 Gordien attended the University of Minnesota.His coach there, Jim Kelly, also became coach of the U.S. track-and-field team for the 1956 Summer Olympics, where Gordien won a silver medal.In the 1950s, Gordien had a few minor roles in films and TV series, including "The Cisco Kid" (1950), "The Egyptian" (1954), "Not for Hire" (1959) and "North to Alaska" (1960).