Santa Barbara, Dynasty actor Peter Mark Richman has died

Posted Friday, January 15, 2021 8:52:55 AM

Peter Mark Richman -- an actor with over 130 television credits, including Santa Barbara, Dynasty, and Three's Company -- has passed away. He was 93.

Soap opera alum Peter Mark Richman (ex-Andrew Laird, Dynasty; ex-C.C. Capwell, Santa Barbara; ex-Maynard Anderson, Dallas), who also appeared on shows like Three's Company and Beverly Hills, 90210, has died of natural causes. He was 93.

Born in Pennsylvania, Richman studied at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science and briefly worked as a pharmacist before deciding to kick-start his acting career in New York as a member of the Actors Studio in the 1950s. His early experience included on- and off-Broadway productions as well as touring nationally in seminal plays like Mister Roberts, The Rainmaker, and A Hatful of Rain.

Richman was brought to Hollywood by famed director William Wyler to appear in the 1956 film Friendly Persuasion, but the actor found that he really soared on the small screen. By the early 60s, he starred in his own series at NBC, Cain's Hundred, which led to over 130 TV credits to his name. Some of those include The Twilight Zone, The Fugitive, Star Trek: Next Generation, The Outer Limits: The Probe, and Three's Company (in which he played Reverend Snow, the father of Suzanne Somers' character, Chrissy Snow).

As for his soap opera experience, Richman originated the role of Santa Barbara's C.C. Capwell in 1984 and played Dynasty character Andrew Laird -- the attorney for the Carrington family -- from 1981 to 1984. He also appeared as Maynard Anderson in a 1978 episode of Dallas.

In addition to his work in front of the camera, Richman was a noted humanitarian (for which he was awarded a Silver Medallion from The Motion Picture and Television Fund) and an accomplished painter, having trained at the Philadelphia Sketch Club. He described himself as a "figurative expressionist" and had at least 17 one-man exhibitions on the West Coast and in New York (primarily oil portraits on canvas).

In his eight-decade career, Richman also produced works as a playwright. His one-man show, 4 Faces, was made into a movie in 1999, in which he also starred.

Richman is survived by his wife of 67 years, actress Helen Richman; their five children, Howard Bennett, Kelly Allyn, Lucas Dion, Orien, and Roger Lloyd; and six grandchildren.

What do you remember most from Richman's time on Dynasty and Santa Barbara? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.

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