Richard Eastham (born Dickinson Swift Eastham; June 22, 1916 – July 10, 2005) was an American actor of

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

, film, and television, a concert singer known for his deep baritone voice, and an inventor.

Early years

Eastham's birth name was chosen in honor of Miss Helen Dickinson Swift, one of his mother's college classmates. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest K. Eastham, and he attended Soldan High School. Prior to serving in the Army during World War II, he was a student at

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

, where he sang with the St. Louis Grand Opera.

Career

On Broadway, Eastham was the understudy for Ezio Pinza as "Emile DeBecque" in '' South Pacific'', eventually replacing Pinza on stage. His performance was so well received that he was made the male lead for a two-year national tour of the musical. His other Broadway plays included ''Medea'' and ''Call Me Madam''. Eastham and co-star

Janet Blair Janet Blair (born Martha Janet Lafferty; April 23, 1921 – February 19, 2007) was an American big-band singer who later became a popular film and television actress. Early years Janet Blair was born Martha Janet Lafferty on April 23, 1921, in ...

, in their original roles, headed another tour of ''South Pacific'' in 1965. In 1981 he appeared as Wesley Northridge on "The Waltons" The Lumberjack (TV Episode 1981) Prompted by his playing of a guitar in ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, ''The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. S ...

'', Eastham invented the "Sidewinder", a mechanical device that attaches to the tuning gears and assists restringing a guitar. 31,000 "Sidewinders" were sold in the first three weeks they were publicly available.

Personal life

Eastham married Betty Jean Van Allen, who was his high school classmate. On July 10, 2005, he died of Alzheimer's disease at an assisted-living facility in Pacific Palisades.

Filmography

References

External links

* * * (as Dickinson Eastham) {{DEFAULTSORT:Eastham, Richard 1916 births 2005 deaths Male actors from Louisiana American baritones American male stage actors American male film actors American male television actors Deaths from dementia in California Deaths from Alzheimer's disease People from Opelousas, Louisiana United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army soldiers 20th-century American male actors Western (genre) television actors 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers Washington University in St. Louis alumni