17:27 PST 1/14/2021
in
Mike Barnes
The Philadelphia native went from being a licensed pharmacist to becoming a busy actor known for his intense roles.
Peter Mark Richman, the pharmacist who became an omnipresent actor who appeared in films like Friendly Persuasion and The black orchid and on TV shows, including Dynasty and Three’s Company, died. He was 93 years old.
Richman died on Thursday morning of natural causes at his home in Woodland Hills, advertiser Harlan Boll announced.
Richman starred as a former mafia lawyer who joins the FBI to bring criminals to justice in the 1961-62 NBC series Hundred of Cain and played Andrew Laird, an experienced attorney for Denver-Carrington Oil and the Carrington family, on ABC Dynasty 1981-84.
He was also Reverend Snow, the father of Suzanne Somers’ Chrissy Snow, on ABC Three’s Company in 1978-79.
Richman played a state policeman apparently chased by giants in a memorable 1964 Twilight Zone episode, “The Fear”, and he starred in dozens of other series during his eight-decade career – from Alfred Hitchcock presents, Ben Casey, The External Limits, The Fugitive, Bonanza and Mannix for Very close for comfort, Hotel, Murder, she wrote, Fantasy Island and Star Trek: the next generation.
The son of a painting and paperwork contractor, Richman was born in Philadelphia on April 16, 1927. After graduating from the Philadelphia School of Pharmacy and Science as a licensed pharmacist in two states, he joined Actors Studio and in 1953 starred in Calder Willingham’s Finish like a man On Broadway.
In 1956, he replaced Ben Gazzara on Broadway in A Hat Full of Rain and later portrayed Jerry in over 400 performances by Edward Albee The Zoo Story.
Director William Wyler brought him to Hollywood to play a cavalry officer in Friendly Persuasion (1956), starring Gary Cooper and Dorothy McGuire, and starred alongside Sophia Loren and Anthony Quinn in The black orchid (1958), directed by Martin Ritt.
His big screen resume also included The weird (1967), Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (1991), Friday the 13th, Part VIII: Jason takes Manhattan and 4 faces (1999), which he wrote based on his one-man play.
Richman wrote another play, A medal for Murray, which ran for two years in Israel, plus novels, short stories and an autobiography – 2018’s I saw a melted white light – and he was also a talented painter.
In 1990, Richman received the silver medal from the Motion Picture & Television Fund for outstanding humanitarian achievement. He was also honored with the Jeffrey Foundation’s Humanitarian Sybil Brand Award that year.
Survivors include his 67-year-old wife, actress Helen Richman; sons Howard (and his wife, Cherie), Kelly (Loren), Lucas (Debbie) – he is a Grammy-winning conductor – Orien (Alevé) and Roger; and the grandchildren Jenny, Lily, Max, Julia, Oliver and Danica.
Memorial contributions in honor of Richman can be made to the Motion Picture & Television Fund.