The son of Norwegian immigrants, John Lund left school in his teens, eventually landing a job with a Madison Avenue advertising firm. His first acting appearance was in an industrial show at the 1939 New York World's Fair; two years later, he made his Broadway bow. Lund's starring performance in John Patrick's The Hasty Heart landed him a Paramount contract in 1946. He made an impressive screen debut in the dual role of Olivia De Havilland's lover and illegitimate son in To Each His Own. Groomed as a romantic leading man by Paramount, he enjoyed some success in light comedy parts in films like A Foreign Affair (1948) and My Friend Irma (1949), eventually finding his true calling in stuffed-shirt "other man" roles in such films as High Society (1956). His last screen assignment was as Sandra Dee's straight-laced father in If a Man Answers (1962). Before settling into retirement in San Diego, John Lund served as vice president of the Screen Actors Guild.