Richard Derr
Richard Derr (June 15, 1917 – May 8, 1992) was an American actor who worked on stage, screen, and television, performing in both starring and supporting roles. Early years. Derr graduated from Norristown High School in 1933. While he worked as a bank clerk, he acted with a little theater group in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Stage. A life member of The Actors Studio, Derr landed the majority of his leading roles on stage. In 1955, he sang in the lead role in the Broadway musical "Plain and Fancy". His other Broadway credits include "Dial M for Murder" (1952), "Invitation to  a March" (1960), "Maybe Tuesday" (1957), "A Phoenix Too Frequent" (1949), and "The Closing Door" (1949). Film. On the silver screen, Derr was primarily a character actor. He had a starring role in George Pal's 1951 science fiction film from Paramount Pictures, "When Worlds Collide". Derr later starred in the "Invisible Avenger" (1958), a film based on the radio show and pulp magazine character "The Shadow". The character also served as the basis for two television pilot episodes, neither of which was developed into a series. Television. In the 1950s, most of Derr's work was done on television . On November 21, 1950, he co-starred in "The Perfect Type" on "Armstrong Circle Theatre". In 1959, he was the host of "Fanfare", a summer dramatic anthology series on NBC-TV. In 1965, he played the role of Dr. Dwyer in the three-part serial, "The Adventures of Gallegher," on "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color", and later made appearances in "Barnaby Jones", in two episodes of "Star Trek", and in the 1976 miniseries "Rich Man, Poor Man Book II". Military service. Derr served in the Army Transport Service for three years during World War II. Real estate. Derr  had a license as a real estate broker. He was an associate of the Beverly Hills Realty Company and a member of the Beverly Hills Realty Board. Death. On May 8, 1992, Derr died of pancreatic cancer in Santa Monica, California. External links. Richard Derr biography at Ellery Queen a website on deduction