Biography
While working as an actor in New York City, Richard studied with Michael Howard and performed at Manhattan Theatre Club, Chelsea Theatre Center, W.P.A. Theatre and Douglas Fairbanks Theatre. He has acted regionally in over one hundred roles in many prestigious regional theaters.
Film credits include: Homer Benson in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln ; Dr. Ezra Abbott in Ridley Scott's Killing Lincoln ; Chester Bowles in National Geographic channel's Killing Kenned ; Vic LeClue in Patriot Son, winner of the 1998 LA Film Fest's independent short category and selected to show at the Telluride Festival. In 2014 Richard played the lead opposite Grey's Anatomy's Sarah Drew in the short film, Waking Marshall Walker. This film was selected for viewing at over 40 film festivals. He appeared in Farewell Old Stringy in the leading role of Davey and created the role of L.P. Everett in the episode, "The 20% Solution" for the television program, Homicide, Life on the Street.
As a director, he has staged Hamlet, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Glass Menagerie, Hedda Gabler, Hay Fever, A Raisin in the Sun, Cloud Nine, Fuddy Meers, The Foreigner, A Man for All Seasons, Misalliance, Suddenly Last Summer, Six Characters in Search of an Author, Laramie Project, Lend Me a Tenor, Lost in Yonkers, Driving Miss Daisy, The Last Night of Ballyhoo and True West.
Richard taught acting at the University of Virginia for 30 years where he has had the honor of coaching many talented UVa actors including Tina Fey, Ben McKenzie (Gotham, The O.C.), Sean Patrick Thomas (Cruel Intensions, Barbershop), Ntare Mwine (The Chi, Treme), Jason George (Grey's Anatomy, Station 19), Sarah Drew (Grey's Anatomy, Everwood) and Emily Swallow (The Mandalorian, Supernatural, The Mentalist). He received the UVa's Outstanding Teacher Award in 1991, the Mayo Distinguished Teaching Professorship in 1998 and was selected as an inaugural member of the University Academy of Teaching in 2011. He is a member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA.
