John Richardson (19 January 1934 – 5 January 2021) was an English actor who appeared in films from the late 1950s until the early 1990s. He was a male lead in Italian

genre film Genre film may refer to: * A film conforming to a well-defined film genre * Genre Films, aka Kinberg Genre, a television and film production company * ''Genre'' (1996 film), a live-action/animated short by Don Hertzfeldt See also * Genre, the ge ...

s, most notably

Mario Bava Mario Bava (31 July 1914 – 27 April 1980) was an Italian filmmaker who worked variously as a director, cinematographer, special effects artist and screenwriter, frequently referred to as the "Master of Italian Horror" and the "Master of the M ...

's '' Black Sunday'' (1960) with

Barbara Steele Barbara Steele (born 29 December 1937) is an English film actress known for starring in Italian gothic horror films of the 1960s. She has been referred to as the "Queen of All Scream Queens" and "Britain's first lady of horror". She played th ...

, but he was best known for playing the

love interest ''Gli Innamorati'' (, meaning "The Lovers") were stock characters within the theatre style known as commedia dell'arte, who appeared in 16th century Italy. In the plays, everything revolved around the Lovers in some regard. These dramatic and pos ...

Ursula Andress Ursula Andress (born 19 March 1936) is a Swiss-German actress, former model and sex symbol who has appeared in American, British and Italian films. Her breakthrough role was as Bond girl Honey Ryder in the first James Bond film, '' Dr. No'' (1962 ...

in ''

She She most commonly refers to: *She (pronoun), the third person singular, feminine, nominative case pronoun in modern English. She or S.H.E. may also refer to: Literature and films *'' She: A History of Adventure'', an 1887 novel by H. Rider Hagga ...

'' (1965) and then of

Raquel Welch Jo Raquel Welch ( Tejada; September 5, 1940) is an American actress. She first won attention for her role in '' Fantastic Voyage'' (1966), after which she won a contract with 20th Century Fox. They lent her contract to the British studio Hamm ...

in ''

One Million Years B.C. ''One Million Years B.C.'' is a 1966 British adventure fantasy film directed by Don Chaffey. The film was produced by Hammer Film Productions and Seven Arts, and is a remake of the 1940 American fantasy film ''One Million B.C.''. The film star ...

'' (1966).

Career

Richardson was born on 19 January 1934 in

Worthing Worthing () is a seaside town in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 111,400 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Brighton and Ho ...

, Sussex. He served in the Merchant Navy. He initially had no desire to be an actor but when he left the service, his looks saw him receive an offer to appear in a play by a local amateur theatre group in his home town. He enjoyed it and began to work for several

repertory A repertory theatre is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom Annie Horniman founded the first modern repertory theatre in Manchester after withdrawin ...

companies around Britain. He was spotted by a

talent scout In professional sports, scouts are experienced talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scou ...

from

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

who put him under contract. This lasted for two years but he did little. He had some small roles in film for the

Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment conglomerate founded by industrialist J. Arthur Rank in April 1937. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the United Kingdom, owning production, distrib ...

, including '' A Night to Remember'' (1958), ''

Sapphire Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived via the Latin "sa ...

'' (1959), and '' The 39 Steps'' (1959). His first role of note was in the Italian

gothic horror Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name is a reference to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of ea ...

film, ''Black Sunday'' (1960), directed by Mario Bava, which starred fellow British actress Barbara Steele. Richardson stayed in Italy for a

supporting role A supporting character is a character in a narrative that is not the focus of the primary storyline, but is important to the plot/protagonist, and appears or is mentioned in the story enough to be more than just a minor character or a cameo ap ...

in the

swashbuckler A swashbuckler is a genre of European adventure literature that focuses on a heroic protagonist stock character who is skilled in swordsmanship, acrobatics, guile and possesses chivalrous ideals. A "swashbuckler" protagonist is heroic, daring, ...

, ''

Pirates of Tortuga ''Pirates of Tortuga'' is a 1961 DeLuxe Color American swashbuckler film which invented an alternate history for the actual Welsh privateer Henry Morgan. It was released in October 1961 in the United States in CinemaScope. Plot In the 17th centu ...

'' (1961). Back in Britain, he had minor roles in ''

Tender Is the Night ''Tender Is the Night'' is the fourth and final novel completed by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in French Riviera during the twilight of the Jazz Age, the 1934 novel chronicles the rise and fall of Dick Diver, a promising young p ...

'' (1962) and ''

Lord Jim ''Lord Jim'' is a novel by Joseph Conrad originally published as a serial in ''Blackwood's Magazine'' from October 1899 to November 1900. An early and primary event in the story is the abandonment of a passenger ship in distress by its crew, ...

'' (1965).

Leading man

Richardson's big breakthrough came when

Ray Stark Raymond Otto Stark (October 3, 1915 – January 17, 2004) was one of the most successful and prolific independent film producers in postwar Hollywood. Stark's background as a literary and theatrical agent prepared him to produce some of the most ...

spotted him in the offices of

Seven Arts Productions Seven Arts Productions was a production company which made films for release by other studios. It was founded in 1957 by Eliot Hyman, Ray Stark, and Norman Katz. History Seven Arts' first film was '' The Gun Runners'', released by United ...

and cast him as the male lead in ''

'' (1965), which they were co-producing with Hammer Films. The film was a solid hit. Richardson was the only actor to reprise his role in the

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

, ''

The Vengeance of She ''The Vengeance of She'' is a 1968 British fantasy film directed by Cliff Owen and starring John Richardson (actor), John Richardson, Olga Schoberová, Olinka Berova, Edward Judd, André Morell and Colin Blakely. It bears little in common with th ...

'' (1968), but that film was a flop.Bruce G. Hallenbeck, ''British Cult Cinema: Hammer Fantasy and Sci-Fi'', Hemlock Books 2011 p161 Hammer and Seven Arts used Richardson again supporting another female star, this time Raquel Welch in ''One Million Years B.C.'' (1966). It was another big hit. Returning to Italy, Richardson had the lead in the

spaghetti Westerns The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most of ...

, '' John the Bastard'' (1967) and ''

Execution Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...

'' (1968), and a supporting role in '' On My Way to the Crusades, I Met a Girl Who...'' (1967). In the late 1960s, he was considered for the role of

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

in '' On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' (1969) when Sean Connery first left the franchise, but he lost out to

George Lazenby George Robert Lazenby (; born 5 September 1939) is an Australian actor. He was the second actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond in the Eon Productions film series, playing the character in ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service' ...

. Richardson and his wife, English actress

Martine Beswick Martine Beswick (born 26 September 1941) is Jamaica-born British actress and model perhaps best known for her roles in two James Bond films, '' From Russia with Love'' (1963) and '' Thunderball'' (1965), who went on to appear in several other n ...

, moved to Hollywood in 1968. Richardson had a supporting role in ''

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever ''On a Clear Day You Can See Forever'' is a musical with music by Burton Lane and a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner based loosely on ''Berkeley Square'', written in 1926 by John L. Balderston. It concerns a woman who has ESP and has been re ...

'' (1970) as a ne'er-do-well who is seduced by

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

's character Melinda but eventually abandons her. Richardson and Beswick divorced in 1973. That year, Richardson based himself out of Italy once more and appeared in some ''

giallo In Italian cinema, ''Giallo'' (; plural ''gialli'', from ''giallo'', Italian for yellow) is a genre of mystery fiction and thrillers that often contains slasher, crime fiction, psychological thriller, psychological horror, sexploitation, and, ...

'' films: ''

Torso The torso or trunk is an anatomical term for the central part, or the core, of the body of many animals (including humans), from which the head, neck, limbs, tail and other appendages extend. The tetrapod torso — including that of a huma ...

'' (1973), ''

Eyeball Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and con ...

'' (1975), ''

Reflections in Black ''Reflections in Black'' ( it, Il vizio ha le calze nere / ''Vice Wears Black Hose'') is a 1975 Italian giallo film directed by the actor Tano Cimarosa, here at his directorial debut. Plot In San Benedetto del Tronto a mysterious murderess k ...

'' (1975), ''

Nine Guests for a Crime 9 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 9 or nine may also refer to: Dates * AD 9, the ninth year of the AD era * 9 BC, the ninth year before the AD era * 9, numerical symbol for the month of September Places * Nine, Portugal, a parish in the ...

'' (1977), and ''

Murder Obsession ''Murder Obsession'' (''Follia omicida''), a.k.a. ''Fear'', is a 1981 Italian giallo film directed by Riccardo Freda, and starring Laura Gemser and Anita Strindberg. Plot synopsis A successful actor named Michael (Stefano Patrizi) has a dark pa ...

'' (1981). His other films of the period include; ''

Duck in Orange Sauce ''L'anatra all'arancia'' (internationally released as ''Duck in Orange Sauce'') is a List of Italian films of 1975, 1975 Cinema of Italy, Italian comedy film based upon the play by William Douglas-Home and Marc-Gilbert Sauvajon. It was directed by ...

'' (1975) a comedy and '' Cosmos: War of the Planets'' (1977) a science fiction movie.

Death

Richardson died from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

on 5 January 2021, at age 86, during the COVID-19 pandemic in England.

Selected filmography

*'' A Night to Remember'' (1958) - Valet (uncredited) *''

Bachelor of Hearts ''Bachelor of Hearts'' is a 1958 British comedy film starring Hardy Krüger as a German who studies at Cambridge University. It was made to cash in on Krüger's popularity following the success of the war film '' The One That Got Away'' (1957). ...

'' (1958) - Robin *''

Operation Amsterdam ''Operation Amsterdam'' is a 1959 black and white British action film, directed by Michael McCarthy, and featuring Peter Finch, Eva Bartok and Tony Britton. It is based on a true story as described in the book ''Adventure in Diamonds'', by Da ...

'' (1959) - Lt. Williams (uncredited) *'' The 39 Steps'' (1959) - House Guest (uncredited) *''

'' (1959) - Student (uncredited) *''

The Heart of a Man ''The Heart of a Man'' is a 1959 British drama film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Frankie Vaughan, Anne Heywood and Tony Britton. Its plot concerns a millionaire in disguise who gives a young man money to help him pursue his singing c ...

'' (1959) - Official (uncredited) *'' Black Sunday'' (1960) - Dr. Andre Gorobec *''

'' (1961) - Percy *''

Tender is the Night ''Tender Is the Night'' is the fourth and final novel completed by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in French Riviera during the twilight of the Jazz Age, the 1934 novel chronicles the rise and fall of Dick Diver, a promising young p ...

'' (1962) - Young Man Being Photographed (uncredited) *''

'' (1965) - The sailor (uncredited) *''

'' (1965) - Leo *''

'' (1966) - Tumak *''

The Tough One ''The Tough One'' (Spanish: ''El aventurero de Guaynas'') is a 1966 Spanish/Italian spaghetti Western directed by Joaquín Luis Romero Marchent and starring John Richardson. External links * ''The Tough One''at Spaghetti Western 1966 film ...

'' (1966) *'' On My Way to the Crusades, I Met a Girl Who...'' (1967) - Dragone *'' John the Bastard'' (1967) - John Donald Tenorio *''

A Nun at the Crossroads '' A Nun at the Crossroads'' is a 1967 Italian film starring Rosanna Schiaffino and John Richardson and directed by Julio Buchs. The film was bought by Universal who released the film in 1971. Plot A nun is raped in the Belgian Congo and becomes ...

'' (1967) - Dr. Pierre Lemmon *''

'' (1968) - Killikrates *''

'' (1968) - Bill Coler / John Coler *''

A Candidate for a Killing ''A Candidate for a Killing'' is a 1969 Italian film. It starred John Richardson and Anita Ekberg. It was an early film credit for composer Bill Conti William Conti (born April 13, 1942) is an American composer and conductor, best known for ...

'' (1969) - Nick Warfield / André Jarvis / Riquelli *''

'' (1970) - Robert Tentrees *''

Frankenstein '80 ''Frankenstein '80'' is a 1972 Italian film directed by Mario Mancini. Plot summary By day, Dr. Frankenstein (Gordon Mitchell) works innocuously in his lab. But at night, he works to perfect Mosaico (Xiro Papas), a monstrosity pieced together ...

'' (1972) - Karl Schein *''

'' (1973) - Franz *''

Anna, quel particolare piacere ''Anna, quel particolare piacere'' (internationally released as ''Anna: the Pleasure, the Torment'' and ''Secrets of a Call Girl'') is a 1972 Italian crime-drama film directed by Giuliano Carnimeo. It was referred as a film with a good cinematograp ...

'' (1973) - Lorenzo Viotto *''The Tree with Pink Leaves'' (1974) - Andrea (Marco's father) *''

La bellissima estate ''The Beautiful Summer'' ( it, La bellissima estate) is a 1974 Cinema of Italy, Italian melodrama film directed by Sergio Martino. It stars Alessandro Cocco, Senta Berger and John Richardson (actor), John Richardson. The film is part of the genre ...

'' (1974) - Vittorio *''

'' (1975) - Mark Burton *''

'' (1975) - Inspector Lavina *''

'' (1975) - John Hardy *''

Four Billion in Four Minutes ''Four Billion in Four Minutes'' (Italian: ''4 minuti per 4 miliardi'') is a 1976 Italian crime thriller film directed by Gianni Siragusa and starring Antonio Sabato, John Richardson and Vassili Karis.Curti p.194 A gang plot to blast their way in ...

'' (1976) - Francesco Vitale *''

'' (1977) - Lorenzo *'' War of the Planets'' (1977) - Captain Fred Hamilton *''

Canne mozze ''Canne mozze'' ("''Sawed-off Shotgun''") is a 1977 Italian crime-thriller film written and directed by Mario Imperoli. It was the last film directed by Imperoli, who died in December 1977. Plot A Mafia killer returns to his village in Sicily ...

'' (1977) - Michele *''Battle of the Stars'' (1978) - Captain Mike Layton *''Happy Birthday, Harry'' (1980) - Harry Petersen *''Paradiso Blu'' (1980) - Kris *''

Murder Syndrome ''Murder Obsession'' (''Follia omicida''), a.k.a. ''Fear'', is a 1981 Italian giallo film directed by Riccardo Freda, and starring Laura Gemser and Anita Strindberg. Plot synopsis A successful actor named Michael (Stefano Patrizi) has a dark pa ...

'' (1981) - Oliver *''

Scuola di ladri - Parte seconda ''Scuola di ladri - Parte seconda'' is a List of Italian films of 1987, 1987 Cinema of Italy, Italian comedy film directed by Neri Parenti starring Enrico Maria Salerno, who reprised his role of thief Aliprando, with Paolo Villaggio and Massimo Bo ...

'' (1987) - Il ricco gondoliere *'' The Church'' (1989) - Architect *''Milner'' (1994, TV Movie) - Edward (final film role)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, John 1934 births 2021 deaths 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Actors from Sussex Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in England English male film actors English male television actors People from Worthing 20th Century Studios contract players