Richard Long (actor)

For other people named Richard Long, see Richard Long (disambiguation).

Richard Long
Occupation	Actor
Spouse(s)	Suzan Ball (1954-1955, died of cancer); Mara Corday (1957-1974)
Children	Carey (born 1957), Valerie (born 1958), Gregory (born 1960)

Richard Long (December 17, 1927 - December 21, 1974) was an American actor best known for his leading roles in several ABC television series, including The Big Valley (with Barbara Stanwyck) and Nanny and the Professor (with Juliet Mills). He also appeared as "Gentleman Jack Darby" in Maverick, including the oft-discussed "Shady Deal at Sunny Acres" episode. Long played private detective Rex Randolph as a lead in both Bourbon Street Beat (1959-1960) with Andrew Duggan and in 77 Sunset Strip (both ABC Warner Brothers programs), with Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes. Long replaced Smith on 77 Sunset Strip when Smith left the series because of health problems.

Long was the fifth of six children born in Chicago, Illinois, to Sherman D. Long and the former Dale McCord. Sherman Long was a commercial artist who operated his own studio. Mrs. Long was a homemaker. The family lived in several locations in Illinois before settling in Evanston near Chicago. Long attended grammar school in Evanston and then Waller High School in Chicago and then the Evanston Township High School. In 1944, the family relocated to Hollywood, California, and Long attended Hollywood High School for his senior year. Long said that as a teenager he had "no intention of becoming an actor. I took senior drama class because it was a snap course, and I needed the credit for my English requirement."

At Hollywood High School, Long caught the eye of a talent scout from Universal-International by accident. Casting director Jack Murton gave a ride to a couple of students and asked them if a school play was scheduled. The boys told Murton about the excellent male lead actor, Richard Long. In 1946, Long was hence cast in his first film, Tomorrow Is Forever as Drew, the son of Claudette Colbert and George Brent. The role had been unfilled for months, and producers selected Long who most closely matched the credentials required.

Long was twice married. His first wife of fourteen months, actress Suzan Ball (a cousin of Lucille Ball) died of cancer in 1955 at the age of twenty-one. In 1957, Long married actress and model Mara Corday, with whom he had three children, Carey (born 1957, Valerie (born 1958, and Gregory (born 1960).

Early in his career, Long appeared in several films as a juvenile lead, including four of the nine Ma and Pa Kettle pictures. He was cast as Tom Kettle, one of the sons of the characters played by Percy Kilbridge and Marjorie Main. His second film was the Orson Welles's The Stranger as Noah, the brother of Loretta Young's character. He also played "Jeff Taylor" in The Life of Riley. He then moved into leading man status in B movies such as House on Haunted Hill (1959) before he achieved considerable success in television.

In 1963, Long was cast in the MGM romantic musical Follow the Boys, along with costars Connie Francis, Paula Prentiss, and Roger Perry.

At the age of thirty-eight, Long in 1965 began his role as attorney Jarrod Barkley, oldest son to rancher Victoria Barkley (Barbara Stanwyck), in The Big Valley, the last of the major Four Star Television series, a Western which ran on ABC from 1965-1969. The "Valley" is the San Joaquin Valley near California. The series was set in the 1870ss. Long's other The Big Valley costars were Peter Breck, Linda Evans, and Lee Majors, who played the out-of-wedlock son of Victoria's late husband Tom. Long also directed some of The Big Valley episodes.

In 1970-1971, he and Juliet Mills starred in the ABC sitcom Nanny and the Professor. Long played a college professor, and Mill was the housekeeper and nanny for Long's children.

In 1974, Long appeared on the game show Match Game. He also finished a television movie called "Death Cruise", which turned out to have been his last work. He had heart problems throughout his adult life and had suffered a heart attack in the latter 1950s. As a boy, he had suffered pneumonia, which apparently weakened his heart. He was also a heavy smoker and drinker. Mara remained with Long until his early death of multiple heart attacks just four days after his 47th birthday.

Long was a brother-in-law of actor Marshall Thompson, with whom he appeared in the 1955 film Cult of the Cobra.

External links

• Richard Long at IMDb