Erich Anderson, who was sometimes also credited as E. Erich Anderson, racked up over 100 credits during a screen acting career that stretched from 1983 into the 2020s, but he may be best known for playing the role of Rob in the 1984 slasher classic Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter. A character out for revenge, Rob looked like he had a shot at being able to take down hockey-masked killer Jason Voorhees for good… but when Rob finally caught up with Jason, things did not go well for him at all. Among Friday the 13th fans, Rob has become a favorite due to the fact that he seems so cool and capable at first, but then whiffs his shot at vengeance in a major way. Sadly, the actor who brought Rob to the screen is no longer with us. Erich Anderson’s wife Saxon Trainor has confirmed through social media that he has passed away after a long battle with cancer. Going by a birth year listed online, Anderson would have been around 67 years old.
Trainor posted the following message on Instagram: “My husband Erich died this morning. I am sharing my brother-in-law Michael O’Malley’s words as I am too bereft now to write anything: My brother in law Erich Anderson passed this morning after a brutal struggle with cancer. He had a long successful career as an actor—he was on that old show 30 something; he was Felicity’s father on Felicity; he was killed in a basement in a Friday the 13th movie: he was on Star Trek and dozens of other shows. He was a smart and funny guy, a fantastic cook; he wrote three great novels which you can find on Amazon. I’ll miss him but his ordeal is over.“
As mentioned, Anderson did indeed play Felicity’s father on 9 episodes of Felicity. His other credits include Bay City Blues, Missing in Action, Murder She Wrote, Dallas, Bat*21, Quantum Leap, 7 episodes of Thirtysomething, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Melrose Place, Matlock, Sisters, The Final Cut, 7th Heaven, Nightwatch, The Big Easy, Silk Stalkings, Touched by an Angel, Chicago Hope, ER, 7 episodes of NYPD Blue, CSI, The X-Files, The Outer Limits, Boston Public, JAG, Unfaithful, Without a Trace, NCIS, CSI: Miami, 5 episodes of Boomtown, Dragnet, House, Bones, Medium, Knight Rider, Cold Case, Ghost Whisperer, Monk, The Mentalist, 4 episodes of Major Crimes, Officer Downe, The Neighbor, 6 episodes of Bosch, and much more.
Anderson had been married to Saxon Trainor since 2003. Our sincere condolences go out to his family, friends, and fans.