Ron Richardson | |
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| Born | Ronald E. Richardson (1952-01-27)January 27, 1952 |
| Died | April 5, 1995(1995-04-05) (aged 43) Bronxville, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of the Arts |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1970s–1990s |
| Awards | |
Ronald E. Richardson (January 27, 1952 – April 5, 1995) was an American actor andoperaticbaritone. Richardson began his career in the mid-1970s appearing in regional theater and opera productions. He appeared in severalBroadway musicals from 1978 to 1993, arguably best known for hisTony Award andDrama Desk Award-winning performance as "Jim" in the 1985BroadwaymusicalBig River.[1]
Richardson was born inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania. His father, William F. Richardson, worked in themeat-packing industry and his mother operated abeauty parlor in their home for more than 30 years. He had three siblings—brothers, Franklyn Richardson and Raymond Lloyd Richardson, and sister Vickilyn Richardson (nowVickilyn Reynolds).[2] By the age of four, Richardson was singing at a neighborhood church. In high school, he performed in choirs and, eventually, dinner theater musicals. He also studied voice and music composition.[3] After high school, Richardson entered theUniversity of the Arts in Philadelphia, where he studied voice and played roles in classic musicals such asShow Boat,Camelot, andMan of La Mancha.[4]
In 1977, Richardson played "Sportin' Life" in theHouston Grand Opera production ofPorgy and Bess. His first role on Broadway was as the "Chief of Police" in the 1978 musicalTimbuktu! Over the next several years, Richardson appeared in several regional theatre and opera productions and was in the 1983 national tour ofDreamgirls, but it was not until his award-winning performance as "Jim" in the 1985 Broadway musicalBig River that he became widely known. Richardson's approach to the role of "Jim", a runaway slave, was heroic:
"When I play Jim," he told an interviewer fromThe New York Times, "I am playing my grandfather, and my mother swears I look like him as a young man. He was born a free man, but his father and mother were slaves. He was very strong, and very majestic."[5]
AfterBig River closed in 1987, Richardson touredLondon,Japan, Moscow andSt. Petersburg, Russia, in both concerts and staged productions. He also appeared atThe American Place Theater in Leslie Lee'sGround People and starred as "Husky Miller" in theOld Vic revival ofCarmen Jones.[6]
Richardson also appeared in two more Broadway productions during the early 1990s:Oh, Kay! andThe Boys Choir of Harlem and Friends.[7]
On April 5, 1995, Richardson died fromAIDS-related complications inBronxville, New York at the age of 43. His funeral was held on April 8 inMount Vernon, New York, where he had lived.[8][9]
