Don Richardson (April 30, 1918 – January 10, 1996) was an American actor, director, acting teacher, as well as an author.

Career

Richardson was an original member of the Group Theatre, which was the nucleus of Acting in the United States. His fellow Group Theatre members included

Lee Strasberg Lee Strasberg (born Israel Strassberg; November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an American acting coach and actor. He co-founded, with theatre directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed ...

Sanford Meisner Sanford Meisner (August 31, 1905 – February 2, 1997) was an American actor and acting teacher who developed an approach to acting instruction that is now known as the Meisner technique. While Meisner was exposed to method acting at the Group ...

Stella Adler Stella Adler (February 10, 1901 – December 21, 1992) was an American actress and acting teacher. A member of Yiddish Theater's Adler dynasty, Adler began acting at a young age. She shifted to producing, directing, and teaching, founding the ...

, and

Uta Hagen Uta Thyra Hagen (12 June 1919 – 14 January 2004) was a German-American actress and theatre practitioner. She originated the role of Martha in the 1962 Broadway premiere of '' Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' by Edward Albee, who called her "a ...

, although Richardson was the only student who said, "The Method isn’t what acting is about." Richardson directed three Broadway productions and over 800 television shows, including ''

Get Smart ''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the Spy fiction, secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Bu ...

'' (TV series) (1965), '' One Day at a Time'' (TV series) (1975–1976), ''

Lost in Space ''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. Lightly dramatic, sometimes comedic in tone, the series was inspired by the 1812 J ...

'' (TV series) (1966–1968), '' The Defenders'' (TV series) (1961–1963), and ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

'' (TV series) (1968–1971). His work remains in the permanent collection of The Museum of Broadcasting, The Jewish Museum of New York, and

UCLA Film and Television Archive The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a visual arts organization focused on the film preservation, preservation, film studies, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). As a nonpro ...

. Richardson taught acting at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

, Colombia’s

Barnard College Barnard College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college affiliated with Columbia University in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a grou ...

and

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a Private college, private drama school with two locations, one in New York City and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related ...

in New York and California. He was awarded a professorship at

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) is a Public university, public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Located in northwest Tel Aviv, the university is the center of teaching and ...

in Israel. As an acting coach, he wrote and published the book ''Acting Without Agony: An Alternative to the Method'', which is still used today by his successors. Richardson's students include

Grace Kelly Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982), also known as Grace of Monaco, was an American actress and Princess of Monaco as the wife of Prince Rainier III from their marriage on April 18, 1956, until her death in 1982. ...

Anne Bancroft Anne Bancroft (born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano; September 17, 1931 – June 6, 2005) was an American actress. Respected for her acting prowess and versatility, Bancroft received an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, tw ...

Zero Mostel Samuel Joel "Zero" Mostel (February 28, 1915 – September 8, 1977) was an American actor, comedian, and singer. He is best known for his portrayal of comic characters including Tevye on stage in ''Fiddler on the Roof'', Pseudolus on stage and o ...

, and

John Cassavetes John Nicholas Cassavetes (December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American filmmaker and actor. He began as an actor in film and television before helping to pioneer modern American independent cinema as a writer and director, often self- ...

Personal life

Richardson had a two-year relationship with his student,

, which began in the Autumn of 1948, despite the disapproval of her parents."Grace : The secret lives of a princess" by James Spada. Sidgewick and Jackson. 1987

Filmography

Directing credits

*'' The Oregon Trail'' (TV series) (1977) *'' One Day at a Time'' (TV series) (1975–1976) *''

Emergency! ''Emergency!'' is an American Action fiction, action-adventure medical drama television series jointly produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. Debuting on NBC as a midseason replacement on January 15, 1972, replacing two situatio ...

'' (TV series) (1974) *''

Arnie Arnie is a masculine given name, frequently a shortened version of Arnold. It may refer to: People * Arnie Arenz (1911–1985), American National Football League quarterback in 1934 * Arnie Beyeler (born 1964), American minor league baseball p ...

'' (TV series) (1970–1972) *''

'' (TV series) (1968–1971) *''

Lancer A lancer was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. Lances were used for mounted warfare in Assyria as early as and subsequently by India, Egypt, China, Persia, Greece, and Rome. The weapon was widely used throughout Eurasia during the M ...

'' (TV series) (1968–1970) *''

The High Chaparral ''The High Chaparral'' is an American Western action-adventure drama television series that aired on NBC from 1967 to 1971, starring Leif Erickson and Cameron Mitchell. The series was made by Xanadu Productions in association with NBC Produc ...

'' (TV series) (1969–1970) *'' Mission: Impossible'' (TV series) (1968) *''

'' (TV series) (1966–1968) *''

Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Custer graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point ...

'' (TV series) (1967) *''Vacation Playhouse'' (TV series) (1966) *'' The Long, Hot Summer'' (TV series) (1965–66) *''

The Munsters ''The Munsters'' is an American sitcom about the home life of a family of benign monsters that aired from 1964 to 1966 on CBS. The series stars Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster (Frankenstein's monster),Episodes referring to the fact that Herman is ...

'' (TV series) (1965) *'' The Virginian'' (TV series) (1964–65) *''

'' (TV series) (1965) *'' Broadside'' (TV series) (1965) *'' The Defenders'' (TV series) (1961–1963) *'' The Doctors and the Nurses'' (TV series) (1962–1963) *''

Sam Benedict ''Sam Benedict'' is an American legal drama that aired on NBC from September 1962 to March 1963. The series was created and executive produced by E. Jack Neuman, and produced by William Froug. The series starred Edmond O'Brien in the title role ...

'' (TV series) (1963) *''

Margie Margie is a feminine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of the related names Margaret, Marjorie, or Margarita, all of which mean "pearl". Margie may refer to: People * Margie Abbott (born 1958), Australian businesswoman * Margie Ac ...

'' (TV series) (1961–1962) *''The Chevy Mystery Show'' (TV series) (1960) *''

Play of the Week Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

'' (TV series) (1959–1960) *''Don Juan in Hell'' (TV movie) (1960) *''Lullaby'' (TV movie) (1960) *''The World of Sholom Aleichem'' (TV movie) (as Donald Richardson) (1959) *''The Elgin Hour'' (TV series) (1954–1955)< *''

Mama Mama(s) or Mamma or Momma may refer to: Roles *Mother, a female parent * Mama-san, in Japan and East Asia, a woman in a position of authority *Maternal uncle, in some parts of South Asia Places * Mama, Russia, an urban-type settlement in the Mam ...

'' (TV series) (1955) *''

Armstrong Circle Theatre ''Armstrong Circle Theatre'' is an American anthology drama television series which ran from June 6, 1950, to June 25, 1957, on NBC, and from October 2, 1957, to August 28, 1963, on CBS. It alternated weekly with '' The United States Steel Ho ...

'' (TV series) (1954) *'' The Motorola Television Hour'' (TV series) (1953–1954) *'' Kraft Theatre'' (TV series) (1953) *''

The Adventures of Ellery Queen ''The Adventures of Ellery Queen'' is the title of two separate television series made in the 1950s. They are based on the fictional detective Ellery Queen and the cases he solves with his father Inspector Richard Queen. ''The Adventures of Ell ...

'' (TV series) (1950–1952)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Don 1918 births 1996 deaths Male actors from New York City American television directors American acting coaches 20th-century American male actors