Richard Deacon (actor)

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Richard Deacon (born May 14, 1921 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , † August 8, 1984 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American film and television actor .

Career

Richard Deacon began his career as a stage actor. On the advice of his colleague Helen Hayes , he switched to film and became a respected and busy actor in both minor and major supporting roles. The tall, bald person wearing glasses was often used for humorless or bad-tempered authority figures because of this look and his authoritative voice. He made his film debut in 1953 with a small role in the science fiction film Invasion of Mars , then followed by over 180 film and television productions, in which he played with stars such as Jack Benny , Lou Costello and Cary Grant , until his death . Early took Deacon also roles on television and played from 1957 to Leave It to Beaver recurring supporting role of Fred Rutherford . In the remake of the series in 1983 under the title Still the Beaver , he took over the role again.

Between 1961 and 1966 he became one of the stars of the series The Dick Van Dyke Show , in which he took on the role of producer Mel Cooley in a total of 82 episodes . After the series was discontinued, he played Roger Buell on the sitcom The Mothers in Law . He also had short appearances and supporting roles in famous films such as Die Demonischen (1956), Lindbergh - Mein Flug über den Ozean (1957) or The Birds (1963). After 1970 the number of his film and television roles decreased, but in the year of his death he was in front of the camera for several productions. As a stage actor in 1969 took Deacon in the hit Broadway - musicals Hello, Dolly! the role of Horace Vandergelder .

Private life

Richard Deacon was a successful hobby cook. In the 1980s he hosted a Canadian television program on microwave cooking and wrote books on the subject.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Spirit of St. Louis , 1993 Minnesota Historical Society Press, pp. 71-76
  2. ↑ Phyllis Diller, Richard Buskin: Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse: My Life in Comedy . The Penguin Group, New York 2005, ISBN 1-58542-396-3 , p. 211.
  3. ^ Richard Deacon Dead at 62; A Comic Film and TV Actor . In: The New York Times , NYTimes.com, August 11, 1984. Retrieved June 22, 2011. 
personal data
SURNAME Deacon, Richard
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American film and television actor
DATE OF BIRTH May 14, 1921
PLACE OF BIRTH Philadelphia , Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH August 8, 1984
Place of death los Angeles