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Frank Richards (September 15, 1909 – April 15, 1992) was an American character actor, typically portraying a hoodlum or thug with a menacing appearance.
Frank Richards | |
|---|---|
 Richards in an episode of One Step Beyond (1959) | |
| Born | September 15, 1909 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | April 15, 1992 (aged 82) |
| Resting place | Palm Memorial Park, Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1940–1984 |
Biography
editRichards was born in New York City and raised in Fall River, Massachusetts.[1]
Richards began acting in stock theater in Cape Cod while he worked 16 hours a day as a driver of a fruit truck. He continued his stock acting for eight years.[2] He acted on Broadway in The Wanhope Building (1947), Embezzled Heaven (1944), The World We Make (1939), and Brown Danube (1939).[3]
After serving in the military during World War II, Richards studied dialects, diction, and speech in New York, in addition to working in radio and television.[2]
He appeared in 150 films and televisions shows from 1940 into the mid 1980s. He appeared in a 1952 episode of Superman "The Night of Terror" and a 1953 episode of The Lone Ranger. His first stage appearance was in 1938 and his last film was John Cassavetes' A Woman Under the Influence in 1974.[4]
On April 15, 1992, Richards died in Las Vegas, Nevada.[1] He is interred at Palm Memorial Park in Las Vegas.[5]
Selected filmography
edit- Before I Hang (1940) - Otto Kron, Convict
- Arizona (1940) - Dugan (uncredited)
- Tall, Dark and Handsome (1941) - Mobster (uncredited)
- Sky Raiders (1941, Serial) - Murdock, Henchman [Ch. 8] (uncredited)
- Hold That Ghost (1941) - Gunman (uncredited)
- Public Enemies (1941) - Shelby
- The Corsican Brothers (1941) - Colonna's Henchman (uncredited)
- Reap the Wild Wind (1942) - Cutler Man in Barrel Room (uncredited)
- Alias Boston Blackie (1942) - Mack, Prisoner Next to Joe (uncredited)
- Sunday Punch (1942) - Bystander (uncredited)
- Cairo (1942) - Alfred
- A Man's World (1942) - Thomas (uncredited)
- You Can't Escape Forever (1942) - Scotty, Greer's Henchman (uncredited)
- Redhead from Manhattan (1943) - Fisherman (uncredited)
- The House on 92nd Street (1945) - German Spy Trainee (uncredited)
- A Double Life (1947) - Stagehand (uncredited)
- The Story of Mr. Hobbs (1947) - Spike
- Appointment with Murder (1948) - 2nd Thug (uncredited)
- I Cheated the Law (1949) - Bartender (uncredited)
- The Set-Up (1949) - Bat, Program Vendor (uncredited)
- The Crooked Way (1949) - Nick, Bailbondsman (uncredited)
- Canadian Pacific (1949) - Railroad Worker (uncredited)
- Come to the Stable (1949) - Lefty, Rossi's Goon (uncredited)
- Slattery's Hurricane (1949) - Bartender (uncredited)
- The Cowboy and the Indians (1949) - Smiley Martin
- Thieves' Highway (1949) - Cab Driver (uncredited)
- Prison Warden (1949) - Cory (uncredited)
- Tough Assignment (1949) - Steve
- The Threat (1949) - Lefty
- The Outriders (1950) - Outrider with Knife (uncredited)
- Black Hand (1950) - Semi-Moron (uncredited)
- Western Pacific Agent (1950) - Keystone
- Father of the Bride (1950) - Truck Driver (uncredited)
- Love That Brute (1950) - Gangster (uncredited)
- No Way Out (1950) - Mac (uncredited)
- Wyoming Mail (1950) - Prison Contact (uncredited)
- Kim (1950) - Abul (uncredited)
- California Passage (1950) - Sneed (uncredited)
- The Scarf (1951) - Gargantua (uncredited)
- Double Crossbones (1951) - Tavern Bouncer (uncredited)
- Across the Wide Missouri (1951) - Tige Shannon (uncredited)
- South of Caliente (1951) - Studsy Denning
- Love Is Better Than Ever (1952) - Mr. Carney, Wardrobe Man (uncredited)
- Carbine Williams (1952) - Truex
- Pat and Mike (1952) - Sam Garsell
- The Savage (1952) - Sergeant Norris
- Stop, You're Killing Me (1952) - Black Hat Gallagher (uncredited)
- Girls in the Night (1953) - Bartender Danny (uncredited)
- The System (1953) - Charley, Merrick's Butler
- The Caddy (1953) - Burly Caddie (uncredited)
- I, the Jury (1953) - Killer Thompson (uncredited)
- Clipped Wings (1953) - Cralia Dupree (uncredited)
- Prisoners of the Casbah (1953) - 2nd Thief
- Money from Home (1953) - Angry Truck Driver (uncredited)
- Tennessee Champ (1954) - J.B. Backett
- Return from the Sea (1954) - Bartender
- Destry (1954) - Dummy
- The Atomic Kid (1954) - Casino Officer (uncredited)
- Pirates of Tripoli (1955) - Zurtah (uncredited)
- New York Confidential (1955) - Hoodlum (uncredited)
- A Bullet for Joey (1955) - Ship Officer (uncredited)
- Spy Chasers (1955) - George
- Guys and Dolls (1955) - Man with Packages (uncredited)
- The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) - Blind Barfly (uncredited)
- The Killing (1956) - Track Employee in Locker Room (uncredited)
- Man from Del Rio (1956) - Ken, the Stableman (uncredited)
- Running Target (1956) - Castagna
- The Desperados Are in Town (1956) - Mr. Tawson (uncredited)
- The Storm Rider (1957) - Will Feylan
- The Persuader (1957) - Steve
- Gun Battle at Monterey (1957) - Gus (uncredited)
- The Hard Man (1957) - Vince Kane (uncredited)
- Escape from Red Rock (1957) - Price
- The World Was His Jury (1958) - Able-Bodied Seaman Milo Radvitch aka Mikel Petrov (uncredited)
- Teacher's Pet (1958) - Cab Driver (uncredited)
- How to Make a Monster (1958) - Studio Groundskeeper (uncredited)
- The Cry Baby Killer (1958) - Pete Gambelli
- The Black Orchid (1958) - Hood (uncredited)
- Revolt in the Big House (1958) - Jake
- Lonelyhearts (1958) - Taxi Driver
- Arson for Hire (1959) - Man Making Phone Calls
- The Hangman (1959) - Zimmerman (uncredited)
- The Gunfight at Dodge City (1959) - Burly Man with Saloon Girl (uncredited)
- Bells Are Ringing (1960) - Barney Lampwick's Friend - Man on Street (uncredited)
- From the Terrace (1960) - The Bartender (uncredited)
- The Hook (1963) - Crewman Kaskevitch
- The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) - (uncredited)
- A Woman Under the Influence (1974) - Adolph
Selected Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Death Valley Days | Bartender Purdy | Season 1, Episode, "Land of the Free" |
| 1953 | The Lone Ranger | Bill Adams | Episode "The Devil's Bog" |
| 1953 | The Lone Ranger | Jeb Logan | Episode "Son by Adoption" |
| 1953 | The Lone Ranger | Duke | Episode "Gunpowder Joe" |
| 1954 | The Lone Ranger | Matt | Episode "Texas Draw" |
| 1954 | The Abbott and Costello Show | Slug | Episode "Private Eye" |
| 1954 | Death Valley Days | Townsman | Season 2, Episode 13, "Snowshoe Thompson" |
| 1956 | Death Valley Days | Townsman | Episode "Paydirt" |
| 1958 | Death Valley Days | Sitting Bull | Episode, "The Greatest Scout of All" |
| 1958 | Death Valley Days | Town Marshall | Episode "The Gunsmith" |
| 1959 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Monk McGinnis | Season 4 Episode 26: "Cheap is Cheap" |
| 1960 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Party Guest | Season 6 Episode 12: "The Baby-Blue Expression" |
| 1960 | Death Valley Days | Red Hacker | Episode "The Deserter" |
| 1960 | Wanted Dead or Alive | Jake | Episode "Miracle at Pot Hole" |
References
edit- ^ a b Goldrup, Tom and Jim (August 2012). The Encyclopedia of Feature Players of Hollywood, Volume 3. BearManor Media. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
- ^ a b "Ugly -- Yes -- But It Pays For Actor In Warbonnet". Rapid City Journal. South Dakota, Rapid City. July 21, 1951. p. 3. Retrieved March 30, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Frank Richards". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
- ^ "Frank Richards". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- ^ Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 25047-25048). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.
External links
editWikimedia Commons has media related to Frank Richards (actor).