death_place death_date birth_place birth_date article_title name
silver spring , maryland december 28 , 2005 boston , massachusetts june 24 , 1932 richard de angelis
 richard de angelis
richard de angelis

richard john de angelis -lrb- june 24 , 1932 -- december 28 , 2005 -rrb- was an american actor and comedian best known for his role as colonel raymond foerster on tv 's `` the wire '' .
born in boston , deangelis served in the navy and worked as an accountant before attending acting school at the age of 38 .
he graduated in 1983 from the university of maryland , college park with a degree in theater .
de angelis began his entertainment career as a comedian under the pseudonym `` richie roach '' , appearing in numerous commercials , radio spots , and print advertisements over a forty year span .
he also played minor roles in several major motion pictures , including 1984 's `` chances are '' and john waters ' `` a dirty shame '' .
on december 28 , 2005 , de angelis , who had been suffering from prostate cancer , died at his home in silver spring , maryland of heart failure at the age of 73 .
