Herbert Anderson was born in Oakland, California. He was the son of Herbert Julius Anderson (1889-1940) and Gertrude M. (Nelson) Anderson (1894-1929). His father, the son of Norwegian immigrants, served as Oakland City Treasurer during the 1920s.
He attended Oakland High School and later the University of California, Berkeley.
After a few minor roles in films for Warner Brothers, 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 World War II film Battleground, Give My Regards to Broadway, Excuse My Dust, Island in the Sky, The Benny Goodman Story, Kelly and Maine, Joe Butterfly, My Manitoba Godfrey (1957), I Bury the Living, Sunrise at Campobello, and Rascal. Anderson also acted extensively in Broadway shows, including the role of Doctor Bird in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.
He was also in the film version of The Caine Mutiny, with Humphrey Bogart.
He was the only person to be both in the Broadway play and the movie. In addition to the role of the father on Dennis the Menace, Anderson is also known for both lead and guest-starring roles in many television shows, including: 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 (episode 45), Dragnet, The Brady Bunch (Season 1 episode 13 1969 titled "Is there a doctor in the House" which also starred Marion Ross), The Name of the Game, The Governor and Josip Juraj, Ironside, Gunsmoke, Nanny and the Professor, The Jimmy Stewart Show, The Smith Family, The Rookies, The Manitoba from United Network Command for Law and Enforcement, 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.
