He had a charmed life.
Arthur Anderson, a versatile Broadway, movie and radio actor best known as the voice of Lucky Charms leprechaun, died Saturday at age 93, his friend Craig Wichman confirmed.
"They're magically delicious," Anderson famously declared in an Irish brogue from 1963 to 1992 as the sprightly, green-coated cartoon character beloved by generations of breakfast cereal eaters.
But Anderson had already carved out a successful acting career before he was tapped by General Mills to be one of their mascots.
"That man had an amazing career," said Wichman, who is also an actor. "He performed with Orson Welles, he did tons of radio. He would say, 'I've never been a star, but I worked all the time.'"
Born on August 29, 1922 on Staten Island, Anderson found early success at age 12 in 1935 on an NBC radio show called "Tony and Gus." He played a ukulele-playing orphan.
A short time later, Anderson joined Welles' famous Mercury Theatre and played Jim Hawkins in the "Citizen Kane" auteur's radio version of "Treasure Island."
"He did tons of radio," Wichman said. "He did a show called 'Let's Pretend,' which was the biggest children's show for 20 years."
Anderson was also cast in 1937 as Lucius in Welles’s Broadway production of “Julius Caesar,” which was set in Fascist Italy.
Wichman said Anderson was in the original Broadway company of "1776." He performed in movies like "Midnight Cowboy," "Zelig," and "Jump Tomorrow," according to IMDB.
His last role was three years ago in the Quicksilver Radio Theater production of Charles Dicken's "A Christmas Carol." He was 90.
Anderson's wife Alice, an actress and casting director, died last year. He is survived by a grown daughter named Amy.
Wichman said Anderson, who lived in Manhattan, was beloved in the New York acting community. He said they are planning to give him a heartfelt sendoff.
"He was funny, he was warm, he was a mensch," Wichman said.
General Mills, which makes Lucky Charms, also weighed-in with condolences.
"Lucky Charms is saddened by the loss of Arthur Anderson, the original voice of Lucky the Leprechaun," spokesman Mike Siemienas said in a statement. "For more than 50 years, generations of Americans have known that Lucky Charms are “Magically Delicious!” and we have Arthur’s voice to thank for that."
