Richard Egan (actor)

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Richard Egan (born July 29, 1921 in San Francisco , † July 20, 1987 in Los Angeles ) was an American film actor and stuntman .

Life

Egan grew up in a Roman Catholic family home that is said to have attended mass every day. His only brother, Willis Egan, even later became a philologist and Jesuit priest . After attending the University of San Francisco , from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts , Egan, like other men in his class, had to do military service in World War II . But for reasons of conscience Egan avoided doing service with the weapon and instead acted as a martial arts trainer who trained his fellow soldiers in judo . Egan is also said to have been involved in secret US Army projects, but this is considered unconfirmed. After the war Egan graduated from Stanford University , he obtained a Master of Arts in 1948 , then studied and taught for some time at Northwestern University . Here he was discovered by a Warner Bros. talent scout who helped Egan get his first film role in The Story of Molly X in 1949 .

In the decades to come, Egan played mostly police officers or authorities in front of the camera. In 1956 he stood in front of the camera together with Elvis Presley in his film debut Powder Steam and Hot Songs . Also counted Sword of Persia , in which Egan in 1960 the Persian king Xerxes I embodied to one of his most famous films. In The Lion of Sparta , also staged in 1960, he was present as King Leonidas . In the same year Egan was engaged for the western series Empire , with which he became known in the USA; the series was renamed Redigo in 1963 .

In addition to his work as an actor, Egan was also involved as a stuntman, even if he went unmentioned in every film. For his services, Egan was named an "Honorary Stuntman" by the Stuntmen's Association of America .

In his private life , he led an unspectacular life atypically in Hollywood . After a liaison with actress Susan Hayward in the mid-1950s, he married actress Patricia Hardy on June 7, 1958 . The couple had five children known to be son Rich Egan who owns Vagrant Records and daughter Maureen Egan is now an MTV writer .

Richard Egan died of prostate cancer 9 days before his 66th birthday ; he is buried in Culver City .

Filmography (selection)

Award

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personal data
SURNAME Egan, Richard
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American film actor and stunt man
DATE OF BIRTH July 29, 1921
PLACE OF BIRTH San Francisco
DATE OF DEATH July 20, 1987
Place of death los Angeles