They called him “Otter,” and his name lives on in cinematic history. As portrayed by Tim Matheson in the 1978 film, “Animal House,” the character of Eric “Otter” Stratton was based on the real life of Robert Lee “Otter” Anderson, which brought the National Lampoon opus written by Chris Miller to the screen. Few outside of Miller’s alma mater Dartmouth College are aware of the film’s origin. Miller was a pledge in 1960 and admired the exploits of his raucous campus fraternity when he penned the story. While the shenanigans were either overly exaggerated or true depends on who you’re talking to. Nonetheless, the class of Dartmouth 1961 claims “Otter” as their own. (Miller also modeled the composite character of John “Bluto” Blutarsky, played by the late John Belushi, after other Dartmouth alums Duane “Doberman” Cox ’61, “T-bear” Spetnagel ’57, and John “Magpie” Walters ’62).

Robert Lee “Otter” Anderson, 80, died of complications from a pulmonary thrombosis in Vallejo on Nov. 2 according to Tom Conger, a business partner with “Otter” at The Konocti Winery in Kelseyville, Lake County, California.
Anderson was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on Feb. 19, 1940 and grew up in Redlands, the middle son of Carl Anderson and Varene Anderson. He starred in football, basketball and track at Redlands High School and went on to Dartmouth College where he majored in history and joined the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity, where he became the legendary “Otter” of National Lampoon’s “Animal House” fame.

Robert Lee “Otter” Anderson is survived by former wives Gay Anderson, Nancie Dreher Perlowitz and Jennifer Malloy; daughter Shareen Anderson; sons Michael Anderson and Cole Anderson; step-children Nina, Ari and Ethan Gold; grandchildren Liam Anderson and Zoe Anderson Gomes; and his faithful companion, his dog Dude.

Memorial services are on hold pending resolution of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.