Richard Bradford (actor)

Richard Bradford (actor)
Richard Edwin Bradford Jr. (November 10, 1934 – March 22, 2016) was an American actor. He is best known for his leading role in the television series Man in a Suitcase (1967–1968) and supporting role in the film The Untouchables (1987).
Early life
Bradford was born in Tyler, Texas, the son of Richard Edwin Bradford and Rose Flaxman. His stepfather was a wholesale grocer. Raised by his grandparents in Conroe, Bradford received his schooling in San Antonio, Texas, then attended Texas A&M on a football scholarship.
When an injury short-circuited his budding athletic career, and a switch to baseball at Texas State University was stymied due to insufficient semester hours, Bradford, who had long admired the work of actors Marlon Brando and James Dean, finally decided to seriously pursue a long-contemplated career in acting. To this end he made his way to New York.
Career
Supporting himself by waiting tables, Bradford studied acting, first with Frank Corsaro, and finally, in 1962, was admitted to the Actors Studio, where he studied for two years, leading to roles in Studio productions such as Mother Courage (1963), June Havoc's Marathon '33 (1963), and Blues for Mister Charlie (1964). Also, he understudied Rod Steiger in the touring production of A.E. Hotchner's A Short, Happy Life (1961), an ostensibly Broadway-bound show which folded out of town.
Bradford's work caught the eye of another Actors Studio member, director Arthur Penn, who cast Bradford in The Chase (1966),. This work, in turn, attracted the attention of media impresario Lew Grade, who brought Bradford to Great Britain in 1967 for Man in a Suitcase.
In addition to his numerous TV appearances, Bradford has been featured in many films, such as The Missouri Breaks (1976), An Enemy of the People (1978), Badge of the Assassin (1985), The Trip to Bountiful (1985), The Untouchables (1987), and The Milagro Beanfield War (1988), but arguably his best known film role is the corrupt police captain in the 1997 film Hoodlum. Bradford appeared in the 1989 film Heart of Dixie and had notable turns in Costa-Gavras' Missing (1982), The Mean Season (1985) and The Crossing Guard (1995).
In the 1960s, he appeared in the Sanctuary episode of the television series Gunsmoke and guest-starred in an episode of The High Chaparral. In the 1970s, he played Lutie Bascomb in one episode of The Waltons. He guest-starred in an episode of Murder, She Wrote in the 1980s. He also guest-starred in an episode in the first season of Viper. In 1987, he starred in the miniseries Amerika. In the mid 1980s, he was a semi-regular cast member of the series Cagney & Lacey.
Personal life
Bradford was married to ballet dancer Eileen Elliott from 1965 to 1984. He had a son, Richard Bradford III.
Miscellaneous
In 1986, The Smiths used a photograph of Bradford on the cover of their single "Panic".
In 2004, Bradford gave a series of interviews and commentaries for a DVD release of Man in a Suitcase, expressing mild surprise at the ongoing popularity of the series today.
Selected filmography
The Chase (1966) as Damon Fuller
To Chase a Million (1967) as McGill
Operation Heartbeat (1969, TV movie) as Dr. Joseph Gannon
The High Chaparral (1970 – It Takes a Smart Man) as 'Tulsa Red'
Mannix (1973 – The Danford File ) as Barney Edmonds
The Missouri Breaks (1976) as Pete Marker
An Enemy of the People (1978) as Captain Forster
Goin' South (1978) as Sheriff Andrew Kyle
More American Graffiti (1979) as Major Creech
A Rumor of War (1980, TV miniseries) as General Merle Rupert
Missing (1982) as Andrew Babcock
Hammett (1982) as Detective Bradford
The Escape Artist (1982) as Sam, City Treasurer (uncredited)
Lookin' to Get Out (1982) as Bernie Gold
Running Hot (1984) as Tom Bond
The Mean Season (1985) as Phil Wilson
The Legend of Billie Jean (1985) as Pyatt
Badge of the Assassin (1985) as L.J. Delsa
The Trip To Bountiful (1985) as Sheriff
Amerika (1987, TV miniseries) as Ward Milford
The Untouchables (1987) as Police Chief Mike Dorsett
The Milagro Beanfield War (1988) as Ladd Devine
Little Nikita (1988) as Konstantin Karpov
Permanent Record (1988) as Leo Verdell
Sunset (1988) as Captain Blackworth
Wildfire (1988) as Gene
Heart of Dixie (1989) as Judge Claibourne
Night Game (1989) as Nelson
Internal Affairs (1990) as Captain Grieb
Servants of Twilight (1991) as Henry Rankin
Ambition (1991) as Jordan
Cold Heaven (1991) as Monsignor Cassidy
Under Cover of Darkness (1992) as Nathan Franklin
Dr. Giggles (1992) as Officer Hank Magruder
Arctic Blue (1993) as Wilder
When a Man Loves a Woman (1994) as Angry Man Watching TV (uncredited)
Indictment: The McMartin Trial (1995) as Los Angeles District Attorney Ira Reiner
Steal Big Steal Little (1995) as Nick Zingaro, Hood From Chicago
The Crossing Guard (1995) as Stuart Booth
The Chamber (1996) – Wyn Lettner
Hoodlum (1997) as Captain Jack Foley
Just the Ticket (1999) as Benny Moran
The Man from Elysian Fields (2001) as Edward Rodgers
Hawaiian Gardens (2001) as Bruno
The Lost City (2005) as Don Donoso Fellove
References
External links
1934 births
2016 deaths
American expatriate male actors in the United Kingdom
American male film actors
American male television actors
Male actors from Texas
People from Tyler, Texas
Texas A&M University alumni