# Richard Eastham

Richard Eastham (born Dickinson Swift Eastham; June 22, 1916 – July 10, 2005) was an American actor of stage, film, and television, a concert singer known for his deep baritone voice, and an inventor.

## Early years

Eastham's birth name was chosen in honor of Miss Helen Dickinson Swift, one of his mother's college classmates. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest K. Eastham, and he attended Soldan High School. Prior to serving in the Army during World War II, he was a student at Washington University in St. Louis, where he sang with the St. Louis Grand Opera.

## Career

On Broadway, Eastham was the understudy for Ezio Pinza as "Emile DeBecque" in South Pacific, eventually replacing Pinza on stage. His performance was so well received that he was made the male lead for a two-year national tour of the musical. His other Broadway plays included Medea and Call Me Madam. Eastham and co-star Janet Blair, in their original roles, headed another tour of South Pacific in 1965. In 1981 he appeared as Wesley Northridge on The Waltons “The Lumberjack” (TV Episode 1981)
Prompted by his playing of a guitar in The Sound of Music, Eastham invented the "Sidewinder", a mechanical device that attaches to the tuning gears and assists restringing a guitar. 31,000 "Sidewinders" were sold in the first three weeks they were publicly available.

## Personal life

Eastham married Betty Jean Van Allen, who was his high school classmate. On July 10, 2005, he died of Alzheimer's disease at an assisted-living facility in Pacific Palisades.

## Filmography

Film :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1954 | There's No Business Like Show Business | Lew Harris | Film |
| 1957 | Man on Fire | Bryan Seward | Film |
| 1960 | Toby Tyler; or, Ten Weeks with a Circus | Colonel Sam Castle | Film |
| 1965 | That Darn Cat! | Supervisor Newton | Film |
| 1966 | Not with My Wife, You Don't! | General Milt Walters | Film |
| 1966 | Murderers' Row | Dr. Norman Solaris | Film |
| 1969 | Silent Night, Lonely Night | Paul Johnson | TV movie |
| 1969 | The Last of the Powerseekers | Anthony Mathesson III | TV movie |
| 1973 | Tom Sawyer | Doctor P.R. Robinson | Film |
| 1973 | Battle for the Planet of the Apes | Mutant Captain | Film |
| 1974 | The President's Plane is Missing | General Colton | TV movie |
| 1974 | McQ | Walter Forrester | Film |
| 1974 | The Missiles of October | Gen. David M. Shoup - USMC Commandant | TV movie |
| 1975 | Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan | Investigator | TV movie |
| 1975 | Doubletalk | Father | Short |
| 1976 | Mallory: Circumstantial Evidence | Executive | TV movie |
| 1980 | Conquest of the Earth | Gen. Cushing | Film |
| 1982 | A Wedding on Walton's Mountain | Mr. Northridge | TV movie |
| Television ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1955 | Max Liebman Spectaculars | Grandfather | Heidi |
| 1957 | Men of Annapolis | Coach Uehling / Instructor Damon | 2 episodes |
| 1957-1960 | Tombstone Territory | Harris Claibourne / Narrator | 91 episodes |
| 1960 | Zane Grey Theatre | Jim Amber | Never Too Late |
| 1960 | The Aquanauts | Sinclair | Disaster Below |
| 1961 | Bat Masterson | Orin Dilts | A Lesson in Violence |
| 1961 | The Barbara Stanwyck Show | Sam Verner | Along the Barbary Coast |
| 1961 | King of Diamonds | Trumik | The Couriers |
| 1962 | Ensign O'Toole | Chief Petty Officer O'Toole | Operation Potomac |
| 1962 | Ripcord | Don Hart | Hostage Below |
| 1963 | Alcoa Premiere | Will Stark | The Town That Died |
| 1961-1965 | Perry Mason | Oliver Stone / Roland Canfield / Prosecutor Parness/ Deputy D.A. Parness | 4 episodes |
| 1967 | The Invaders | Carl Vanders | Summit Meeting: Part II |
| 1967 | Cowboy in Africa | Whitaker | The Hesitant Hero |
| 1969 | The Bill Cosby Show | Lionel Schallert | Lullaby and Goodnight |
| 1969 | The Survivors | Himself | Chapter One |
| 1969-1970 | Bright Promise | Red Wilson | 15 episodes |
| 1970 | Mod Squad | Harrison Cochran | A Time for Remembering |
| 1970 | Adam-12 | Mr. Courtnay | Log 173: Shoplift |
| 1970 | The Young Lawyers | Torrance | Where's Aaron |
| 1968-1971 | The F.B.I | Special Agent Howard Armstrong | 2 episodes |
| 1972 | Cade's County | Rafaelson | Shakedown |
| 1972 | Cannon | Lucas Whipple | The Shadow Man |
| 1967-1973 | Bonanza | Tom Yardley / Stanton | 2 episodes |
| 1971-1974 | Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law | Prof. Gannett / Philip Lerman | 2 episodes |
| 1972-1974 | The Streets of San Francisco | Jack Leist / Jules Rhinelander | 2 episodes |
| 1974 | Toma | Dr. Herman | 50% of Normal |
| 1974 | Kojak | Jack Seymour | A Killing in the Second House |
| 1975 | McMillan & Wife | Thomas Ewing | Deadly Inheritance |
| 1976 | Rich Man, Poor Man | Sen. Mickelwaite | Part III: Chapter 5 |
| 1976 | Baretta | Linton Gavin | Runaway Cowboy |
| 1976-1977 | Wonder Woman | General Phil Blankenship | 13 episodes |
| 1978 | Grandpa Goes to Washington | Unknown | Pilot |
| 1975-1979 | Barnaby Jones | Lawrence Adams / R.B. Catlin | 3 episodes |
| 1979 | Salvage 1 | Brinks / Commentator | 6 episodes |
| 1980 | Galactica 1980 | General Cushing | Galactica Discovers Earth: Part 1 |
| 1980 | Condominium | Tom Forrester | 2 episodes |
| 1977-1981 | The Waltons | Wesley Northridge / Judge Thomas Parrish | 2 episodes |
| 1979-1982 | Quincy M.E. | Drug Industry Council Member / Baine / Chemical Company Executive | 3 episodes |
| 1982 | Tales of the Gold Monkey | Dr. White | Trunk from the Past |
| 1982 | Falcon Crest | Dr. Howell | 6 episodes |
| 1982 | Hart to Hart | Man at Restaurant | One Hart Too Many |
| 1991 | Dallas | Frank Hillson | 2 episodes |