Charles Richman (actor)

Charles J. Richman
Born(1865-01-12)January 12, 1865
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedDecember 1, 1940(1940-12-01) (aged 75)
The Bronx, New York, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1914–1939
SpouseJane Grey
Children2

Charles J. Richman (January 12, 1865 – December 1, 1940) was an American stage and film actor who appeared in more than 60 films between 1914 and 1939.

Richman was born in the Kenwood Section of Chicago, Illinois. After receiving a public-school education, he attended the Chicago College of Law at night. His interest turned from law to theater after he began acting in amateur productions at the Carleton Club and a millionaire offered to sponsor a touring company headed by Richman. That project led Richman to New York.[1]

Long before entering films Richman acted in the legitimate theatre. His work on Broadway began with portraying Horst von Neuhoff in The Countess Gucki (1896) and ended with playing Grandfather Trenchard in And Stars Remain (1936).[2] In 1906 he founded The Garrick Theatre Stock Company, a troupe in residence at Broadway's Garrick Theatre.[3] Richman served as both star and director for the company's fist play, David Gray's Gallops, which premiered on February 12, 1906.[4]

In Hollywood, Richman often played supporting roles as a dignified authoritarian figures like General Tufto in the first Technicolor film Becky Sharp (1935) and Judge Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938).

Richman was married to the former Jane Grey for 40 years. They had a son and a daughter.[1]

On December 1, 1940, Richman died in the Brady Nursing Home in The Bronx, New York, aged 70.[1]

  1. ^ a b c "Charles Richman, noted actor, is dead". The New York Times. December 2, 1940. p. 23. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  2. ^ "Charles Richman". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  3. ^ Arthur Hornblow, ed. (March 1906). "The Current Plays; GARRICK. 'Gallops.' Play in four acts by David Gray". The Theatre Magazine. VI (61): 56.
  4. ^ "'GALLOPS' MAY HAVE A RUN.; Hunting Play, with Charles Richman, Entertains a First-Night Audience". The New York Times. February 13, 1906. p. 7.