Richard Arthur Kleiner (March 9, 1921 – February 13, 2002) was an American columnist whose breezy question-and-answer column, "Ask Dick Kleiner," about Hollywood celebrities appeared in hundreds of newspapers across the country. He was also an author of books, a songwriter, and a voice actor. Kleiner wrote about

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 ...

for fifteen years, then switched to covering Hollywood in 1964. He was syndicated by

Newspaper Enterprise Association The Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) is an editorial column and comic strip newspaper syndication service based in the United States and established in 1902. The oldest syndicate still in operation, the NEA was originally a secondary news ...

. Over the next twenty-five years, he interviewed thousands of stars and would-be stars. His books included ''Please Don't Shoot My Dog: The Autobiography of Jackie Cooper'' and ''The Two of Us'', with Tony Martin and

Cyd Charisse Cyd Charisse (born Tula Ellice Finklea; March 8, 1922 – June 17, 2008) was an American actress and dancer. After recovering from polio as a child and studying ballet, Charisse entered films in the 1940s. Her roles usually featured her abilit ...

. He wrote the lyrics for "Say Hey -- The

Willie Mays Willie Howard Mays Jr. (born May 6, 1931), nicknamed "the Say Hey Kid" and "Buck", is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Regarded as one of the greatest players ever, Mays ranks second behind only Babe Ruth on most all-tim ...

Song" (with Jane Douglass White's music) and Pearl Bailey's "It'll Get Worse." He also provided the voice of one of the rats in ''

The Secret of NIMH ''The Secret of NIMH'' is a 1982 American animated fantasy adventure film directed by Don Bluth in his directorial debut and based on Robert C. O'Brien's 1971 children's novel, '' Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH''. The film features the voices ...

''. He began writing his thrice-weekly "Ask Dick Kleiner" column in 1975, responding to questions about celebrities, movies, and television from readers across the country. Although he retired from his other duties in 1989, he continued the column until December 2001. Kleiner was married to Hortensia "Chicki" Kleiner and they had three children: Peter, Cindy, and Katherine.

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