Richard Kiley
| Richard Kiley | |
|---|---|
 Kiley in 1960. |
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| Born | Richard Paul Kiley March 31, 1922 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Died | March 5, 1999 (aged 76) Warwick, New York, United States |
| Occupation | actor |
| Spouse(s) | Patricia Ferrier (1968-?) Mary Bell Wood (1948-1967) |
Richard Paul Kiley (March 31, 1922 – March 5, 1999) was an American stage, television, and film actor. He is best known for his distinguished theatrical career in which he twice won the Tony Award for Best Actor In A Musical.[1] Kiley created the role of Don Quixote in the original 1965 production of the Broadway musical Man of La Mancha and was the first to sing and record "The Impossible Dream", the hit song from the show. In the 1953 hit musical Kismet, he played the Caliph, and was one of the quartet introducing the song "And This Is My Beloved". Additionally, he won three Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards during his 50 year career,[2] and his "sonorous baritone"[3] was also featured in the narration of a number of documentaries and other films. At his death, Kiley was described as "one of theater's most distinguished and versatile actors" and as "an indispensable actor, the kind of performer who could be called on to play kings and commoners and a diversity of characters in between."[4]
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Early life [edit]
Kiley was born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised Roman Catholic. He graduated from Mt. Carmel High School in 1940, and after a year at Loyola University Chicago[5] he left to study acting at Chicago's Barnum Dramatic School. In the late 40s, he performed in Chicago-area summer stock theaters with actors such as Alan Furlan.[6] Following a stint in the Navy, he returned to Chicago working as an actor and announcer on radio before moving to New York City. In New York he studied singing with Ray Smolover.[7]
Career [edit]
His work on stage included Kismet; Richard Rodgers's first musical for which he wrote both music and lyrics, No Strings; the Buddy Hackett vehicle I Had a Ball; and the lead roles in Redhead, Man of La Mancha, and the play The Incomparable Max.
He starred in the television play, Patterns (Kraft Television Theatre), which aired live on January 12, 1955. It caused a sensation, and won an Emmy for its screenwriter Rod Serling.
He won Tony Awards as Best Actor in a musical for the first two. The dual role of the middle-aged Miguel de Cervantes and Don Quixote is one of the few musical roles which entails both the role of the leading man and that of a character actor at the same time, rather than the conventional handsome hero who wins the girl. Kiley had gone on record as saying that he had grown tired of the regular "leading man" role but was always grateful for having been given the chance to play it. Tony Martinez played Sancho Panza to Kiley's Don Quixote.[citation needed]
Later years [edit]
Kiley won several Emmy Awards and Golden Globe Awards for his work in television, including The Thorn Birds (as Paddy, Rachel Ward's father) (1983) and A Year in the Life (1986, 1987–1988). Kiley appeared as Gideon Seyetik in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Second Sight".
In Jurassic Park, the park's impresario boasts about the narration at the beginning of the park tour, "The voice you're now hearing is Richard Kiley. We've spared no expense." Kiley was introduced as the narrator for the tour first in the novel by Michael Crichton, and later in the film adaptation by Steven Spielberg. Visitors to Universal's Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando, Florida, and Universal Studios in Hollywood hear Kiley as the narrator of the Jurassic Park River Adventure ride.
From 1994 until 1998, Kiley narrated the A&E documentary television series, Mysteries of the Bible. His final acting role was in the 1999 TV movie Blue Moon, which debuted the month after his death.[8][9]
Death [edit]
Kiley died of an unspecified bone marrow disease in Warwick, New York, on March 5, 1999, less than a month before he would have turned 77. His remains were interred in Warwick. The lights on Broadway theaters were turned off in his honor.
Filmography [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-richard-kiley-1079757.html
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/06/theater/richard-kiley-the-man-of-la-mancha-is-dead-at-76.html
- ^ http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/101884%7C130075/Richard-Kiley/
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/06/theater/richard-kiley-the-man-of-la-mancha-is-dead-at-76.html
- ^ Obituary: Richard Kiley from The Independent (London) March 11, 1999
- ^ "The Milwaukee Journal". July 30, 1985.
- ^ "Earl Wilson". Toledo Blade. September 22, 1977.
- ^ "Blue Moon" TV movie at IMDB
- ^ http://tv.yahoo.com/person/richard-kiley/biography.html Yahoo TV bio of Richard Kiley
Sources [edit]
- Man of La Mancha - original theatrical program, for Kiley's personal comments on playing Don Quixote
External links [edit]
- Richard Kiley at Find a Grave
- Richard Kiley at the Internet Movie Database
- Richard Kiley at the Internet Broadway Database
- Richard Kiley at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Richard Kiley at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
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- 1922 births
- 1999 deaths
- Actors from Chicago, Illinois
- American film actors
- American musical theatre actors
- American stage actors
- American television actors
- Loyola University Chicago alumni
- Emmy Award winners
- People from Orange County, New York
- Tony Award winners
- Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (television) winners
- Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (television) winners
- People from Warwick, New York
- 20th-century American actors
