biography
Born Edward Heddy on July 4, 1925, in Santa Paula, California, actor Eric Fleming endured a rough childhood. Running away numerous times to escape an abusive home life,
he finally succeeded in the mid 1930s, making his way east where he found a series of odd jobs in order to support his hard-scrabble existence. After the divorce of his
parents, Fleming returned to California and took odd jobs on the Paramount Studios lot. The 6'3" Fleming worked at a number of menial jobs until the outbreak of World
War II, when he joined the Merchant Marine. During his tenure, he was seriously injured when the iron block he was lifting slipped and crushed his face. Multiple rounds
of plastic surgery gave him a handsome visage but left him with limited facial gesturing ability. Nonetheless, at the age of 19 he was cast in a military training film
and was bitten by the acting bug. After his departure from the service following the war, he made his way to Chicago and eventually New York, where he found work as an
actor on the legitimate stage.
By 1950, he made his way to Broadway and acted in the productions of The Tower Beyond Tragedy, Stalag 17, and Portrait of a Lady. In order to pay
the bills between shows, he also worked in early live television, briefly starring on the DuMont children's show Major Dell Conway of the Flying Tigers and making
several appearances on Hallmark Hall of Fame. Never making much money, in the mid 1950s Fleming left Broadway behind for the lure of film work in Hollywood. His
first film appearance was in the Paramount science fiction flick Conquest of Space (1955; with Walter Brooke and William Hopper), which
he followed up with the noirish horror film Fright (1956; with Nancy Malone).
Although he is best remembered as a western actor due to his long-running CBS TV series Rawhide, the bulk of Fleming's films were horror and science fiction films; the
most notorious of these is Queen of Outer Space (1958; with Zsa Zsa Gabor and Laurie Mitchell). He also starred
in the western horror film Curse of the Undead (1959; with Michael Pate, Kathleen Crowley, and John Hoyt). Not long after the release of that
film, Fleming was offered a starring role on the CBS TV series Rawhide, on which he portrayed Gil Favor from January 1959 to 1965. Fleming's contract with CBS precluded
his taking roles in films, which so irked him and Rawhide co-star Clint Eastwood that both left the series after the seventh season. |
the films of eric flemingConquest of Space (1955)
From Fleming's first film, the Paramount science fiction release Conquest of SpaceFright (1956) 
From the low-budget independent horror flick Fright. LEFT and RIGHT: Fleming as Dr. James Hamilton falls in love with patient Nancy MaloneQueen of Outer Space (1958)  
From the campy Allied Artists science fiction film Queen of Outer Space, which has earned its place as a cult classic. LEFT: Astronaut Eric Fleming hooks up with Zsa Zsa Gabor, a scientist on the all-woman planet Venus. CENTER: Fleming unmasks Laurie Mitchell as the hideously scarred queen of Venus. RIGHT: With Paul Birch and Zsa Zsa GaborCurse of the Undead (1959)
Fleming looks for a vampire who is also a gunslinger in the Universal-International horror/western Curse of the UndeadRawhide (1959-1965 CBS TV Series)   
From the CBS western series Rawhide. LEFT: With Mari Blanchard in a 1961 episode. CENTER A: With Jock Mahoney in a 1960 episode. CENTER B: With costars Sheb Wooley and Clint Eastwood. RIGHT: Fleming as Gil FavorThe Glass Bottom Boat (1966) 
From the entertaining Doris Day romp The Glass Bottom Boat, released by MGM. LEFT: Fleming as Edgar Hill. RIGHT: With Doris Day and Dom DeLuiselater yearsUpon his departure from Rawhide, Fleming took a supporting role in MGM's comedy The Glass Bottom Boat (1966; with Doris Day and Rod Taylor). His performance as CIA agent Edgar Hill was instrumental in MGM's casting him in a two-part TV film titled Off to See the Wizard, costarring Anne Heywood and shot on location in Peru. Sadly, Fleming drowned while shooting scenes for the film on September 28, 1966, just two days before he was to be married to his longtime girlfriend, Lynne. The lifelong bachelor was survived by his mother. |
filmographyFILM
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This page premiered March 29, 2007.
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