Peter Mark Richman

Peter Mark Richman (born Marvin Jack Richman; April 16, 1927 – January 14, 2021) was an American actor in films and on television, who was for many years credited as Mark Richman.[1] He appeared in about 30 films and 130 television series from the 1950s before his retirement in 2011.

Peter Mark Richman
Richman in Michael V. Gazzo's play
A Hatful of Rain (1957)
Born
Marvin Jack Richman

(1927-04-16)April 16, 1927
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJanuary 14, 2021(2021-01-14) (aged 93)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1949–2011
Spouse(s)
Helen Richman
​
(m. 1953)​
Children5, including Lucas Richman
Websitepetermarkrichman.com

Career

Films

Making his feature film debut in William Wyler's 1956 film Friendly Persuasion, Richman was, by that time, a regularly employed television actor,[2] as well as a member of New York's Actors Studio, a resource of which he would avail himself frequently until moving to Los Angeles in 1961.[3][4] He played Nicholas "Nick" Cain in the 1961 films The Murder Men and The Crimebusters. He reprised his role as Nicholas Cain in the television series Cain's Hundred. Richman's other TV roles were on the soap opera Santa Barbara as Channing Creighton 'C.C.' Capwell (1984), Longstreet as Duke Paige, on the soap opera Dynasty as Andrew Laird (1981–1984), and a recurring role on Three's Company (1978–1979) as Chrissy's father, Rev. Luther Snow. He guest-starred on Beverly Hills, 90210. His other films include Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989), and Vic (2005).

His last film credits were Mysteria and After the Wizard, both released in 2011. Richman sat on the board of trustees of the Motion Picture and Television Fund.

Television

His television credits include Hawaii Five O, Justice, The Fall Guy, The DuPont Show with June Allyson, Stoney Burke, Breaking Point, The Fugitive, The Outer Limits, Blue Light, The Invaders, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Wild Wild West, Bonanza, Daniel Boone, The Silent Force, Get Christie Love!, The Bionic Woman, Knight Rider, The Incredible Hulk, Three's Company, and Matlock. He was often seen on Mission: Impossible and Combat!, as well as other shows of that era. He appeared as Ralph Offenhouse in Star Trek: The Next Generation's first season episode "The Neutral Zone". Richman starred in the penultimate filmed episode of The Twilight Zone, titled "The Fear". He voiced The Phantom in the animated series Defenders of the Earth.

Personal

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Jewish parents, Richman was the son of Yetta Dora (née Peck) and Benjamin Richman, a painting and paper-hanger contractor.[5] He was married to actress Helen (Landess) Richman from 1953 until his death, and they had five children together, including composer and Grammy Award-winning conductor Lucas Richman. Before his acting career, he started off his career as a pharmacist. "My father died when I was 16 and my brother was kind of a surrogate father," recalled Richman. "He was a pharmacist and I worked in his store as a teenager. He thought I should get a real education so I ended up reluctantly going to pharmacy school. I expected to flunk out after six weeks but stuck it out, graduated, and became a licensed pharmacist in two states."[6]

Richman died of natural causes in Woodland Hills, California, on January 14, 2021, at the age of 93.[7]

Partial filmography

References
  1. Dick Kleiner: "He Added Peter to Make His Mark," The Meriden Morning Record TV News (Saturday, October 30, 1971), p. ONE-A. "For years, Mark Richman was a successful actor around town... Suddenly, about a year ago, the name Peter Mark Richman began popping up in credits. It took a while for the public to realize they were one and the same. The reason for adding Peter goes back to Richman's belief in the Eastern philosophy, Subud. 'I came to believe that Mark wasn't right for me. I took the name Peter - it means a great deal to me, it means, I like to think, that I am a good person.'"
  2. Peter Mark Richman's filmography at IMDb
  3. Mark Richman at the Wisconsin Historical Society's Actors Studio audio collection
  4. NANA: "Mark Richman Finds Retreat," The Vancouver Sun (Saturday, November 4, 1961), p. 5. "Mark Richman, who chases nasties ... five days a week in TV's Cain's Hundred, has moved his wife and two children out from New york. They have set up headquarters high on a quiet isolated hill in Pacific Palisades."
  5. Peter Mark Richman Biography (1927-)
  6. Nick Thomas (April 7, 2016). "Peter Mark Richman: The Pharmacist-Turned-Actor". TheSpectrum.com. USA Today. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  7. Saperstein, Pat (January 14, 2021). "Peter Mark Richman, Actor in 'Beverly Hills 90210,' 'Three's Company,' Dies at 93". Variety.
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