Richard Bradford (actor)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Richard Bradford" actor – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Richard Edwin Bradford Jr.^[1] (November 10, 1934 – March 22, 2016^[2]) was an American actor. He is best known for his leading role in the television series Man in a Suitcase (1967–1968) and supporting role in the film The Untouchables (1987).

Early life

Bradford was born in Tyler, Texas, the son of Richard Edwin Bradford and Rose Flaxman.^[2] His stepfather was a wholesale grocer.^[3] Raised by his grandparents in Conroe, Bradford received his schooling in San Antonio, Texas, then attended Texas A&M on a football scholarship.^[2]

When an injury short-circuited his budding athletic career, and a switch to baseball at Texas State University was stymied due to insufficient semester hours, Bradford, who had long admired the work of actors Marlon Brando and James Dean, finally decided to seriously pursue a long-contemplated career in acting. To this end he made his way to New York.^[2]

Career

Supporting himself by waiting tables, Bradford studied acting,

Bradford's work caught the eye of another Actors Studio member, director Arthur Penn, who cast Bradford in The Chase (1966),^[4]. This work, in turn, attracted the attention of media impresario Lew Grade, who brought Bradford to Great Britain in 1967 for Man in a Suitcase.

In addition to his numerous TV appearances, Bradford has been featured in many films, such as The Missouri Breaks (1976), An Enemy of the People (1978), Badge of the Assassin (1985), The Trip to Bountiful (1985), The Untouchables (1987), and The Milagro Beanfield War (1988), but arguably his best known film role is the corrupt police captain in the 1997 film Hoodlum. Bradford appeared in the 1989 film Heart of Dixie and had notable turns in Costa-Gavras' Missing (1982), The Mean Season (1985) and The Crossing Guard (1995).

In the 1960s, he appeared in the Sanctuary episode of the television series

Bradford was married to ballet dancer Eileen Elliott from 1965 to 1984. He had a son, Richard Bradford III.[7]

Miscellaneous

In 1986, The Smiths used a photograph of Bradford on the cover of their single "Panic".^[8]

In 2004, Bradford gave a series of interviews and commentaries for a DVD release of Man in a Suitcase, expressing mild surprise at the ongoing popularity of the series today.^{[citation needed]}

Selected filmography

References