Peter Mark Richman is an American actor who has starred in films and on television, who was for many years credited as Mark Richman. He appeared in over 30 films and over 130 television series from the 1950s until his retirement in 2011.
Life and career
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Jewish parents, Richman is the son of Yetta Dora and Benjamin Richman, a painting and paper-hanger contractor. He has been married to actress Helen Richman since 1953, and they have five children together, including composer and Grammy Award-winning conductorLucas Richman. Prior to his acting career, he started off his career as a pharmacist, “My father died when I was 16 and my brother was kind of a surrogate father,” recalled Richman. “He was a pharmacist and I worked in his store as a teenager. He thought I should get a real education so I ended up reluctantly going to pharmacy school. I expected to flunk out after six weeks but stuck it out, graduated, and became a licensed pharmacist in two states.” Making his feature film debut in William Wyler's 1956 filmFriendly Persuasion, Richman was, by that time, already a regularly employed television actor, as well as a member of New York'sActors Studio, a resource of which he would avail himself frequently until moving to Los Angeles in 1961. He played Nicholas "Nick" Cain in the 1961 films The Murder Men and The Crimebusters. He reprised his role as Nicholas Cain in the NBC television series Cain's Hundred. Richman's other TV roles were on the soap operaSanta Barbara as Channing Creighton 'C.C.' Capwell, Longstreet as Duke Paige, on the ABC soap opera Dynasty as Andrew Laird, and a recurring role on Three's Company as Chrissy's father, Rev. Luther Snow. He guest starred on Beverly Hills, 90210. His other films include ' and Vic. His television credits include Hawaii Five O, Justice, The Fall Guy, The DuPont Show with June Allyson, Stoney Burke, Breaking Point, The Fugitive, The Outer Limits, Blue Light, The Invaders, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Wild Wild West, Bonanza, Daniel Boone, The Silent Force, Get Christie Love!, The Bionic Woman, Knight Rider, Three's Company and Matlock. He was often seen on ' and Combat!, as well as other shows of that era. He appeared as Ralph Offenhouse in 's first season episode "The Neutral Zone |The Neutral Zone". Richman starred in the penultimate filmed episode of The Twilight Zone, called "The Fear". He voiced The Phantom in the animated seriesDefenders of the Earth. His most recent film credits are Mysteria and After the Wizard, both released in 2011. Richman sits on the Board of Trustees of the Motion Picture and Television Fund.
