Addison Whittaker Richards, Jr. (October 20, 1902 – March 22, 1964) was an American actor of film and television. Richards appeared in more than three hundred films between 1933 and his death.
Biography
A native of
Zanesville, Ohio
Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. It is located east of Columbus and had a population of 24,765 as of the 2020 census, down from 25,487 as of the 2010 census. Historically the state capital ...
, Richards was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Addison Richards. His grandfather was a mayor of Zanesville. Following his father's death in 1942, the family moved to California.
Richards was cast in many
television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed ...
, including the
syndicated
Syndication may refer to:
* Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system
* Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips
* Web syndication, ...
1950s
crime drama
Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...
, ''
Sheriff of Cochise
''The Sheriff of Cochise'' is an American police crime drama television series of 79 black-and-white episodes broadcast from 1956 to 1958. The show has two seasons of 39 episodes, and there is an additional standalone episode. Each episode runs ...
'', starring John Bromfield. From 1955 to 1961, he appeared in six episodes in different roles on the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...
anthology series
An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a di ...
, ''
The Loretta Young Show
''The Loretta Young Show'' (originally known as ''Letter to Loretta'') is an American anthology drama television series broadcast on Sunday nights from September 2, 1953, to June 4, 1961, on NBC for a total of 165 episodes. The series was hoste ...
''.
In 1956 Richards appeared as Doc Jennings in an uncredited role in the western movie '' The Fastest Gun Alive'' starring '' Glenn Ford''. However, he often had more substantial supporting roles in films, especially Westerns, including playing
George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars.
Custer graduated from West Point in 1861 at the bottom of his clas ...
in '' Badlands of Dakota'' (1941) and the marshal in '' The Broken Star'' (1956).
From 1957-1958, he appeared in the recurring role of J.B. Barker in nine episodes of
Jackie Cooper
John Cooper Jr. (September 15, 1922 – May 3, 2011) was an American actor, television director, producer, and executive, known universally as Jackie Cooper. He was a child actor who made the transition to an adult career. Cooper was the first ...
's NBC sitcom, '' The People's Choice''. In 1958, he was cast as Warden Johnson in the episode "Dead Reckoning" on the ABC/
Warner Brothers
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American Film studio, film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califo ...
western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
* Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that i ...
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Lew Wallace
Lewis Wallace (April 10, 1827February 15, 1905) was an American lawyer, Union general in the American Civil War, governor of the New Mexico Territory, politician, diplomat, and author from Indiana. Among his novels and biographies, Wallace is ...
in the episode entitled, "Billy the Kid". Richards played the role of Evanson in the 1957 episode "Venus of Park Avenue" on the CBS
crime drama
Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...
, '' Richard Diamond, Private Detective''.
In 1958 and 1959, Richards was cast as Doc Jay Calhoun in seven episodes, one uncredited, of the CBS western series, '' Trackdown.''
In 1959, Richards portrayed Mayor Thurston in the episode "Traildust" of CBS's
western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
* Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that i ...
series, '' The Texan'', starring Rory Calhoun. He was cast that same year as Martin Kingsley in two episodes of the NBC western series, '' Cimarron City''. He appeared as Doc Gamble in three episodes of the radio series made briefly into a 1959 NBC sitcom, ''
Fibber McGee and Molly
''Fibber McGee and Molly'' (1935–1959) was a longtime highly popular husband-and-wife team radio comedy program.
The situation comedy was a staple of the NBC Red Network from 1936 on, after originating on NBC Blue in 1935. One of the most ...
''. From 1960 to 1961, he appeared as Doc Landy in eight episodes of the NBC western series, '' the Deputy'', with
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics.
Born and r ...
and Allen Case.
Richards portrayed Mark Stacy in the 1960 episode "Dennis and the Bees" of the CBS sitcom, '' Dennis the Menace'', starring Jay North. He guest starred as Judge Danby in the 1961 episode "The Best Policy" of another NBC western series, '' The Tall Man''. Also, in 1961, in the TV series '' Rawhide'', he played Frank Miller in the episode "Incident of the Running Iron".
Richards was cast in two episodes of the ABC sitcom, ''
The Real McCoys
''The Real McCoys'' is an American situation comedy starring Walter Brennan, Richard Crenna, and Kathleen Nolan. Co-produced by Danny Thomas's Marterto Productions in association with Walter Brennan and Irving Pincus's Westgate Company ...
'': as R.T. Overland in "Weekend in Los Angeles" (1960) and as Colonel Martin in "You Can't Beat the Army" (1961). In 1961, he appeared in different roles in two episodes of the CBS crime drama, ''
Checkmate
Checkmate (often shortened to mate) is any game position in chess and other chess-like games in which a player's king is in check (threatened with ) and there is no possible escape. Checkmating the opponent wins the game.
In chess, the king is ...
''. He was cast as an immigration officer in the 1962 episode "Mi's Citizenship" of the NBC family drama, '' National Velvet''.
Richards appeared on the CBS sitcoms, '' Pete and Gladys'' and in 1963 as Dean Hollister in '' The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis'', starring
Dwayne Hickman
Dwayne Bernard Hickman (May 18, 1934 – January 9, 2022) was an American actor and television executive, producer and director, who worked as an executive at CBS and had also briefly recorded as a vocalist. Hickman portrayed Chuck MacDonald, B ...
. He was cast as Frank Newton on an episode of '' Petticoat Junction'' in October 1963. He was cast twice in 1964 on CBS's ''
The Beverly Hillbillies
''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor, backwoods family ...
'', with Buddy Ebsen. His last television role was as Colonel Saunders in the 1964 episode "The Permanent Recruit" of ABC's '' No Time for Sergeants'', loosely based on the
Andy Griffith
Andy Samuel Griffith (June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012) was an American actor, comedian, television producer, southern gospel singer and writer whose career spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his Southern drawl, his characte ...
film of the same name.
Personal life
Richards met Vivian Eccles in late 1929, marrying a year later and later had one child, daughter Ann.
Richards died of a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which m ...
. His interment is at Oak Park Cemetery in
Claremont Claremont may refer to:
Places Australia
*Claremont, Ipswich, a heritage-listed house in Queensland
* Claremont, Tasmania, a suburb of Hobart
* Claremont, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth
** Claremont Football Club, West Australian Footba ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
. (A news story in the March 26, 1964, issue of the ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'' says that services were held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.)
Lone Cowboy
''Lone Cowboy: Live & Solo'' is the twenty-ninth album by American singer-songwriter Michael Martin Murphey, his first solo album, and his third live album. The album was recorded live in October 2008 at the Western Jubilee Warehouse Theater in C ...
Such Women Are Dangerous
''Such Women Are Dangerous'' is a 1934 American Drama (film and television), drama film directed by James Flood, written by Oscar M. Sheridan, Jane Storm and Lenore Coffee, and starring Warner Baxter, Rosemary Ames, Rochelle Hudson, Mona Barrie, ...
The Girl from Missouri
''The Girl from Missouri'' (originally called ''Born to Be Kissed'') is a 1934 American romantic comedy-drama film starring Jean Harlow and Franchot Tone. The movie was written by Anita Loos and directed by Jack Conway.
Plot
Eadie (Jean H ...
'' (1934) - Yacht Capt. Hawkins (uncredited)
*''
British Agent
''British Agent'' is a 1934 American romantic espionage film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Leslie Howard and Kay Francis. It is based on ''Memoirs of a British Agent'', the 1932 autobiography of R. H. Bruce Lockhart, who worked for ...
A Dog of Flanders
''A Dog of Flanders'' is an 1872 novel by English author Marie Louise de la Ramée published with her pseudonym "Ouida". It is about a Flemish boy named Nello and his dog, Patrasche, and is set in Antwerp.
In Japan, Korea, Russia, Ukraine and ...
'' (1935) - Herr Herden
*'' Black Fury'' (1935) - Government Man (uncredited)
*'' Eight Bells'' (1935) - Tracey
*'' G Men'' (1935) - Bruce J. Gregory
*'' Alias Mary Dow'' (1935) - Martin
*'' Dinky'' (1935) - District Attorney
*''
Front Page Woman
''Front Page Woman'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Michael Curtiz. The screenplay by Laird Doyle, Lillie Hayward and Roy Chanslor based on the novel ''Women Are Bum Newspapermen'' by Richard Macauley.
Plot
Ellen Garfield refuses t ...
'' (1935) - District Attorney
*''
The Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...
China Clipper
''China Clipper'' (NC14716) was the first of three Martin M-130 four-engine flying boats built for Pan American Airways and was used to inaugurate the first commercial transpacific airmail service from San Francisco to Manila on November 22, ...
The Singing Marine
''The Singing Marine'' is a 1937 American musical film directed by Ray Enright and Busby Berkeley and starring Dick Powell. It was the last of Powell's trio of service-related Warners films: 1934's ''Flirtation Walk'' paid tribute, of sorts ...
Geronimo
Geronimo ( apm, Goyaałé, , ; June 16, 1829 – February 17, 1909) was a prominent leader and medicine man from the Bedonkohe band of the Ndendahe Apache people. From 1850 to 1886, Geronimo joined with members of three other Central Apache ...
My Little Chickadee
''My Little Chickadee'' is a 1940 American comedy-western film starring Mae West and W. C. Fields, featuring Joseph Calleia, Ruth Donnelly, Margaret Hamilton, Donald Meek, Willard Robertson, Dick Foran, William B. Davidson, and Addison ...
Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the Arct ...
'' (1940)
*''
Charlie Chan in Panama
''Charlie Chan in Panama'' is a 1940 mystery film starring Sidney Toler. It is an unaccredited remake of Jacques Deval's novel "Marie Galante", produced by 20th Century Fox in 1934, directed by Henry King.
Plot
Charlie Chan must stop a spy from ...
Western Union
The Western Union Company is an American multinational financial services company, headquartered in Denver, Colorado.
Founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester, New York, the company ch ...
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
Flying Tigers
The First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Republic of China Air Force, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was formed to help oppose the Japanese invasion of China. Operating in 1941–1942, it was composed of pilots from the United States ...
'' (1942)
*''
The Pride of the Yankees
''The Pride of the Yankees'' is a 1942 American film produced by Samuel Goldwyn, directed by Sam Wood, and starring Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, and Walter Brennan. It is a tribute to the legendary New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig, who ...
Air Force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ar ...
'' (1943)
*''
The Mad Ghoul
''The Mad Ghoul'' is a 1943 American horror film directed by James Hogan and starring Turhan Bey, Evelyn Ankers, and David Bruce, and featuring George Zucco, Robert Armstrong, and Milburn Stone. The film is about the scientist Dr. Alfred M ...
The Fighting Seabees
''The Fighting Seabees'' is a 1944 war film, directed by Edward Ludwig and starring John Wayne and Susan Hayward. The supporting cast includes Dennis O'Keefe, William Frawley, Leonid Kinsky, Addison Richards and Grant Withers. ''The Fight ...
Are These Our Parents?
''Are These Our Parents?'' is a 1944 American romantic drama film directed by William Nigh. It stars Helen Vinson, Lyle Talbot, Ivan Lebedeff.
Plot
A mother's preference for partying, boozing, and running around with an assortment of sleazy char ...
Henry, the Rainmaker
''Henry, the Rainmaker'' is a 1949 American comedy film directed by Jean Yarbrough and written by Lane Beauchamp. The film stars Raymond Walburn, Walter Catlett, William Tracy, Mary Stuart, Barbara Brown and Gary Gray. The film was released ...
The Deerslayer
''The Deerslayer, or The First War-Path'' (1841) was James Fenimore Cooper's last novel in his '' Leatherstocking Tales''. Its 1740–1745 time period makes it the first installment chronologically and in the lifetime of the hero of the Leather ...
'' (1957)
*'' Gunsight Ridge'' (1957) - Sheriff Tom Jones
*'' Perry Mason'' (1957) "The Case of the Angry Mourner" - Attorney George Lansing
*'' The Saga of Hemp Brown'' (1958) - Col. Ford
*'' The Californians'' (NBC-TV, 1958, Episode: "Dangerous Journey") - Thomas Durkin
*''
Lassie
Lassie is a fictional female Rough Collie dog and is featured in a short story by Eric Knight that was later expanded to a full-length novel called '' Lassie Come-Home''. Knight's portrayal of Lassie bears some features in common with another ...
'' (CBS-TV, 1958, Episode: "The Christmas Story") - Dr. Watkins
*'' Rawhide'' (CBS-TV, 1959, Episode: "Incident of the Dog Days") - Jed Blaine
*'' The Oregon Trail'' (1959) - President James Polk (uncredited)
*'' All the Fine Young Cannibals'' (1960) - Mr. McDowall (uncredited)
*'' Inherit the Wind'' (1960) - Townsman (uncredited)
*''
The Dark at the Top of the Stairs
''The Dark at the Top of the Stairs'' is a 1957 play by William Inge about family conflicts during the early 1920s in a small Oklahoma town. It was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play in 1958 and was made into a film of the same name in 196 ...
'' (1960) - Harris (uncredited)
*'' The Facts of Life'' (1960) - Larry's Boss (uncredited)
*''
Frontier Uprising
''Frontier Uprising'' is a 1961 American Western film directed by Edward L. Cahn and starring Jim Davis, Nancy Hadley and Ken Mayer. It is a remake of '' Kit Carson'' (1940).Operation Eichmann'' (1961) - The Stranger (uncredited)
*''
The Gambler Wore a Gun
''The Gambler Wore a Gun'' is a 1961 Western film. The film is an uncredited remake of about five different B-westerns of the 1930s and 1940s. Some plot elements are also taken from 1954 western ''The Lone Gun'', which starred George Montgomer ...
Bonanza
''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on ...
Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of ...