Frank Richards (September 15, 1909 – April 15, 1992) was an American character actor, typically portraying a hoodlum or thug with a menacing appearance.
![]() | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2012) |
Richards 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]
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" |
1960 | Wanted Dead or Alive | Jake | Episode "Miracle at Pot Hole" |
1958 | Death Valley Days | Town Marshall | Episode "The Gunsmith" |
1960 | Death Valley Days | Red Hacker | Episode "The Deserter" |
General | |
---|---|
National libraries |