Benjamin Norman Schultz (February 8, 1926 – August 22, 2020), known professionally as Allan Rich, was an American
character actor.
Career
Rich began his acting career when he was nine years old.
He appeared in the Broadway productions ''I'll Take the High Road'' (1943), ''Career Angel'' (1944), ''Darkness at Noon'' (1951), and ''The Emperor's Clothes'' (1953). In 1948, Rich played the title role in a production of
Ben Jonson
Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...
's ''
Volpone
''Volpone'' (, Italian for "sly fox") is a comedy play by English playwright Ben Jonson first produced in 1605–1606, drawing on elements of city comedy and beast fable. A merciless satire of greed and lust, it remains Jonson's most-perfor ...
'' in
Yellow Springs, Ohio
Yellow Springs is a village in Greene County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,697 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is home to Antioch College.
History
The area of the village had long b ...
.
Beginning in 1979, Rich was distributor and publisher of Hollywood portraits made by
George Hurrell
George Edward Hurrell (June 1, 1904 – May 17, 1992) was a photographer who contributed to the image of glamour presented by Hollywood during the 1930s and 1940s.
Early life
Born in the Walnut Hills district of Cincinnati, Ohio, Hurrell ori ...
.
Personal life and death
Allan Rich was one of the many alleged communist sympathizers blacklisted in the 1950s
Hollywood blacklist
The Hollywood blacklist was an entertainment industry blacklist, broader than just Hollywood, put in effect in the mid-20th century in the United States during the early years of the Cold War. The blacklist involved the practice of denying empl ...
. He married Elaine in 1951, who would go on to be a personal manager to a number of actors after the couple moved to Los Angeles in 1976. The couple had two children together, Marian and David.
[ Elaine Rich died in 2015, aged 81.]
He mentored Rene Russo
Rene Marie Russo (born February 17, 1954) is an American actress and model. She began her career as a fashion model in the 1970s, appearing on magazine covers such as ''Vogue'' and ''Cosmopolitan''. She made her film debut in the 1989 comedy '' ...
in acting.
Rich spent the last five years of his life as a resident at the Lillian Booth Actors Home
The Lillian Booth Actors Home of The Actors Fund is an American assisted-living facility, in Englewood, New Jersey. It is operated by the Actors Fund, a nonprofit umbrella charitable organization that assists American entertainment and perform ...
, run by the Actors Fund of America. He died from progressive dementia in Englewood, New Jersey, in August 2020, at the age of 94.
Activism
Rich was the co-founder of non-profit organization ''We Care About Kids'', which produces educational short films for middle and high school youths.[http://www.wecareaboutkids.org/kids-team.htm]
Filmography
References
External links
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Personal website
Personal Youtube page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rich, Allan
1926 births
2020 deaths
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
American male film actors
American male television actors
Hollywood blacklist
Jewish American male actors
Male actors from New York City
People from the Bronx
Deaths from dementia in New Jersey
21st-century American Jews