Don Richardson (director)

Don Richardson
Born	April 30, 1918 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	January 10, 1996 (aged 77) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actor, director, teacher, author
Years active	1949–1973

Don Richardson^[1] (born April 30, 1918 – January 10, 1996)^[2] 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, Sanford Meisner, Stella Adler, and Uta Hagen, 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,^[1] including Get Smart (TV series) (1965), One Day at a Time (TV series) (1975–1976), Lost in Space (TV series) (1966–1968), The Defenders (TV series) (1961–1963), and Bonanza (TV series) (1968–1971).^[3] His work remains in the permanent collection of The Museum of Broadcasting, The Jewish Museum of New York, and UCLA Film and Television Archive.^[1] Richardson taught acting at UCLA, Colombia’s Barnard College and American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and California. He was awarded a professorship at Tel Aviv University in Israel. As an acting coach, he wrote and published the book Acting Without Agony: An Alternative to the Method,^[4] which is still used today by his successors.^[5] Richardson's students include Grace Kelly, Anne Bancroft, Zero Mostel, and John Cassavetes.^[6]

Personal life

Richardson had a two-year relationship with his student Grace Kelly which began in the Autumn of 1948, despite the disapproval of her parents.^[7]

Filmography

Directing credits

• The Oregon Trail (TV series) (1977)^[8]
• One Day at a Time (TV series) (1975–1976)^[9]
• Emergency! (TV series) (1974)^[10]
• Arnie (TV series) (1970–1972)^[11]
• Bonanza (TV series) (1968–1971)^[12]
• Lancer (TV series) (1968–1970)^[13]
• The High Chaparral (TV series) (1969–1970)^[14]
• Mission: Impossible (TV series) (1968)^[15]
• Lost in Space (TV series) (1966–1968)^[16]
• Custer (TV series) (1967)^[17]
• Vacation Playhouse (TV series) (1966)^[18]
• The Long, Hot Summer (TV series) (1965–66)^[19]
• The Munsters (TV series) (1965)^[20]
• The Virginian (TV series) (1964–65)^[21]
• Get Smart (TV series) (1965)^[22]
• Broadside (TV series) (1965)^[23]
• The Defenders (TV series) (1961–1963)^[24]
• The Doctors and the Nurses (TV series) (1962–1963)^[25]
• Sam Benedict (TV series) (1963)^[26]
• Margie (TV series) (1961–1962)^[27]
• The Chevy Mystery Show (TV series) (1960)^[28]
• Play of the Week (TV series) (1959–1960)^[29]
• Don Juan in Hell (TV movie) (1960)^[30]
• Lullaby (TV movie) (1960)^[31]
• The World of Sholom Aleichem (TV movie) (as Donald Richardson) (1959)^[32]
• The Elgin Hour (TV series) (1954–1955)^[33]
• Mama (TV series) (1955)^[34]
• Armstrong Circle Theatre (TV series) (1954)^[35]
• The Motorola Television Hour (TV series) (1953–1954)^[36]
• Kraft Theatre (TV series) (1953)^[37]
• The Adventures of Ellery Queen (TV series) (1950–1952)^[38]

References

1. "Don Richardson; Director, Acting Teacher". Richard T. Schlosberg III. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
2. "Don Richardson". Retrieved 30 June 2012.
3. "Approach". Retrieved 30 June 2012.
4. "Acting without Agony: An Alternative to the Method". Retrieved 30 June 2012.
5. "The Team". Retrieved 30 June 2012.
6. "Don Richardson". Retrieved 30 June 2012.
7. "Grace : The secret lives of a princess" by James Spada. Sidgewick and Jackson. 1987
8. "The Oregon Trail (1976)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
9. "One Day at a Time (1975-1984)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
10. "Emergency! (1972-1979)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
11. "Arnie (1970-1972)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
12. "Bonanza (1959-1973)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
13. "Lancer (1968-1970)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
14. "The High Chaparral (1967-1971)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
15. "Mission: Impossible (1966-1973)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
16. "Lost in Space (1965-1968)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
17. "Custer (1967)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
18. "Vacation Playhouse (1963-1967)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
19. "The Long, Hot Summer (1965-1966)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
20. "The Munsters (1964-1966)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
21. "The Virginian (1962-1971)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
22. "Get Smart (1965-1970)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
23. "Broadside (1964-1965)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
24. "The Defenders (1961-1965)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
25. "The Doctors and the Nurses (1962-1965)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
26. "Sam Benedict (1962-1963)". IMDb. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
27. "Margie (1961-1962)". IMDb. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
28. "The Chevy Mystery Show (1960)". IMDb. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
29. "Play of the Week (1959-1961)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
30. "Don Juan in Hell (1960)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
31. "Lullaby (1960)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
32. "The World of Sholom Aleichem (1959)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
33. "The Elgin Hour (1954-1955)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
34. "Mama (1949-1957)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
35. "Armstrong Circle Theatre (1950-1963)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
36. "The Motorola Television Hour (1953-1954)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
37. "Kraft theatre (1947-1958)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
38. "The Adventures of Ellery Queen (1950-1952)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 July 2012.

External links

• Don Richardson at the Internet Movie Database