Richard Long (actor)

Infobox actor
name = Richard Long


imagesize = 250 px
birthdate = birth date |1927|12|17
location = Chicago, Illinois, USA
deathdate = death date and age|1974|12|21|1927|12|17
deathplace = Los Angeles, California, USA
birthname =
occupation = Actor
spouse = Suzan Ball (1954-1955, died of cancer); Mara Corday (1957-1974)
children = Carey (born 1957), Valerie (born 1958), Gregory (born 1960)

Richard Long (December 17, 1927 - December 21, 1974) [ [http://www.nndb.com/people/308/000051155/ Richard Long ] ] was an American actor best known for his leading roles in several ABC television series, including "The Big Valley" (with Barbara Stanwyck) and "Nanny and the Professor" (with Juliet Mills). He also appeared as "Gentleman Jack Darby" in "Maverick", including the oft-discussed "Shady Deal at Sunny Acres" episode. Long played private detective Rex Randolph as a lead in both "Bourbon Street Beat" (1959-1960) with Andrew Duggan and in "77 Sunset Strip" (both ABC Warner Brothers programs), with Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes. Long replaced Smith on "77 Sunset Strip" when Smith left the series because of health problems. [imdb name|0519160]

Long was the fifth of six children born in Chicago, Illinois, to Sherman D. Long and the former Dale McCord. Sherman Long was a commercial artist who operated his own studio. Mrs. Long was a homemaker. The family lived in several locations in Illinois before settling in Evanston near Chicago. Long attended grammar school in Evanston, Waller High School in Chicago, and then the Evanston Township High School. In 1944, the family relocated to Hollywood, California, and Long attended Hollywood High School for his senior year. Long said that as a teenager he had "no intention of becoming an actor. I took senior drama class because it was a snap course, and I needed the credit for my English requirement." [ [http://www.richard-long.com/biography.htm Richard Long Tribute ] ]

At Hollywood High School, Long caught the eye of a talent scout from Universal-International by accident. Casting director Jack Murton gave a ride to a couple of students and asked them if a school play was scheduled. The boys told Murton about the excellent male lead actor, Richard Long. [ [http://www.richard-long.com/biography.htm Richard Long Tribute ] ] In 1946, Long was hence cast in his first film, "Tomorrow Is Forever" as Drew, the son of Claudette Colbert and George Brent. The role had been unfilled for months, and producers selected Long who most closely matched the credentials required. [ [http://www.briansdriveintheater.com/richardlong.html Richard Long at Brian's Drive-In Theater ] ]

Long served in the United States Army during the Korean War. He was twice married. His first wife of fourteen months, actress Suzan Ball (a cousin of Lucille Ball) died of cancer in 1955 at the age of twenty-one. In 1957, Long married actress and model Mara Corday (birth name Marilyn Watts), [ [http://www.findadeath.com/Deceased/l/Nanny%20and%20the%20Professor/trent_lehman_and_richard_long.htm The Death of Trent Lehman and Richard Long and the cast of Nanny and the Professor ] ] with whom he had three children, Carey (born 1957), Valerie (born 1958), and Gregory (born 1960). [http://www.nndb.com/people/308/000051155/; http://www.answers.com/topic/richard-long-actor]

Early in his career, Long appeared in several films as a juvenile lead, including four of the nine "Ma and Pa Kettle" pictures. He was cast as Tom Kettle, one of the sons of the characters played by Percy Kilbride and Marjorie Main. [ [http://www.briansdriveintheater.com/richardlong.html Richard Long at Brian's Drive-In Theater ] ] His second film was the Orson Welles's "The Stranger" as Noah, the brother of Loretta Young's character. He also played "Jeff Taylor" in "The Life of Riley" and played "Frank James" in the 1950 movie "Kansas Raiders". He then moved into leading man status in B movies such as "House on Haunted Hill" (1959) before he achieved considerable success in television, including the series "Bourbon Street Beat" (1959-1960). [ [http://www.richard-long.com/biography.htm Richard Long Tribute ] ]

He appeared in such 1960s classic television shows as "The Twilight Zone" and "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour".

In 1963, Long was cast in the MGM romantic musical "Follow the Boys", along with costars Connie Francis, Paula Prentiss, and Roger Perry. [ [http://www.briansdriveintheater.com/richardlong.html Richard Long at Brian's Drive-In Theater ] ]

In 1965, at the age of thirty-eight, Long began his role as attorney Jarrod Barkley, oldest son to rancher Victoria Barkley (Barbara Stanwyck), in 112 episodes of "The Big Valley", the last of the major Four Star Television series, a Western which ran on ABC from 1965–1969. The "Valley" is the San Joaquin Valley near Stockton, California. The series was set in the 1870s. Long's other "The Big Valley" costars were Peter Breck, Linda Evans, and Lee Majors, who played the out-of-wedlock son of Victoria's late husband Tom. Long also directed some of "The Big Valley" episodes. [http://www.amazon.com/Big-Valley-General-Richard-Long/dp/6300256812; http://www.fiftiesweb.com/tv/big-valley.htm] In 1953, Long had costarred with Stanwyck in the film "All I Desire". [ [http://www.richard-long.com/biography.htm Richard Long Tribute ] ]

In 1970-1971, he and Juliet Mills (older sister of Hayley Mills) starred in the ABC sitcom "Nanny and the Professor". Long played widowed college professor Harold Everett, and Mills was Phoebe Figalilly, the English housekeeper and nanny for Long's three children. David Doremus, who played 12-year-old son Hal Everett, was later in five seasons of CBS's "The Waltons" as G.W. Haines, a friend of the Walton daughters, who was killed in World War II. [ [http://www.nannyandtheprofessor.com/ Nanny and the Professor ] ]

In 1974, Long appeared on the game show "Match Game". [ [http://www.tv.com/richard-long/person/6337/summary.html?tag=stars;name;5 Richard Long - TV.com ] ] He also finished a television movie called "Death Cruise", which turned out to have been his last work. He had heart problems throughout his adult life and had suffered a heart attack in the latter 1950s. As a boy, he had suffered pneumonia, which apparently weakened his heart. He was also a heavy smoker and drinker. [imdb name|0519160] Mara remained with Long until his early death of multiple heart attacks just four days after his 47th birthday. Long died at Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles. He was cremated. His ashes were scattered at sea. [ [http://www.findadeath.com/Deceased/l/Nanny%20and%20the%20Professor/trent_lehman_and_richard_long.htm The Death of Trent Lehman and Richard Long and the cast of Nanny and the Professor ] ]

Long was a brother-in-law of actor Marshall Thompson, with whom he appeared in the 1955 film "Cult of the Cobra". Thompson starred in two CBS series, including "Daktari", about a veterinarian in Africa. [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0519160/bio; http://www.briansdriveintheater.com/richardlong.html]

References

External links

*imdb name|id= 0519160|name=Richard Long

Persondata
NAME= Long, Richard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Actor
DATE OF BIRTH= 1927-12-17}
PLACE OF BIRTH= Chicago, Illinois, USA
DATE OF DEATH= 1974-12-21
PLACE OF DEATH= Los Angeles, California, USA