Richard Kline (born April 29, 1944) is an American actor and television director. His roles include Larry Dallas on the sitcom ''

Three's Company ''Three's Company'' is an American sitcom television series that aired for eight seasons on ABC from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984. It is based on the British sitcom '' Man About the House''. The story revolves around three single room ...

'', Richie in the later seasons of ''

It's a Living ''It's a Living'' (renamed for season two as ''Making a Living'') is an American sitcom television series set in a restaurant at the top of the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. The show aired on ABC from October 30, 1980, until June 11, 1982. ...

'' and Jeff Beznick in '' Noah Knows Best''.

Early life

Kline was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. He was raised in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

by parents who practiced

Reform Judaism Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous sear ...

. He attended Queens College and has a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

. After graduation, he joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

and served in Vietnam during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

as a lieutenant.

Career

Kline became involved in theater and made his professional debut in 1971 as part of the Lincoln Center Repertory Company.

Regional theater A regional theater or resident theater in the United States is a professional or semi-professional theater company that produces its own seasons. The term ''regional theater'' most often refers to a professional theater outside New York City. A reg ...

productions during this period included ''Chemin de Fer'' (in Chicago with actor

Dennis Franz Dennis Franz Schlachta (; born October 28, 1944), known professionally as Dennis Franz, is an American retired actor best known for his role as NYPD Detective Andy Sipowicz in the ABC television series ''NYPD Blue'' (1993–2005), a role that e ...

), ''

Death of a Salesman ''Death of a Salesman'' is a 1949 stage play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances. It is a two-act tragedy set in late 1940s Brooklyn told through a montage ...

'', and '' Love's Labour's Lost''. A classically trained singer, Kline made his

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

career debut in the 1989 musical '' City of Angels''. On ''

'', Kline played Larry Dallas, a

playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...

neighbor, used car salesman, and best friend to

John Ritter Johnathan Southworth Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003) was an American actor. Ritter was a son of the singing cowboy star Tex Ritter and the father of actors Jason and Tyler Ritter. He is known for playing Jack Tripper on the ...

Jack Tripper Jack Tripper is a fictional character on the sitcom ''Three's Company'', based upon the character Robin Tripp from '' Man About the House'' created by Brian Cooke and Johnnie Mortimer. Jack was played by actor John Ritter. Introduction Janet ...

. Kline appeared in 110 episodes of ''Three's Company'' from 1977 to 1984, also appearing as Larry Dallas in the spin-off shows ''

The Ropers ''The Ropers'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on ABC from March 13, 1979, to May 22, 1980. It is a spin-off of ''Three's Company'' and loosely based on the British sitcom ''George and Mildred'', which was itself a spin-off of ...

'' (1979) and ''

Three's a Crowd ''Three's a Crowd'' (also known as ''Three's Company, Too'' in the ''Three's Company'' syndication package) is an American sitcom television series produced as a spin-off continuation of ''Three's Company'' that aired on ABC from September 25 ...

'' (1985). Larry has the distinction of being the only other character besides Jack Tripper to appear on ''Three's Company'' and both of its spin-offs. In addition to his television and big screen appearances, Kline has hosted two game show pilots, '' Jumble'' in 1988 and '' To Tell the Truth'' in 1990. The show's rights were then sold to NBC with Gordon Elliott, then

Lynn Swann Lynn Curtis Swann (born March 7, 1952) is an American former football player, broadcaster, politician, and athletic director, best known for his association with the University of Southern California and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He served on the ...

and Alex Trebek later hosting. Kline's ''TTTT'' pilot did air on the East Coast as a mistake on September 3, 1990, the day the show debuted. He also subbed for

Charles Nelson Reilly Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...

as a guest panelist on '' Sweethearts'' for a week of shows in December 1988. His game show celebrity appearances included both '' The $25,000 Pyramid'' and ''The $100,000 Pyramid'', ''

Super Password ''Password Plus'' and ''Super Password'' are American TV game shows that aired separately between 1979 and 1989. Both shows were revivals of ''Password'', which originally ran from 1961 to 1975 in various incarnations. With only subtle differen ...

'', and multiple appearances on the ''

Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour ''The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour'' is an American television panel game show that combined two panel games of the 1960s and 1970s – ''Match Game'' and ''Hollywood Squares'' – into an hour-long format. The series ran from October 31, ...

''. Kline told SitcomsOnline.com he would like to compete on ''

Jeopardy! ''Jeopardy!'' is an American game show created by Merv Griffin. The show is a quiz competition that reverses the traditional question-and-answer format of many quiz shows. Rather than being given questions, contestants are instead given gene ...

'', joking, "but I'm afraid I would take all their money!" In February 2010, he was cast as the Wizard in the first national tour of ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe * '' Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' s ...

''. Kline was seen next in October 2011 in ''

It Shoulda Been You ''It Shoulda Been You'' is a musical with music by Barbara Anselmi and book and lyrics by Brian Hargrove. The musical ran on Broadway from March 17, 2015 (previews) to August 9, 2015. The musical involves a wedding which brings together the fami ...

'', directed by

David Hyde Pierce David Hyde Pierce (born April 3, 1959) is an American actor and director of stage, film and television. He starred as psychiatrist Dr. Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Frasier'' from 1993 to 2004, and won four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Scree ...

and starring

Tyne Daly Ellen Tyne Daly (; born February 21, 1946) is an American actress. She has won six Emmy Awards for her television work, a Tony Award and is a 2011 American Theatre Hall of Fame inductee. Daly began her career on stage in summer stock in New York, ...

. In 2016, Kline appeared in a movie directed by and starring

Mike Birbiglia Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...

called ''

Don't Think Twice ''Don't Think Twice'' is a 2016 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Mike Birbiglia and stars Birbiglia, Keegan-Michael Key, Gillian Jacobs, Kate Micucci, Tami Sagher and Chris Gethard. The film had its world premiere at South by ...

''. Kline reunited with ''Three's Company'' cast members

Joyce DeWitt Joyce Anne DeWitt (born April 23, 1949) is an American actress and comedian known for playing Janet Wood on the ABC sitcom ''Three's Company'' from 1977 to 1984. Early life Joyce DeWitt was born April 23, 1949, in Wheeling, West Virginia, and g ...

Jenilee Harrison Jenilee A. Harrison (born June 12, 1958) is an American actress who appeared as Cindy Snow, a cousin of and replacement for blonde roommate Chrissy Snow on the hit sitcom ''Three's Company'', between 1980 and 1982. She went on to play Jamie E ...

and

Priscilla Barnes Priscilla Anne Barnes (born December 7, 1952) is an American actress."Priscilla Barnes"
AllMovie.com; retr ...

in September 2016 at "The Hollywood Show" in suburban

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, an autograph and memorabilia event, meeting fans and signing autographs. Kline played Kid Twist in the

Paper Mill Playhouse Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theater with approximately 1200 seats, located in Millburn, New Jersey on the Rahway River. Due to its relatively close location to Manhattan, it draws from the pool of actors (and audience members) who live i ...

world premiere production of ''

The Sting ''The Sting'' is a 1973 American caper film set in September 1936, involving a complicated plot by two professional grifters (Paul Newman and Robert Redford) to con a mob boss ( Robert Shaw).'' Variety'' film review; December 12, 1973, pag ...

'' starring Harry Connick Jr. which ran April 8–29, 2018. In December 2018, he joined the national tour of the musical ''

Waitress Waiting staff (British English), waitstaff (North American English), waiters (male) / waitresses (female), or servers (North American English), are those who work at a restaurant, a diner, or a bar and sometimes in private homes, attending ...

'' through August 2019. He reprised the role in the Broadway cast from August 20, 2019, until the show closed on January 5, 2020.

Selected filmography

* ''

The Mary Tyler Moore Show ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977. Mo ...

'' (TV) (1976) - Prosecutor * ''

Eight Is Enough ''Eight Is Enough'' is an American television comedy-drama series that ran on ABC from March 15, 1977, until May 23, 1981. The show was modeled on the life of syndicated newspaper columnist Tom Braden, a real-life parent with eight children, who ...

'' (TV) (1977) - Mr. Corelli * '' Maude'' (TV) (3 episodes, 1977–78) - Tuggy McKenna * ''

'' (TV) (110 episodes, 1977–84) - Larry Dallas * ''

'' (TV) (1979) - Larry Dallas * ''

Whew! ''Whew!'' is an American television game show that aired on CBS from April 23, 1979, until May 30, 1980. It was hosted by Tom Kennedy and announced by Rod Roddy. Gameplay features contestants correcting "bloopers", factual statements in which one ...

'' (TV) (1979, 1980) - Himself * ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy/drama television series that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986; in addition, four three-hour specials aired in 1986, 1987, and 1990. The series was set on the luxury passenger cruise ship MS ''Pa ...

'' (TV) (1981) * '' Peter-No-Tail'' (1981) - Additional Voices (English version) * ''

'' (TV) (1985) - Larry Dallas * ''

Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

'' (TV) (1985) - Gerald Phelps * ''

'' (TV) (9 episodes, 1985–88) - Richie Gray * '' Murder, She Wrote'' (TV) (1986) - Larry Kinkaid * ''

Hill Street Blues ''Hill Street Blues'' is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes. The show chronicles the lives of the staff of a single police station loca ...

'' (TV) (1987) - Arnold Resnick * '' St. Elsewhere'' (TV) (1987) - Michael * '' Hunter'' (TV) (1987) - Michael Edleton * '' Matlock'' (TV) (1988) - The Umpire * '' Problem Child'' (1990) - Additional Voice (voice) * '' Father Dowling Mysteries'' (TV) (1991) - Harold Berman * '' NYPD Blue'' (TV) (1993) * ''

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series that ran for eight seasons on NBC, from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it centers on the partners, associates and staff of a Los ...

'' (TV) (1994) - Mr. Pembrook * ''

Family Matters ''Family Matters'' is an American television sitcom that debuted on ABC on September 22, 1989, and ended on May 9, 1997. However it moved to CBS, where it was shown from September 19, 1997, to July 17, 1998. A spin-off of '' Perfect Strangers, ...

'' (TV) (1995) - Mr. Fleming * '' Step by Step'' (TV) (1995) - Mr. Sloan * ''

The Bold and the Beautiful ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' (often referred to as ''B&B'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. It premiered on March 23, 1987, as a sister show to the Bells' other soap opera ''The Yo ...

'' (TV) (1995–96) - Dr. Mark Benson * '' Married... with Children'' (TV) (1996) - Flint Guccione * ''

Beverly Hills Ninja ''Beverly Hills Ninja'' is a 1997 American martial arts comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Mark Feldberg and Mitch Klebanoff. The film stars Chris Farley, Nicollette Sheridan, Nathaniel Parker, with Chris Rock, and Robin Shou. The ...

'' (1997) - Driver * ''

The Nanny ''The Nanny'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from November 3, 1993, to June 23, 1999, starring Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, a Jewish fashionista from Flushing, Queens, New York, who becomes the nanny of three ch ...

'' (TV) (1997) - Guest Appearance in Episode 04/24 * ''

Treehouse Hostage ''Treehouse Hostage'' is a 1999 family film directed by Sean McNamara and starring Jim Varney and Joey Zimmerman. It was one of Varney's final on-screen roles; he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer during production of the film. Plot summar ...

'' (1999) - Principal Ott * ''

Liberty Heights ''Liberty Heights'' is a 1999 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Barry Levinson. The film is a semi-autobiographical account of his childhood growing up in Baltimore in the 1950s. Portrayed are the racial injustices experienced bot ...

'' (1999) - Charlie, Nate's Assistant * ''

That '70s Show ''That '70s Show'' is an American television period teen sitcom that aired on Fox from August 23, 1998, to May 18, 2006. The series focuses on the lives of a group of six teenage friends living in the fictional town of Point Place, Wisconsin, ...

'' (TV) (1999) - Ted * ''Warm Blooded Killers'' (1999) - Ush * '' Noah Knows Best'' (TV) (13 episodes, 2000) - Jeff Beznick * ''

Saving Silverman ''Saving Silverman'' (internationally titled ''Evil Woman'') is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan and starring Jason Biggs, Steve Zahn, Jack Black and Amanda Peet. Neil Diamond has a cameo role playing himself. In the film, Da ...

'' (2001) - Acrobat Announcer (voice, uncredited) * '' Judging Amy'' (TV) (2001) - Daryl Hoeller * ''

Inside Schwartz ''Inside Schwartz'' is an American sitcom television series created by Stephen Engel, that aired on NBC from September 27, 2001, until January 3, 2002, starring Breckin Meyer as the title character. The show was produced by 20th Century Fox Telev ...

'' (TV) (2002) - Gene Schwartz * ''

Gilmore Girls ''Gilmore Girls'' is an American Comedy drama, comedy-drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore) and Alexis Bledel (Rory Gilmore). The show debuted on October 5, 2000, on The WB and beca ...

'' (TV) (2002) - Miles Hahn * '' Jane White Is Sick & Twisted'' (2002) - Anchor Chris Jobin * '' ER'' (TV) (2004) - Risk Assessment Expert * '' NYPD Blue'' (TV) (2004) - Barry Driscoll * '' Karroll's Christmas'' (2004) - Bradley Carchet * ''To Kill a Mockumentary'' (TV) (2006) * ''Knight to F4'' (2005) - Truman Fetcher * ''

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry ''I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry'' (also simply known as ''Chuck & Larry'') is a 2007 American buddy comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan. It stars Adam Sandler and Kevin James as the title characters Chuck and Larry, respectively, two New Y ...

'' (2007) - Mr. Auerbach * ''

Jack and Jill "Jack and Jill" (sometimes "Jack and Gill", particularly in earlier versions) is a traditional English nursery rhyme. The Roud Folk Song Index classifies the commonest tune and its variations as number 10266, although it has been set to severa ...

'' (2011) - Theatergoer #1 * ''

The Americans ''The Americans'' is an American period spy drama television series created by Joe Weisberg that aired on the FX television network for six seasons from January 30, 2013, to May 30, 2018. Weisberg and Joel Fields also serve as showrunners a ...

(2013-2016 FX series) three episodes - Bill Hanson * ''

'' (2016) - Mr. Coughlin * '' Blue Bloods'' (TV) (2020) - Judge * '' The Resident'' (TV) (2021) - George Criforth

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kline, Richard 1944 births Living people Male actors from New York City American male film actors United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War American male television actors 20th-century American male actors American television directors Northwestern University School of Communication alumni Jewish American male actors Queens College, City University of New York alumni 21st-century American male actors People from Queens, New York United States Army officers Jewish American military personnel 21st-century American Jews