Richard Lynch (February 12, 1940 – June 19, 2012) was an American actor best known for portraying

villain A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...

s in films and television. His film credits included '' Scarecrow'', '' The Seven-Ups'' (both 1973), '' God Told Me To'' (1976), '' The Sword and the Sorcerer'' (1982), '' Invasion U.S.A.'' (1985), ''

Little Nikita ''Little Nikita'' is a 1988 American thriller film directed by Richard Benjamin and starring River Phoenix and Sidney Poitier. The film marks the first collaboration between Phoenix and Poitier (the second being ''Sneakers'' in 1992). Plot ...

'', '' Bad Dreams'' (both 1988), '' Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge'' (1991), and ''

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

'' (2007). He appeared as Wolfe in the 1978 science fiction TV series ''

Battlestar Galactica ''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. It began with the original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel series, '' Galactica 1980'', a line of book adaptat ...

'', and appeared again in its sequel series '' Galactica 1980'', as Commander Xaviar. Lynch's other TV roles included '' Starsky and Hutch'', '' Baretta'', '' T. J. Hooker'', '' Blue Thunder'', '' Airwolf'', ''

The A-Team ''The A-Team'' is an American Action television, action television series that ran on NBC from January 23, 1983, to March 8, 1987, about a fictional team of former United States Army Special Forces who work as mercenaries while on the run from ...

'', '' The Fall Guy'', ''

Charmed ''Charmed'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Constance M. Burge and produced by Aaron Spelling and his production company Spelling Television, with Brad Kern serving as showrunner. The series was originally broadc ...

'', '' Vega$'', ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...

'', and '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''.

Early life and career

Richard Hugh Lynch was born on February 12, 1940 (sometimes incorrectly cited as 1936) in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York City to Catholic parents of Irish descent. Richard Lynch served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

for four years. Lynch's distinct scarred appearance made him a popular nemesis, and he can be seen in more than 160 film and television performances. The scars came from a 1967 incident in New York's

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

in which, under the influence of drugs, he set himself on fire, burning more than 70% of his body. He spent a year in recovery, gave up drug use and ultimately began training at The Actors Studio and at the HB Studio. In 1970, he co-starred with

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director, and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of List of awards and ...

, Sally Kirkland and Diane Ladd in the short-lived off-Broadway play ''One Night Stands of a Noisy Passenger,'' written by Shelley Winters. He often played a villain in features, including '' Scarecrow'', which marked his film debut, '' The Seven-Ups'', '' Bad Dreams'', '' The Sword and the Sorcerer'', and ''

''. In 1982, Lynch won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as the evil King Cromwell in '' The Sword and the Sorcerer''. Although Richard Lynch is best known for playing villains, he was cast as the president of the United States in the 2007 film '' Mil Mascaras vs. the Aztec Mummy''. Lynch starred alongside Judson Scott in the 1982 short-lived science fiction TV series '' The Phoenix''. In addition to acting, Lynch was a musician, and he played the saxophone, guitar, piano, and flute. He held Irish citizenship through his Irish-born parents and was a frequent visitor to Ireland. He starred together with brother Barry in the films ''Nightforce'' and ''Total Force''. Lynch's wife Lily starred with him in the film ''Breaking the Silence'' (1998) and son Christopher Lynch appeared with him in the science fiction film ''

Trancers II ''Trancers II'' (also released as ''Trancers II: The Return of Jack Deth'') is a 1991 American direct-to-video science fiction film, science fiction action film directed by Charles Band. It is a sequel to ''Trancers'' and is set six years after t ...

''. In 1977, Richard Lynch shared the stage with actor Al Pacino, a close friend, in the Broadway play ''The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel.'' Lynch played a Vietnam veteran who used a wheelchair, and was nominated for a Tony in 1977. Through the years, Lynch worked with friend and colleague Don Calfa in the films ''Necronomicon'' (1993), ''Toughguy'' (1995), '' Corpses Are Forever'' (2003), and ''Lewisburg'' (2009).

Later life and death

Lynch married twice — once to Béatrix Lynch (their son Christopher died in 2005 from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

), and later to Lily Lynch. Lynch's body was found in his home in Yucca Valley, California on June 19, 2012. It is not known if Lynch died on June 18 or June 19. After not having heard from Lynch for several days, friend and actress Carol Vogel went to his home to find the door open and his body in his kitchen. The cause of death was given as a heart attack. He was survived by his brother Barry and two sisters, Carole Taylor and Cathy Jones. Some news reports following his death incorrectly identified his birth year as 1936, but the obituary in the ''Los Angeles Times'' published by his family correctly listed the year as 1940.

Filmography

Films

* 1973 '' Scarecrow'' as Riley * 1973 '' The Seven-Ups'' as Moon * 1974 '' Open Season'' as Art * 1975 ''

The Happy Hooker ''The Happy Hooker: My Own Story'' is a best-selling memoir by Xaviera Hollander, a call girl, published in 1971. It sold over 20 million copies. Robin Moore, who took Hollander's dictations of the book's contents, came up with the title, while Y ...

'' as The Cop * 1976 '' The Premonition'' as Jude * 1976 '' God Told Me To'' as Bernard Phillips * 1977 ''The Baron'' as Joey * 1977 '' Stunts'' as Pete Lustig * 1978 '' Deathsport'' as Ankar Moor * 1979 ''

Steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

'' as Dancer * 1979 '' Delta Fox'' as David 'Delta' Fox * 1979 ''

Vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

'' as Prince Anton Voytek * 1980 '' The Ninth Configuration'' as Richard, 2nd Cyclist * 1980 '' The Formula'' as General Helmut Kladen / Frank Tedesco * 1981 '' Sizzle'' as Johnny O'Brien * 1982 '' The Sword and the Sorcerer'' as Titus Cromwell * 1984 '' Treasure: In Search of the Golden Horse'' as Narrator (voice) * 1985 '' Cut and Run'' as Colonel Brian Horne * 1985 '' Invasion U.S.A.'' as Mikhail Rostov * 1985 ''Savage Dawn'' as Reverend Romano * 1987 '' The Barbarians'' as Kadar * 1987 ''Nightforce'' as Bishop * 1988 ''

'' as Scuba * 1988 '' Bad Dreams'' as Franklin Harris * 1989 ''One Man Force'' as Adams * 1989 '' High Stakes'' as 'Slim' * 1990 '' The Forbidden Dance'' as Benjamin Maxwell * 1990 '' Aftershock'' as Commander Eastern * 1990 ''Return to Justice'' as Sheriff Jethro Lincoln * 1990 ''Invasion Force'' as Michael Cooper * 1990 ''

Lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...

'' as James Garrett * 1991 '' Alligator II: The Mutation'' as 'Hawk' Hawkins * 1991 ''

'' as Dr. E.D. Wardo * 1991 ''The Last Hero'' as Montoro * 1991 '' Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge'' as Major Kraus * 1992 ''Maximum Force'' as Max Tanabe * 1992 ''Inside Edge'' as Mario Gio * 1992 ''Double Threat'' as Detective Robert Fenich * 1993 ''Merlin'' as Pendragon * 1993 '' H.P. Lovecraft's: Necronomicon'' as Jethro De Lapoer (part 1) * 1994 '' Scanner Cop'' as Karl Glock * 1994 '' Cyborg 3: The Recycler'' as Anton Lewellyn * 1994 ''Midnight Confessions'' as Detective Harris * 1994 ''Dangerous Waters'' as Admiral * 1994 ''Death Match'' as Jimmie Fratello * 1994 ''Loving Deadly'' as Dr. Mel * 1995 ''Terrified'' as Office Worker #2 * 1995 ''Dragon Fury'' * 1995 '' Terminal Virus'' as Calloway * 1995 ''Warrior of Justice'' as Doug 'The Master' * 1995 ''Takedown'' * 1995 ''Destination Vegas'' as Richard * 1996 ''

Werewolf In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (from Ancient Greek ), is an individual who can shapeshifting, shapeshift into a wolf, or especially in modern film, a Shapeshifting, therianthropic Hybrid beasts in folklore, hybrid wol ...

'' as Noel * 1996 ''Lone Tiger'' as Bruce Rossner * 1996 ''Total Force'' as Dr. Edmund Wellington * 1996 ''Diamond Run'' as Sloan * 1996 ''Vendetta'' as Dr. David Wilson * 1996 ''The Garbage Man'' * 1997 ''Under Oath'' as Daniel Saltarelli * 1997 ''Ground Rules'' * 1997 '' Divine Lovers'' as Gregory * 1998 ''Shattered Illusions'' as Sal * 1998 ''Armstrong'' as Colonel Vladimir Zukov * 1998 ''Love and War II'' * 1999 '' Lima: Breaking the Silence'' as James Gallagher, Ambassador of Ireland * 1999 '' Eastside'' as Mihalas Gabriel * 1999 ''Enemy Action'' as Dimitri * 2001 ''Death Game'' as Chief Canton * 2001 ''Ankle Bracelet'' as Jerry * 2002 ''Outta Time'' as Franco * 2002 ''

Crime and Punishment ''Crime and Punishment'' is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published in the literary journal '' The Russian Messenger'' in twelve monthly installments during 1866.

'' as Peter Luzhin, Dunia's Suitor * 2002 '' Curse of the Forty-Niner'' as Old Man Prichard * 2003 ''Fabulous Shiksa in Distress'' as The Messenger (uncredited) * 2003 ''Ancient Warriors'' as Curtis Mayhew * 2003 ''The Mummy's Kiss'' as Dr. Wallis Harwa * 2003 ''Final Combat'' * 2003 '' Corpses Are Forever'' as General Morton * 2005 ''The Great Wall of Magellan'' as Old Akillian * 2006 ''Wedding Slashers'' as Daddy * 2007 '' Mil Mascaras vs. the Aztec Mummy'' as The President of the United States * 2007 ''

'' as Principal Chambers * 2009 '' Dark Fields'' as Karl Lumis / Mr. Jones * 2009 ''Chrome Angels'' as Uncle Ted * 2009 ''The Rain'' as Karl Lumis * 2010 ''Resurrection'' as The President * 2011 ''Gun of the Black Sun'' as Damian Lupescu * 2012 '' The Lords of Salem'' as Reverend Jonathan Hawthorne (scenes deleted) (Due to poor health, Lynch was replaced by Andrew Prine during early stages of filming.)

Television

* 1977 '' Streets of San Francisco'' Season 5 - Episode 23 "Time Out" as Harry Kraft * 1978 ''

'' episode “Gun on Ice Planet Zero” (as Wolfe) * 1978 '' Vega$'' episode “Kill Dan Tanna” as Mr. North * 1978 ''

Starsky & Hutch ''Starsky & Hutch'' is an American action television series, which consisted of a 72-minute pilot movie (originally aired as a '' Movie of the Week'' entry) and 92 episodes of 50 minutes each. The show was created by William Blinn (inspired ...

'' episode “Quadromania” as Lionel Fitzgerald III * 1979 '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' as Morgan Velosi * 1979 '' Charlie's Angels'' episode “Angels on the Street” as Freddie Jefferson * 1979 ''

'' episode “Starsky vs Hutch” as Joey * 1980 '' Galactica 1980'' as Commander Xaviar * 1980 '' Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story'' as Sam Shockley * 1981 '' Vega$'' episode “Dead Ringer” as Benjamin Lang * 1982 '' The Phoenix'' as Justin Preminger * 1983 '' The Fall Guy'' episode “Pleasure Isle” as Robert Vessman * 1984 '' Blue Thunder'' as P.V.C. * 1984 ''

'', episode “Hot styles” (3x12) as John Turian * 1984 ''

Matt Houston ''Matt Houston'' is an American crime drama television series starring Lee Horsley as the title character, a wealthy oilman who holds a side job as a private investigator. Created by Lawrence Gordon and produced by Aaron Spelling, it origin ...

'', episode “Apostle of Death” as Jesse Mercer * 1985 '' Airwolf'' episode “The Horn of Plenty” as John Bradford Horn / Gerald Van Dorian / Neal Streep * 1985 : Trio mit vier Fäusten * 1987 '' The Law & Harry McGraw'' Season 1 - Episode 3 "Mr. Chapman, I Presume?" as Trent * 1987 ''

'' as Servan Domballe * 1989 ''

Hunter Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, ...

'' episode “The Legion” as Frank Lassiter * 1991 '' Super Force'' Season 1 - Episodes 16 & 17 "The Sins of the Fathers" as Dr. Lothar Presley * 1993 '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episode “ Gambit” as Arctus Baran * 1992-1994 ''

'' episode “To the last will I grapple with thee & Amsterdam Kill” as Philip de Kooning / Michael O'Connor * 1995 '' Highlander: The Series'' as John Kirin / Cage * 1998 '' Mike Hammer, Private Eye'' as Graham Mintner * 1999 '' Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming'' (rejected, never-released pilot) as Count Iblis * 2003 ''

'' as Cronyn

Bibliography

* Patrick Loubatière. ''Richard Lynch Forever'' (2013).

References

External links

Richard Lynch Biography (1936-)
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lynch, Richard 1940 births 2012 deaths American male film actors American male television actors American people of Irish descent Irish male film actors Irish male television actors Irish people of American descent United States Marines Male actors from Brooklyn