Richard Paul (June 6, 1940 – December 25, 1998) was an American actor who was born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...

Early life

Paul was born in

. Richard earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in public affairs from

Claremont Men's College Claremont McKenna College (CMC) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It has a curricular emphasis on government, economics, public affairs, finance, and international relations. CMC is a member of the Claremont Colleges co ...

and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. ...

in psychology from

California State University, Los Angeles California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) is a public university in Los Angeles, California. It is part of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system. Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor's degrees, 122 master's degrees, ...

. He was near completion of his

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper ''Piled Higher and Deeper'' (also known as ''PhD Comics''), is a newsp ...

in clinical psychology from the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. ...

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

, but gave up his career as a therapist to become a full-time performer.

Career

From 1977 to 1979, he played Mayor Teddy Burnside in '' Carter Country''. His famous catchphrase was "Handle it, Roy, handle it!". In 1980, he guest starred in the ABC comedy '' One in a Million'' which aired for only one season, and on an episode of ''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker (auth ...

'' as Capt. Bill Bainbridge. Paul was also a frequent panelist on ''

Match Game ''Match Game'' is an American television panel game show that premiered on NBC in 1962 and has been revived several times over the course of the last six decades. The game features contestants trying to match answers given by celebrity panelis ...

'' from 1978 to 1982, and later played the recurring character of Cabot Cove mayor Sam Booth in ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The ser ...

''. During the late 80s and early 90s, he also had a recurring role as TV station manager Mr. Strowbridge on ''

Full House ''Full House'' is an American television sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for ABC. The show is about widowed father Danny Tanner who enlists his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis and childhood best friend Joey Gladstone to help raise his thr ...

''. In a 1981 episode of ''

WKRP in Cincinnati ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' is an American sitcom television series about the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson and was based upon his experiences working ...

'' titled "Clean Up Radio Everywhere", Paul played Rev. Bob Halyers, a character inspired by evangelist

Jerry Falwell Jerry Laymon Falwell Sr. (August 11, 1933 – May 15, 2007) was an American Baptist pastor, televangelist, and conservative activist. He was the founding pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, a megachurch in Lynchburg, Virginia. He founded L ...

; the part was written for Paul by the show's creator Hugh Wilson. Paul would later go on to portray Falwell in the 1990 made-for-television movie ''

Fall From Grace To fall from grace is an idiom referring to a loss of status, respect, or prestige. Fall from grace may also refer to: * Fall of man, in Christianity, the transition of the first man and woman from a state of innocent obedience to God to a state ...

'', about Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, and then in the 1996 theatrical release '' The People vs. Larry Flynt''. Paul was in the film '' Eating Raoul'' (1982), written and directed by

Paul Bartel Paul Bartel (August 6, 1938 – May 13, 2000) was an American actor, writer and director. He was perhaps most known for his 1982 hit black comedy ''Eating Raoul'', which he wrote, starred in and directed. Bartel appeared in over 90 movies and ...

. Retrieved May 16, 2015 Also in 1982, he co-starred on the short-lived sitcom ''

Herbie, the Love Bug Herbie, the Love Bug is a fictional Sentience, sentient 1963 Volkswagen Beetle, who has been featured in several Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney motion pictures starting with the 1968 feature film ''The Love Bug''. He has a mind of his own an ...

''. He also appeared in Bartel's short film, ''The Secret Cinema'', which was part of the ''Amazing Stories'' series on television. Paul also appeared in ''Not for Publication'', written and directed by Bartel.

Personal life

He volunteered with Actors and Others for Animals. He was on the Mental Health Advisory Board of Los Angeles County. He volunteered at childhood immunization clinics for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. He read books into tapes by special request at the Braille Institute in Los Angeles. He married Patty Oestereich on September 7, 1968, in Pasadena, California, and they remained married until his death.

Death

Paul died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...

at age 58 on

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

(December 25) 1998 at his home in the

Studio City Studio City is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 1927, ...

area of Los Angeles.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Paul, Richard 1940 births 1998 deaths California State University, Los Angeles alumni University of Arizona alumni Deaths from cancer in California Male actors from Los Angeles American male television actors American male film actors American male voice actors 20th-century American male actors Claremont McKenna College alumni People from Studio City, Los Angeles