Richard Kiley

In the 1953 hit musical Kismet, he played the Caliph in the original Broadway cast and as such was one of the quartet who sang "And This Is My Beloved". He also won four Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards during his five-decade career and his "sonorous baritone" was also featured in the narration of a number of documentaries and other films. At the time of 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."

Richard Kiley studied at Loyola University Chicago and Mount Carmel High School. The recorded working language is English. The field of work recorded is acting. Distinctions recorded are Theatre World Award, Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie.

• Name — Richard Kiley • Birth Name — Richard Paul Kiley • Born — 31 March 1922 • Birthplace — Chicago, Illinois, U.S. • Died — 5 March 1999 • Place of death — Middletown, New York, U.S. • Occupation — Actor, singer • Years Active — 1940s–1999 • Children — 6 • Resting Place — Warwick Cemetery

Kiley was born to an Irish-American Catholic family on March 31, 1922, in Chicago. He graduated from Mt. Carmel High School in 1939, and after a year at Loyola University Chicago he left to study acting at Chicago's Barnum Dramatic School. He served as a gunner instructor for the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1946. Following his service in the Navy during World War II, he returned to Chicago working as an actor and announcer on radio before moving to New York City. In the late 1940s, he performed in Chicago-area summer stock theaters with actors such as Alan Furlan. In New York he studied singing with Ray Smolover.

Kiley's work on stage included Kismet, No Strings (Richard Rodgers's first stage musical after the death of Oscar Hammerstein II, for which Rodgers wrote both music and lyrics), the Buddy Hackett vehicle I Had a Ball, the initial Broadway production of Absurd Person Singular, Broadway revivals of The Heiress and All My Sons, and the lead roles in Redhead, Man of La Mancha, and the play The Incomparable Max. He can be heard on the original Broadway cast recordings of Kismet, Redhead, No Strings, I Had a Ball and Man of La Mancha, and on video performing excerpts from No Strings and Man of La Mancha on The Ed Sullivan Show. Kiley starred in the television play Patterns, which aired live on January 12, 1955. It caused a sensation and won an Emmy for its writer, Rod Serling. Kiley played the role of John Malcolm Patterson, future Attorney General of Alabama and later Governor of Alabama) in the 1955 film The Phenix City Story. Kiley also portrayed math teacher Joshua Edwards, whose phonograph records were smashed by delinquents in Blackboard Jungle in 1955. Kiley won Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Musical for Redhead in 1959 and Man of La Mancha in 1966. The dual role of middle-aged author Cervantes and his fictional creation Quixote is one of the few musical roles that requires the talents of both leading man and character actor. Kiley said while La Mancha was on Broadway that despite the fact he had grown tired of playing leading men, he would always be grateful for having been given the chance to perform in La Mancha. He performed in the original production for over five years and returned for Broadway revivals in 1972 and 1977 saying he had become "very possessive" of the role. Kiley won three Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for his work in television. He won both an Emmy and Golden Globe awards for The Thorn Birds (as Paddy, Rachel Ward's father) (1983) and A Year in the Life (1986, 1987–1988). His third Emmy win was for Guest Actor in a Drama Series, for an episode of Picket Fences, in which he had a recurring role as the father of main character Jill Brock (Kathy Baker). Kiley also received an Emmy nomination for portraying Chief Justice Earl Warren in the 1991 miniseries Separate but Equal dramatizing Brown vs. Board of Education. • Illustration — Kiley with Peter Falk in Columbo, 1974. Other television work included the murderous police commissioner on Columbo (1974, the episode "A Friend In Deed"), his appearance as Gideon Seyetik in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Second Sight", as well as guest roles on Ally McBeal, Hawaii Five-O, and Gunsmoke. He narrated the award-winning seven-part 1986 PBS documentary Planet Earth. Kiley's baritone voice made him a favorite to narrate other documentaries for television. Starting with ‘Land of the Tiger’ in 1985, Kiley provided narration for multiple National Geographic Video television specials. Kiley also voiced two 1975 episodes of CBS Radio Mystery Theater. In Jurassic Park, Kiley's voice narrates the park's vehicle tour. 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 where the owner of the park said he "spared no expense" hiring Kiley. Visitors to Universal's Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando, Florida, and the former attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood hear Kiley as the narrator of the Jurassic Park River Adventure ride – making him the only person to appear in the book, the film, and the ride. Kiley also narrated the A&E documentary television series Mysteries of the Bible, from 1994 to 1998. His final acting role was in the 1999 TV movie Blue Moon, which debuted the month after his death.

Kiley died of an unspecified bone marrow disease at Horton Hospital in Middletown, New York, on March 5, 1999, less than a month before his 77th birthday. He was scheduled to attend a Theater Hall of Fame event shortly before his death but was too ill. He was survived by his wife, dancer Patricia Ferrier, and six children from his first marriage: sons David and Michael Kiley and daughters Kathleen, Dorothea, Erin and Deirdre. His remains were interred in Warwick, New York. Broadway's lights went dark in his honor.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1953 — The United States Steel Hour — Sergeant Lucky Dover — Episode: "P.O.W." • 1954 — Justice — Unknown — 2 episodes • 1955 — Kraft Television Theatre — Fred Staples — Episode: "Patterns" • 1956 — Studio One — Mr. Dean — Episode: "The Landlady's Daughter" • 1958 — Decision — Paul Scott — Season 1 Episode 6: "Indemnity" • 1958 — Alfred Hitchcock Presents — Harry Adams — Season 4 Episode 4: "The Crooked Road" • 1963 — Alfred Hitchcock Hour — Jim Derry — Season 2 Episode 5: "Blood Bargain" • 1969 — Night Gallery — Joseph Strobe — Television film ("The Escape Route" segment) • 1970–1973 — Gunsmoke — Lewis Stark Tom Lynott Bohannon Will Stambridge — Episode: "Stark" Episode: "Lynott" Episode: "Bohannon" Episode: "Kitty's Love Affair" • 1970 — Bonanza — Gideon Yates — Episode: "Gideon the Good" • The Ceremony of Innocence — King Ethelred II — Television film • 1971 — Murder Once Removed — Frank Manning — Television film • 1974 — Columbo: A Friend in Deed — Mark Halperin • 1975 — Friendly Persuasion — Jess Birdwell — Television film • 1976 — How the West Was Won — Timothy Macahan • 1980 — Angel on My Shoulder — Nick — Television film • 1981 — Isabel's Choice — Lyman Jones — Television film • Golden Gate — Thomas J. Kingsley — Television film • 1983 — The Thorn Birds — Paddy Cleary — 2 episodes Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television (1984) Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special (1983) • 1984 — George Washington — George Mason — Television film • 1985 — A.D. — Claudius — Television film • The Canterville Ghost — Sir Simon de Canterville — Television film • Do You Remember Love — George Hollis — Television film Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special (1985) • 1986 — Planet Earth — Narrator — 7 episodes • The Twilight Zone — Lancelot — Episode: "The Last Defender of Camelot (The Twilight Zone)" • If Tomorrow Comes — Gunther Hartog — 3 episodes • 1986–1988 — A Year in the Life — Joe Gardner — 22 episodes Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series – Drama (1987) Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (1988) • 1987 — Lions of the African Night — Narrator — National Geographic Documentary • 1988 — My First Love — Sam Morrissey — Television film • 1990 — Gunsmoke II: The Last Apache/Gunsmoke — Chalk Brigham — TV Movie • 1990 — Aladdin — The Magician — Television film • 1990 — The Genius That Was China — Narrator — Documentary series • 1991 — Absolute Strangers — Dr. R.J. Cannon — Television film • Separate but Equal — Chief Justice Earl Warren — Television film Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television (1991) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special (1991) • The Ray Bradbury Theater — Douglas Spaulding — Episode: "The Utterly Perfect Murder" Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (1992) • 1992–1994 — Picket Fences — Hayden Langston — 2 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (1994) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (1993) • 1993 — Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — Dr. Gideon Seyetik — Episode: "Second Sight" • 1994–1998 — Mysteries of the Bible — Narrator • 1995 — The Great Defender — Joe Dewitt — 8 episodes • 1996 — Mary & Tim — Ron Melville — Television film • 1997 — Time to Say Goodbye? — Dr. Gerald Klooster — Television film • Tigers of the Snow — Narrator • 1998 — Ally McBeal — Seymore Little — Episode: "Once in a Lifetime" • Blue Moon — Jimmy Keating — Television film

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1953 — Misalliance — Joey Percival — Theatre World Award (1953) • 1953–1955 — Kismet — The Caliph • 1956 — Time Limit — Major Harry Cargill • 1959–1960 — Redhead — Tom Baxter — Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical (1959) • 1960–1961 — Advise and Consent — Brig Anderson • 1962–1963 — No Strings — David Jordan — Nominated—Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical (1962) • 1963–1964 — Here's Love — Fred Gaily • 1964–1965 — I Had a Ball — Stan the Shpieler • 1965–1971 — Man of La Mancha — Miguel de Cervantes / Don Quixote — Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical (1966) • 1968 — Her First Roman — Caesar • 1971 — The Incomparable Max — Enoch Soames • 1972 — Voices — Robert • Man of La Mancha — Miguel de Cervantes/Don Quixote • 1974–1976 — Absurd Person Singular — Ronald • 1975 — Ah, Wilderness! — Nat Miller — Academy Festival Theatre, Drake Theatre at Barat College, Lake Forest, Illinois • 1976 — The Heiress — Dr. Austin Sloper — Nominated—Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play (1976) • 1977 — Man of La Mancha — Don Quixote — Nominated—Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical (1978) • 1987 — All My Sons — Joe Keller — Nominated—Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play (1987)

Richard Kiley is recorded as having studied at Loyola University Chicago and Mount Carmel High School.