Jeff Richards

Jeff Richards (November 1, 1924 – July 28, 1989) was an American actor. He was sometimes credited as Dick Taylor and Richard Taylor.

He is best known for his role as Benjamin Pontipee in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954). Following this performance, he tied with George Nader and Joe Adams for the Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer. Despite this, his acting career soon floundered.

Early life and career He was born Richard Mansfield Taylor in Portland, Oregon. Taylor joined the U.S. Navy during World War II and served until 1946. After, he signed with the Portland Beavers and was assigned to their farm team, the Salem Senators. After playing in Salem for two weeks, his baseball career came to an end due to a knee injury.

Early Acting Career He then went to Hollywood to pursue a film career. His first roles included uncredited bits at Warner Bros in The Big Punch (1948), Johnny Belinda (1948), Fighter Squadron (1948) and The Girl from Jones Beach (1949).

At 20th Century Studios, he had small roles in Mother Is a Freshman (1949), and Cheaper by the Dozen (1950). He went to Columbia to make Kill the Umpire (1950), cast as "Richard Taylor". He played a baseball player and publicity said he used to play for Salem in the Western International League and that they had spent six weeks trying to cast the role.

MGM He got a screen test at Metro-Goldwyn Mayer and the studio signed him to a contract and changed his name to Jeff Richards.

Richards had uncredited roles in The Strip (1951) with Mickey Rooney, The Tall Target (1951) with Dick Powell and Paula Raymond, and The People Against O'Hara (1951) with Spencer Tracy, and a bigger credited part in Angels in the Outfield (1951) as a baseball player. He was being sought to play Frank Merriwell.

Richards had small roles in Just This Once (1952) with Peter Lawford, The Sellout (1952) with Walter Pidgeon, Desperate Search (1952), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) with Kirk Douglas, Above and Beyond (1952) with Jane Greer, and Battle Circus (1953) with Humphrey Bogart. He had a slightly bigger part in Code Two (1953) with Ralph Meeker.

Career peak Richards had his first sizeable role, billed third as a ball player, in Big Leaguer (1954). Seagulls Over Sorrento (1954) was another decent sized role. Then Richards was the third lead in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), after Howard Keel and Jane Powell. It was a big hit and established him as a film name. MGM started to build him up as a star. Dore Schary, head of the studio, said the actor had "tremendous personal charm" and "looks like a great bet [to become a star], based on his reception til now."

MGM announced him as star of O'Kelley's Eclipse but it was not made. He was announced for Forbidden Planet but did not appear in the final film. Bar Sinister with Roger Moore was announced but not made.

Richards was one of Eleanor Parker's brothers in Many Rivers to Cross (1955) and was finally given a star part in the Western The Marauders (1955) playing a hero opposite Dan Duryea. He played the lead in the box-office flop It's a Dog's Life (1955) and had one of the male leads in the musical The Opposite Sex (1956) with June Allyson, Joan Collins, and Ann Sheridan.

The Marauders, It's a Dog's Life and The Opposite Sex all lost money and MGM began to lose enthusiasm for Richards. He began working on TV, guest starring in "Man with a Choice" for The Web (1957) and "The Other Side of the Curtain" for Suspicion.

Richards supported Glenn Ford in MGM's popular comedy Don't Go Near the Water (1957) but it was a relatively minor role. He lost out on the lead of Walk the Tightrope. In April 1957 he secured his release from the studio on the condition he repay $4,400 of his salary, later saying, “I wanted to be free to chart my own course. Right now, I’m interested in doing an adventure series on television.”

Post MGM Richards guest starred on The Millionaire, and Schlitz Playhouse, then co-starred with Mamie Van Doren in the Warner Bros rodeo drama Born Reckless (1958).

In 1958, on television, Richards played the title role in the NBC western television series Jefferson Drum (1958–59), the story of a crusading journalist, with Eugene Martin portraying his young son. The series was cancelled after twenty-six episodes aired over two seasons.

He also had the lead in Island of Lost Women (1959) made by Jaguar Productions. Richards signed a five-year contract with Jaguar to make two films a year but made no further films for them.

Richards guest-starred in Behind Closed Doors, Alcoa Theatre, Adventures in Paradise, and Laramie and played the role in 1961 of Jubal Evans in the episode "Incident of His Brother's Keeper" of the CBS western Rawhide.

Richards' last lead role was in the underwater adventure The Secret of the Purple Reef (1960). His last role was in 1966 as Kallen in the film Waco.

Personal life Richards married Shirley Sibre in 1954, but they were divorced the following year. He married Vickie Flaxman in 1955, and they had one child (a daughter born in 1957 ) before they divorced in 1959. She later married actor Van Williams.

Richards retired from acting and moved to San Bernardino County, where he lived in a trailer park and collected disability for the remainder of his life.

Jeff Richards died on July 28, 1989, aged 64, from acute respiratory failure. He is buried at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1948 The Big Punch Bit Role Uncredited Johnny Belinda Floyd McQuiggen Uncredited Fighter Squadron Captain (scenes deleted) 1949 Mother Is a Freshman Butch Uncredited The Girl from Jones Beach Lifeguard Uncredited 1950 Cheaper by the Dozen Bit Role Uncredited Kill the Umpire Bob Landon 1951 The Tall Target Philadelphia Police Officer Uncredited The Strip G.I. Ward Patient Uncredited The People Against O'Hara Wilson Uncredited Angels in the Outfield Dave Rothberg 1952 Just This Once Denham's Clerk Uncredited The Sellout Walter O. Hickby Desperate Search Ed The Bad and the Beautiful Studio Props Department Man Uncredited Above and Beyond Thomas Ferebee 1953 Battle Circus Lieutenant Code Two Harry Whenlon Big Leaguer Adam Polachuk 1954 Crest of the Wave Seaman D. 'Butch' Clelland (USN) Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Benjamin 1955 Many Rivers to Cross Fremont Cherne The Marauders Corey Everett It's a Dog's Life Patch McGill 1956 Meet Me in Las Vegas Jeff Richards Uncredited The Opposite Sex Buck Winston 1957 Don't Go Near the Water Lt. Ross Pendleton 1958 Born Reckless Kelly Cobb 1959 Island of Lost Women Mark Bradley 1960 The Secret of the Purple Reef Mark Christophe 1966 Waco Kallen (final film role)

Television Year Title Role Notes1961 Rawhide Jubal Evans S3:E21, "Incident of His Brother's Keeper"