Richard Bradford (actor)

Richard Edwin Bradford Jr. (November 10, 1934 – March 22, 2016) was an American actor. He is best known for his leading role in the television series ''Man in a Suitcase'' (1967–1968) and supporting role in the film '' The Untouchables'' (1987).

Early life

Bradford was born in Tyler, Texas, the son of Rose and Richard Edwin Bradford. His stepfather was a wholesale grocer. Raised by his grandparents in Conroe, Bradford received his schooling in San Antonio, Texas, then attended Texas A&M on a football scholarship.

When an injury short-circuited Bradford's budding athletic career, and a switch to baseball at Texas State University was stymied due to insufficient semester hours, Bradford finally decided to seriously pursue a long-contemplated career in acting. To this end he made his way to New York.

Career

Supporting himself by waiting tables, Bradford studied acting,"The TV Key Mailbag: Richard Bradford Once Head Waiter"
''The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette''. June 10, 1968. first with Frank Corsaro,Witbeck, Charles
"Yank Is Hit In British Spy Series; 'Unknown' No Longer"
''The Toledo Blade''. May 21, 1968. and finally, in 1962, was admitted to the Actors Studio, where he studied for two years, leading to roles in Studio productions such as ''Mother Courage'' (1963), June Havoc's ''Marathon '33'' (1963), and ''Blues for Mister Charlie'' (1964). Also, he understudied Rod Steiger in the touring production of A.E. Hotchner's ''A Short, Happy Life'' (1961), an ostensibly Broadway-bound show which folded out of town.

Bradford's work caught the eye of another Actors Studio member, director Arthur Penn, who cast Bradford in '' The Chase'' (1966),. This work, in turn, attracted the attention of media impresario Lew Grade, who brought Bradford to Great Britain in 1967 for ''Man in a Suitcase''.

In addition to his numerous TV appearances, Bradford has been featured in many films, such as ''The Missouri Breaks'' (1976), ''An Enemy of the People'' (1978), ''Badge of the Assassin'' (1985), ''The Trip to Bountiful'' (1985), '' The Untouchables'' (1987), and ''The Milagro Beanfield War'' (1988), but arguably his best known film role is the corrupt police captain in the 1997 film '' Hoodlum''. Bradford appeared in the 1989 film '' Heart of Dixie'' and had notable turns in Costa-Gavras' ''Missing'' (1982), '' The Mean Season'' (1985) and '' The Crossing Guard'' (1995).

In the 1960s, he appeared in one episode of the television series ''Gunsmoke'' and guest-starred in an episode of ''The High Chaparral''. In the 1970s, he played Lutie Bascomb in one episode of ''The Waltons''. He guest-starred in an episode of ''Murder, She Wrote'' in the 1980s. He also guest-starred on ''Viper''. In 1987, he starred in the miniseries '' Amerika''. In the mid 1980s, he was a semi-regular cast member of the series ''Cagney & Lacey''.

Personal life

Bradford was married to ballet dancer Eileen Elliott from 1965 to 1984. He was in a long-time relationship with actress Millie Perkins. He had a son, Richard Bradford III.

He died on March 22, 2016, at the age of 81 in Los Angeles.

Miscellaneous

In 1986, The Smiths used a photograph of Bradford on the cover of their single "Panic".

In 2004, Bradford gave a series of interviews and commentaries for a DVD release of ''Man in a Suitcase'', expressing mild surprise at the ongoing popularity of the series today.

Selected filmography

* '' The Chase'' (1966) as Damon Fuller
* ''To Chase a Million'' (1967) as McGill
* '' Operation Heartbeat'' (1969, TV movie) as Dr. Joseph Gannon
* ''The High Chaparral'' (1970 - It Takes a Smart Man) as 'Tulsa Red'
* ''Mannix'' (1973 - The Danford File ) as Barney Edmonds
* ''The Missouri Breaks'' (1976) as Pete Marker
* ''An Enemy of the People'' (1978) as Captain Forster
* ''Goin' South'' (1978) as Sheriff Andrew Kyle
* ''More American Graffiti'' (1979) as Major Creech
* '' A Rumor of War'' (1980, TV miniseries) as General Merle Rupert
* ''Missing'' (1982) as Andrew Babcock
* '' Hammett'' (1982) as Detective Bradford
* '' The Escape Artist'' (1982) as Sam, City Treasurer (uncredited)
* ''Lookin' to Get Out'' (1982) as Bernie Gold
* ''Running Hot'' (1984) as Tom Bond
* '' The Mean Season'' (1985) as Phil Wilson
* '' The Legend of Billie Jean'' (1985) as Pyatt
* ''Badge of the Assassin'' (1985) as L.J. Delsa
* ''The Trip To Bountiful'' (1985) as Sheriff
* '' Amerika'' (1987, TV miniseries) as Ward Milford
* '' The Untouchables'' (1987) as Police Chief Mike Dorsett
* ''The Milagro Beanfield War'' (1988) as Ladd Devine
* ''Little Nikita'' (1988) as Konstantin Karpov
* '' Permanent Record'' (1988) as Leo Verdell
* ''Sunset'' (1988) as Captain Blackworth
* ''Wildfire'' (1988) as Gene
* '' Heart of Dixie'' (1989) as Judge Claibourne
* ''Night Game'' (1989) as Nelson
* '' Internal Affairs'' (1990) as Captain Grieb
* ''Servants of Twilight'' (1991) as Henry Rankin
* ''Ambition'' (1991) as Jordan
* '' Cold Heaven'' (1991) as Monsignor Cassidy
* ''Under Cover of Darkness'' (1992) as Nathan Franklin
* '' Dr. Giggles'' (1992) as Officer Hank Magruder
* '' Arctic Blue'' (1993) as Wilder
* '' When a Man Loves a Woman'' (1994) as Angry Man Watching TV (uncredited)
* '' Indictment: The McMartin Trial'' (1995) as Los Angeles District Attorney Ira Reiner
* ''Steal Big Steal Little'' (1995) as Nick Zingaro, Hood From Chicago
* '' The Crossing Guard'' (1995) as Stuart Booth
* '' The Chamber'' (1996) - Wyn Lettner
* '' Hoodlum'' (1997) as Captain Jack Foley
* '' Just the Ticket'' (1999) as Benny Moran
* ''The Man from Elysian Fields'' (2001) as Edward Rodgers
* ''Hawaiian Gardens'' (2001) as Bruno
* '' The Lost City'' (2005) as Don Donoso Fellove

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradford, Richard
1934 births
2016 deaths
American expatriate male actors in the United Kingdom
American male film actors
American male television actors
Male actors from Texas
People from Tyler, Texas
Texas A&M University alumni