By Todd Garbarini Actor Victor Lundin, best known to film fans for his portrayal of Friday in Byron Haskin’s Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964), passed away on June 29, 2013 at age 83 after an undisclosed illness. News of his passing first came to Cinema Retro via Cinema Epoch’s Director of Acquisitions Douglas Dunning, who was a personal friend of Mr. Lundin’s. It was also confirmed by John Sempre, Jr.’s Facebook page (Mr. Sempre interviewed Mr. Lundin and this audio interview can be heard in part one and part two on Vimeo) as well as Zachary Lundin’s Facebook page (Victor’s son).
In addition to this film, Mr. Lundin appeared in the 1966 film version of Beau Geste, and appeared on television in episodes on some of our favorite shows from the 1960’s, including The Time Tunnel, Get Smart, Star Trek, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Mannix, and Batman.
According to Mr. Sempre, Jr., one of Mr. Lundin’s last screen appearances will be in the former’s upcoming web miniseries, Creeporia, wherein he provided a brief cameo voice for an animated character (an evil wizard) in the first episode. Creeporia will be released via streaming video in October 2013.
Born: 6/15/1930 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
Died: 6/29/2013
Victor Lundin’s westerns – actor:
Bronco (TV) – 1958 (Madden)
Mackenzie’s Raiders (TV) – 1958 (Chief Quanah Parker)
Gunsmoke (TV) – 1959 (Hank)
Pony Express (TV) – 1960
Cheyenne (TV) – 1961 (rustler)
Hondo (TV) – 1967 (Silva)