Richard Backus
Encyclopedia
Richard Backus is an American
actor and television writer. He has been nominated for four Daytime Emmy Award
s for writing and one for acting.
on March 28, 1945. He attended Harvard University
. He has been married to Sharon Romeyko since January 27, 1985.
debut at the Booth Theatre
in the original production of Butterflies Are Free
. The production began in October 1969 with Backus cast as the understudy
for Keir Dullea
in the role of Don Baker. He was first appeared in the role, which we would later take over, in 1971. Since then, he has appeared in several other Broadway productions, including Ah, Wilderness!
, Camelot
, and most recently You Never Can Tell. Other venues at which Backus has appeared include the American Shakespeare Theatre
, the Ensemble Studio Theatre
, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music
. Backus has also acted in film and television. In the seventies, Backus was in Deathdream
and portrayed scheming but well-meaning Jason Saxton on Lovers and Friends
. From 1980 through 1981, he portrayed Barry Ryan on the soap opera Ryan's Hope
, a performance for which he was nominated for the 1981 Daytime Emmy Award
for Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role in a Daytime Drama Series.
since as early as 1989. He has worked on three television shows: As the World Turns
, One Life to Live
, and Days of our Lives
. As the World Turns and One Life to Live have each earned Backus two nominations for the Daytime Emmy Award
for Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team. The writing team behind One Life to Live was also nominated for the 2004 Writers Guild of America
Award for Daytime Serials.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor and television writer. He has been nominated for four Daytime Emmy Award
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
s for writing and one for acting.
Biography
Richard Backus was born in Goffstown, New HampshireGoffstown, New Hampshire
Goffstown is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 17,651 at the 2010 census. The compact center of town, where 3,196 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the Goffstown census-designated place and is located at the...
on March 28, 1945. He attended Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He has been married to Sharon Romeyko since January 27, 1985.
Acting career
Richard Backus made his Broadway theatreBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut at the Booth Theatre
Booth Theatre
The Booth Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 222 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan, New York City.Architect Henry B. Herts designed the Booth and its companion Shubert Theatre as a back-to-back pair sharing a Venetian Renaissance-style façade...
in the original production of Butterflies Are Free
Butterflies Are Free
Butterflies Are Free is a 1972 film based on a play by Leonard Gershe. The 1972 film was produced by M.J. Frankovich, released by Columbia Pictures, directed by Milton Katselas and adapted for the screen by Gershe. It was released on 6 July, 1972 in the USA.Goldie Hawn and Edward Albert starred...
. The production began in October 1969 with Backus cast as the understudy
Understudy
In theater, an understudy is a performer who learns the lines and blocking/choreography of a regular actor or actress in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to appear on stage because of illness or emergencies, the understudy takes over the part...
for Keir Dullea
Keir Dullea
Keir Dullea is an American actor best known for the character of astronaut David Bowman, whom he portrayed in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey and in 1984's 2010: The Year We Make Contact...
in the role of Don Baker. He was first appeared in the role, which we would later take over, in 1971. Since then, he has appeared in several other Broadway productions, including Ah, Wilderness!
Ah, Wilderness!
Ah, Wilderness! is a comedy by American playwright Eugene O'Neill that premiered on Broadway at the Guild Theatre on 2 October 1933.-Plot summary:...
, Camelot
Camelot (musical)
Camelot is a musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe . It is based on the King Arthur legend as adapted from the T. H. White tetralogy novel The Once and Future King....
, and most recently You Never Can Tell. Other venues at which Backus has appeared include the American Shakespeare Theatre
American Shakespeare Theatre
The American Shakespeare Theatre was a theater company based in Stratford, Connecticut, United States. It was formed in 1955 by Lawrence Langner, Lincoln Kirstein, and Joseph Verner Reed. Plays were produced at the Festival Theatre in Stratford from 1955 until the company ceased operations in...
, the Ensemble Studio Theatre
Ensemble Studio Theatre
The Ensemble Studio Theatre is a membership-based, developmental theatre located in New York City. It has a dual mission of nurturing individual theatre artists and developing new American plays.-Overview:...
, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Academy of Music is a major performing arts venue in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, United States, known as a center for progressive and avant garde performance....
. Backus has also acted in film and television. In the seventies, Backus was in Deathdream
Deathdream
Deathdream is a 1972 Canadian horror film, directed by Bob Clark and written by Alan Ormsby. It was inspired by the W.W. Jacobs short story The Monkey's Paw.-Plot summary:...
and portrayed scheming but well-meaning Jason Saxton on Lovers and Friends
Lovers and Friends
Lovers and Friends is a short-lived American soap opera that premiered on NBC on January 3, 1977 and ended on September 29, 1978. The show was created by Harding Lemay and Paul Rauch, both of whom were also working for the daytime drama Another World...
. From 1980 through 1981, he portrayed Barry Ryan on the soap opera Ryan's Hope
Ryan's Hope
Ryan's Hope is an American soap opera, revolving around 13 years of trials and tribulations within a large Irish American family in the Riverside district of New York City. It aired from July 7, 1975 to January 13, 1989 on ABC...
, a performance for which he was nominated for the 1981 Daytime Emmy Award
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
for Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role in a Daytime Drama Series.
Writing career
Richard Backus has been a screenwriterScreenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
since as early as 1989. He has worked on three television shows: As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
, One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
, and Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
. As the World Turns and One Life to Live have each earned Backus two nominations for the Daytime Emmy Award
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
for Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team. The writing team behind One Life to Live was also nominated for the 2004 Writers Guild of America
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
Award for Daytime Serials.