Rick Lenz (born November 21, 1939,

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...

) is an American actor, author and playwright. Lenz is known for his performances in the films '' Cactus Flower'' (1969), ''

The Shootist ''The Shootist'' is a 1976 American Western film directed by Don Siegel and based on Glendon Swarthout's 1975 novel of the same name.Swarthout, Glendon (1975). ''The Shootist'', New York, New York: Doubleday. It is John Wayne's final film ro ...

'' (1976), and ''

Melvin and Howard ''Melvin and Howard'' (stylized as ''Melvin (and Howard)'') is a 1980 American comedy-drama film directed by Jonathan Demme. The screenplay by Bo Goldman was inspired by real-life Utah service station owner Melvin Dummar, who was listed as the b ...

'' (1980).

Early career

Lenz directed the

Jackson, Michigan Jackson is the only city and county seat of Jackson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534, down from 36,316 at the 2000 census. Located along Interstate 94 and U.S. Route 127, it is approxi ...

Civic Theater for two years before relocating to New York to seek work as an actor. In 1965 he made his Broadway debut in ''Mating Dance'', starring

Van Johnson Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II. Johnson was described as the embodiment o ...

. Though the show closed opening night, stage impresario

David Merrick David Merrick (born David Lee Margoulis; November 27, 1911 – April 25, 2000) was an American theatrical producer who won a number of Tony Awards. Life and career Born David Lee Margulois to Jewish parents in St. Louis, Missouri, Merrick gradua ...

was in the audience, and soon afterward cast Lenz in the Broadway hit '' Cactus Flower'' as understudy for the juvenile lead role, Igor Sullivan. Lenz later took over the role and played it for a year. Film producer

Mike Frankovich Mitchell John "M. J." Frankovich (September 29, 1909 – January 1, 1992), best known as Mike Frankovich, was an American football player turned film actor and producer. Frankovich was the adopted son of actor Joe E. Brown and his wife, Kathryn ...

and

Walter Matthau Walter Matthau (; born Walter John Matthow; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, comedian and film director. He is best known for his film roles in '' A Face in the Crowd'' (1957), ''King Creole'' (1958) and as a coach of a ...

saw him in the part and cast him as Igor in the

film version A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...

, with

Goldie Hawn Goldie Jeanne Hawn (born November 21, 1945) is an American actress, dancer, producer, and singer. She rose to fame on the NBC sketch comedy program ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' (1968–1970), before going on to receive the Academy Award and Go ...

. In the 1970s, Rick Lenz appeared in several Hollywood movies, including '' How Do I Love Thee?'' (1970), '' Scandalous John'' (1971), ''

Where Does It Hurt? ''Where Does it Hurt?'' is a 1972 American comedy film written and directed by Rod Amateau and starring Peter Sellers, Jo Ann Pflug, Rick Lenz, Pat Morita, and Harold Gould. The film is a darkly satirical look at capitalism in a hospital environ ...

'' (1972), ''

'' (1976), ''

The Little Dragons ''The Little Dragons'' (also known as ''Karate Kids U.S.A.'' or simply ''Karate Kids'') is a 1980 American action adventure film about two young brothers who use their karate skills to rescue a friend after she is held captive for ransom. The film ...

'' (1980) and ''

'' (1980).

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Personal life

As of 2017, Lenz resides in Los Angeles with his spouse, Linda; the couple married in May 1982. He has three children; sons Scott and Charlie, and daughter, Abigail.

References

External links

*
Archived
from the original on January 28, 2019. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lenz, Rick 1939 births American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American memoirists Living people Male actors from Illinois New York University alumni People from Springfield, Illinois University of Michigan alumni