Richard Simmons (August 19, 1913 – January 11, 2003) was an American actor.

Early life

Simmons was born in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center ...

, and his family later moved across the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origin ...

. There, he attended West Side High School and then the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

, where he studied drama.Dennis McLellan, Richard Simmons Actor, ''Calgary Herald'' (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), January 18, 2003, page 138] Simmons was a professional pilot.

Career

While attending the university, Simmons competed in fencing and swimming, and also acted in a few theater productions. Simmons left the Twin Cities in the 1930s to launch his film acting career in 1937. He soon became an MGM contract player. Many of his minor movie roles went uncredited through the 1940s. One even included his portrayal of a Mountie in '' King of the Royal Mounted'' produced by

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City a ...

. Starting in 1943, he began appearing in credited roles, beginning with his appearance in '' The Youngest Profession'', starring Virginia Weidler. From 1943 through 1949, he appeared in 17 films, of which 10 listed him in the credits. Simmons interrupted his film career to serve as a flight officer pilot '' Look'' – February 6, 1945 with the

Air Transport Command Air Transport Command (ATC) was a United States Air Force unit that was created during World War II as the strategic airlift component of the United States Army Air Forces. It had two main missions, the first being the delivery of supplies ...

in World War II. The 1950s mirrored the 1940s, with him appearing in several films and television series, at times uncredited. In 1952, he played the co-pilot in '' Above and Beyond''. In 1955, Simmons won his best-known role, portraying Sergeant William Preston in '' Sergeant Preston of the Yukon''. Following the end of the series in 1958, he continued to have a successful acting career, mostly in television series guest appearances, through 1982. Simmons appeared in a 1963 episode of '' Perry Mason'' ("The Case of the Decadent Dean"). In 1964, he appeared in the episode "Tin Can Man" (aired November 5, 1964) of ''

The Munsters ''The Munsters'' is an American sitcom depicting the home life of a family of benign monsters. The series starred Fred Gwynne as Frankenstein's monsterEpisodes referring to the fact that Herman is Frankenstein's monster include #55, "Just Anoth ...

'' as Harold Balding, the principal of Eddie Munster's school. His last role was in a 1982 episode of '' CHiPs''.

Later life and death

In the 1970s, when acting roles became scarce, Simmons managed a mobile home park in Carlsbad, near San Diego. Towards the end of his life, Simmons was diagnosed with

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As ...

. He died on January 11, 2003, at the age of 89, in an

Oceanside, California Oceanside is a city on the South Coast of California, located in San Diego County. The city had a population of 167,086 at the 2010 census. The city is a popular tourist destination, owing to its historic landmarks, beaches, and architecture. ...

, nursing home

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Simmons, Richard 1913 births 2003 deaths American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from Saint Paul, Minnesota Deaths from dementia in California Deaths from Alzheimer's disease 20th-century American male actors United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II United States Army Air Forces officers