Knute Erickson

Active - 1921 - 1933  |   Born - May 27, 1872   |   Died - Dec 31, 1945   |   Genres - Drama, Romance, Comedy

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Biography by AllMovie

Like the somewhat similar El Brendel, who was of Jewish descent and hailed from Philadelphia, Swedish-dialect comedian Knute Erickson was not, as he always claimed, born in Norrköping, Sweden, but in downtown Ogden, UT. That aside, Erickson got the most out of his authentic Swedish heritage and created the vaudeville character of "Daffy Dan," with whom he toured from 1900 onwards in an act presented by future Hollywood mogul Jesse L. Lasky. Producer Harry Cort presented Daffy Dan in a series of two-reelers in 1915 and Erickson further developed the character in a couple of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle vehicles that, sadly, were never released in the U.S. due to Arbuckle's dramatic fall from grace. But Daffy Dan survived long enough to re-emerge as the comedy relief in Lon Chaney's The Monster (1925) before Erickson finally moved on. His roles growing increasingly smaller in the sound era, Erickson retired after supporting a more genuine Swede, Nils Asther, in Frank Capra's The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933).

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