Richard Eastham
Richard Eastham | |
|---|---|
| Born | Dickinson Swift Eastham June 22, 1916 Opelousas, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | July 10, 2005 (aged 89) Pacific Palisades, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Oak Grove Cemetery in Bel-Nor, Missouri, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Washington University in St. Louis |
| Occupation | Film, television and stage actor |
| Spouse(s) | Betty Jean Eastham
(m. 1942; died 2002) |
Richard Eastham (born Dickinson Swift Eastham; June 22, 1916 – July 10, 2005) was an American actor of stage, film, and television, a concert singer known for his deep baritone voice, and an inventor.
Early years[]
Eastham's birth name was chosen in honor of Miss Helen Dickinson Swift, one of his mother's college classmates.[1] He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest K. Eastham, and he attended Soldan High School.[2]
Career[]
On Broadway, Eastham was understudy for Ezio Pinza in South Pacific, eventually replacing Pinza on stage. His performance was so well received that he was made the male lead for a two-year national tour of the musical.[3] His other Broadway plays included Medea and Call Me Madam.[4] Eastham and co-star Janet Blair, in their original roles, headed another tour of South Pacific in 1965.[5] In 1981 he appeared as Wesley Northridge on the "The Waltons" The Lumberjack (TV Episode 1981)
Prompted by his playing of a guitar in The Sound of Music, Eastham invented a device for stringing a guitar, with 31,000 of them sold in the first three weeks that they were available.[2]
Personal life[]
Eastham married Betty Jean Van Allen, who was his high school classmate.[2]
Filmography[]
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1954 | There's No Business Like Show Business | Lew Harris | |
| 1957 | Man on Fire | Bryan Seward | |
| 1960 | Toby Tyler; or, Ten Weeks with a Circus | Colonel Sam Castle | |
| 1965 | That Darn Cat! | Supervisor Newton | |
| 1966 | Not with My Wife, You Don't! | General Milt Walters | |
| 1966 | Murderers' Row | Dr. Norman Solaris | |
| 1973 | Tom Sawyer | Doc Robinson | |
| 1973 | Battle for the Planet of the Apes | Mutant Captain | |
| 1974 | McQ | Walter Forrester | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1957-1958 | Tombstone Territory | Harris Claibourne / Narrator | 91 episodes |
| 1967-1973 | Bonanza | Tom Yardley / Stanton | 2 episodes |
| 1976-1977 | Wonder Woman | General Phil Blankenship | 13 episodes |
References[]
- ^ "Richard Eastham's kin to attend stage hit in body". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 25, 1950. p. 17. Retrieved July 13, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Gardner, Dorothy (March 14, 1966). "He's Stringing Along With the Times". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 45. Retrieved July 13, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Richard Eastham -- Inventor, Actor". Daily World. Louisiana, Opelousas. February 21, 1975. p. 49. Retrieved July 13, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Richard Eastham". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
- ^ Scott, John L. (September 17, 1965). "'South Pacific' Returns; It's Still an Enchanted Evening". The Los Angeles Times. p. 74. Retrieved July 13, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
External links[]
- Richard Eastham at Find a Grave
- Richard Eastham at IMDb
- Richard Eastham at the Internet Broadway Database
(as Dickinson Eastham)
- 1916 births
- 2005 deaths
- Male actors from Louisiana
- American baritones
- American male stage actors
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- Deaths from Alzheimer's disease
- People from Opelousas, Louisiana
- Washington University in St. Louis alumni
- United States Army personnel of World War II
- United States Army soldiers
- 20th-century American male actors
- Western (genre) television actors
- 20th-century American singers
- 20th-century male singers