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Richard Edwin Bradford Jr.[1] (November 10, 1934 – March 22, 2016[2]) 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).
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Richard Bradford | |
|---|---|
| Born | Richard Edwin Bradford Jr. November 10, 1934 Tyler, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | March 22, 2016 (aged 81) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Dick Bradford |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1963–2005 |
| Spouse |
Eileen Elliott
(m. 1965; div. 1984) |
| Partner | Millie Perkins |
| Children | 1 |
Bradford was born in Tyler, Texas, the son of Richard Edwin Bradford and Rose Flaxman.[2] His stepfather was a wholesale grocer.[3] Raised by his grandparents in Conroe, Bradford received his schooling in San Antonio, Texas, then attended Texas A&M on a football scholarship.[2]
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.[2]
Supporting himself by waiting tables, Bradford studied acting,[4] first with Frank Corsaro,[5] and finally, in 1962, was admitted to the Actors Studio, where he studied for two years,[4] 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),[5] an ostensibly Broadway-bound show which folded out of town.[6]
Bradford's work caught the eye of another Actors Studio member, director Arthur Penn, who cast Bradford in The Chase (1966),.[4] 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 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 (series 2 episode 21) in an episode of Kojak, "The Goodluck Bomber", in 1975. 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.
Bradford was married to ballet dancer Eileen Elliott from 1965 to 1984. He had a son, Richard Bradford III.[7]
In 1986, the Smiths used a photograph of Bradford on the cover of their single "Panic".[8]
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.[citation needed]
- 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
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