, The Brady Bunch, The Name of the Game, The Governor and J.J., Ironside,Gunsmoke, Nanny and the Professor, The Jimmy Stewart Show, The Smith Family, The Rookies, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and The Waltons.
Anderson retired from acting in 1982 after undergoing heart surgery. He died of complications from a stroke on June 11, 1994 in Palm Springs, California.
