Richard Kiley

Richard Paul Kiley (March 31, 1922 – March 5, 1999) was an American stage, film, and television actor and singer. He is best known for his distinguished theatrical career in which he twice won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Kiley originated the role of Don Quixote in the original 1965 production of the Broadway musical Man of La Mancha and was the first to sing and record "The Impossible Dream", the hit song from the show. 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." 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. In New York he studied singing with Ray Smolover.

Career 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.

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.

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.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1951 The Mob Thomas Clancy1952 The Sniper Dr. James G. Kent Eight Iron Men Private Coke 1953 Pickup on South Street Joey1955 Blackboard Jungle Joshua Y. Edwards The Phenix City Story John Patterson 1957 Spanish Affair Merritt Blake 1958 The Power of the Resurrection Peter 1969 Pendulum Woodrow Wilson King 1970 A.k.a. Cassius Clay Narrator 1974 The Little Prince The Pilot 1977 Looking for Mr. Goodbar Mr. Dunn 1981 Endless Love Arthur Axelrod 1986 Howard the Duck The Cosmos Voice1989 To the Limit Narrator Miami Cops The Final Days J. Fred Buzhard1993 Jurassic Park Tour Guide Voice (Himself) Voice The Gospel According to St. Matthew Old Matthew 1996 Phenomenon Dr. Wellin 1997 Time to Say Goodbye? Dr. Gerald Klooster 1998 Patch Adams Dr. Titan 2002 Jesus the Christ Matthew Final role (posthumous release)

Television 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 StarkTom LynottBohannonWill 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 film1981 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 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special 1984 George Washington George Mason Television film1985 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 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 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series 1987 Lions of the African Night Narrator National Geographic Documentary 1988 My First Love Sam Morrissey Television film 1990 Gunsmoke II: The Last Apache/GunsmokeChalk BrighamTV Movie 1990 Aladdin The Magician Television film 1990 The Genius That Was China Narrator Documentary series1991 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 Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special The Ray Bradbury Theater Douglas Spaulding Episode: "The Utterly Perfect Murder" Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series 1992–1994 Picket Fences Hayden Langston 2 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series 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 film1997 Time to Say Goodbye? Dr. Gerald Klooster Television film Tigers of the Snow Narrator1998 Ally McBeal Seymore Little Episode: "Once in a Lifetime" Blue Moon Jimmy Keating Television film

Stage Year Title Role Notes 1953 Misalliance Joey Percival Theatre World Award 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 1960–1961 Advise and Consent Brig Anderson 1962–1963 No Strings David Jordan Nominated—Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical 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 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 1977 Man of La Mancha Don Quixote Nominated—Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical 1987 All My Sons Joe Keller Nominated—Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Results Ref. 1976 Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Actor in a Play The Heiress 1978 Outstanding Actor in a Musical Man of La Mancha 1966 Drama League Awards Distinguished Performance Award Man of La Mancha 1983 Golden Globe Awards Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television The Thorn Birds 1987 Best Actor in a Television Series – Drama A Year in the Life 1991 Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Separate but Equal 1967 Grammy Awards Best Recording for Children Jungle Books Magic Fishbone/Happy Prince/Potted Princess 1983 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special The Thorn Birds 1985 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special Do You Remember Love 1988 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series A Year in the Life 1991 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special Separate but Equal 1992 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series The Ray Bradbury Theater 1993 Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series Picket Fences 1994 Picket Fences 1995 Outstanding Informational Special 30 Years of National Geographic Specials 1997 National Geographic Special: Tigers of the Snow 1953 Theatre World Awards Misalliance 1959 Tony Awards Best Leading Actor in a Musical Redhead 1962 No Strings 1966 Man of La Mancha 1987 Best Leading Actor in a Play All My Sons 1975 Western Heritage Awards Factual Television Program The American Parade 1976 Fictional Television Drama How the West Was Won 1991 Factual Narrative World of Discovery