Grant Richards (actor)
American actor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Grant Richards (born Irwin Jaffe, December 21, 1911 – July 4, 1963) was an American actor, who appeared mainly in movies in the late 1930s through to the late 1950s.
December 12, 1911
Grant Richards | |
|---|---|
Richards in Isle of Destiny (1940) | |
| Born | Irwin Jaffe[1] December 12, 1911 |
| Died | July 4, 1963 (aged 51) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1936–1963 |
| Spouse(s) | Joan Valerie (? – 1943)[1] Jean Stevens (? – 1945)[2] |
Early years
When he was known as Irwin Jaffe, Richards was a student at the University of Miami for three years. He performed in dramatic productions at the university and in the city's Civic Theater.[3]
Career
In 1937, he became the first actor in the Federal Theatre Project to gain a film contract, signing with the Major Pictures company.[4]
His films include On Such a Night (1937) and Guns, Girls, and Gangsters (1959). Richards made three guest appearances on Perry Mason: as Jerry Haywood in the 1958 episodes "The Case of the Haunted Husband," and as Captain Kennedy in "The Case of the Sardonic Sargeant"; followed by the role of murder victim George Sherwin in the 1961 episode, "The Case of the Missing Melody". He also appeared in several episodes of ABC's The Untouchables.
In 1958, he played the gunfighter and saloon owner Luke Short in an episode of the western series, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. In 1962 he played Keeler, a crooked gambler, in The Rifleman episode “Tinhorn”.
Personal life and death
During the 1940s, Richards was briefly married to actresses Joan Valerie–with whom he had one daughter–and Jean Stevens, both marriages ending in divorce.[1][2]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | Hopalong Cassidy Returns | Bob Claiborne | |
| 1937 | Night of Mystery | Philo Vance | |
| On Such a Night | Nicky Last | ||
| Love on Toast | Clark 'Sandy' Sanford | ||
| 1938 | My Old Kentucky Home | Larry Blair | |
| Under the Big Top | Pablo Le Grande | ||
| 1939 | Risky Business | Jack Norman | |
| Inside Information | Charles Bixby | ||
| 1940 | Isle of Destiny | Lt. George Allerton | |
| 1942 | Just Off Broadway | John F. McGonagle - Asst. District Attorney | |
| 1959 | Guns Girls and Gangsters | Joe Darren | |
| Inside the Mafia | Johnny Lucero | ||
| The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake | Police Lt. Jeff Rowan | ||
| 1960 | Oklahoma Territory | Bigelow | |
| Twelve Hours to Kill | Detective Lt. Jim Carnevan | ||
| The Music Box Kid | Chesty Miller | ||
| 1961 | You Have to Run Fast | 'Big Jim' Craven | |
| Secret of Deep Harbor | Rick Correll |
