Richard Webb

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Mari Aldon and Richard Webb (around 1950)

John Richard Webb (born September 9, 1915 in Bloomington , Illinois , † June 10, 1993 in Van Nuys , Los Angeles , California ) was an American actor and non-fiction author .

Life

John Richard Webb began his acting career at the theater in New York City . He made his screen debut in 1941 in minor supporting roles in six films, including The Golden Gate , Sullivan's Travels, and Damned to Life . In the 1940s and 1950s he became a prominent supporting actor in westerns, crime and war films such as Golden Poison , You Were Our Comrade , Knight Hank, The Terror of the Round Table and A New Star in the Sky .

From 1954 to 1946 Webb played the main character of Captain Midnight, the leader of the Secret Squadron, in the science fiction television series Captain Midnight . Although the ratings were sometimes over 16 million viewers and the series quickly achieved cult status, it was discontinued after 39 episodes for lack of cost-covering income. The series became so successful and popular that even 28 years after it was discontinued, the National Air and Space Museum held an exhibition on the series in 1986.

Then Webb would have another big hit in 1959 with the television series Border Patrol . He played the lead role of Deputy Chief Don Jagger in 39 episodes before that series was also discontinued. By the end of the 1960s, his acting career flattened and he only appeared sporadically in films such as Revolver Don't Discuss and The Blob , as well as individual episodes of television series such as Auf der Flucht , Perry Masion and Raumschiff Enterprise . Instead, he devoted himself to writing in the 1970s, publishing three non-fiction books on occultism, Great Ghosts of the West (1971), Voices from another world: True tales of the occult (1972) and These Came Back (1976) .

On June 10, 1993, Webb committed suicide by shooting himself after a long illness. He was married twice and had two children each with both women. He left behind his wife, two daughters, four grandchildren and one great-grandson. Webb has his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7059 Hollywood Boulevard .

Filmography (selection)

Movie

series

Works

  • 1971: Great Ghosts of the West
  • 1972: Voices from another world: True tales of the occult
  • 1976: These came back

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Richard Webb, Actor And 50's TV Hero, 77 , nytimes.com
  2. ↑ The Other Side of 'Midnight': Veteran actors Richard Webb and Sid Melton recall their days before and after the '50s TV hit' Captain Midnight. ' , latimes
personal data
SURNAME Webb, Richard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Webb, John Richard (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American actor and non-fiction writer
DATE OF BIRTH September 9, 1915
PLACE OF BIRTH Bloomington , Illinois
DATE OF DEATH June 10, 1993
Place of death Van Nuys , Los Angeles , California