Richard Bradford (actor)
Encyclopedia
Richard Bradford is an American actor, known for his lead role as former CIA agent turned private eye McGill in the British
TV
adventure series Man in a Suitcase
, made by ITC
in 1967.
Bradford was born in Tyler, Texas
, the son of Rose and Richard Edwin Bradford. His stepfather was a wholesale grocer. He first studied acting at the Actors' Studio in New York. As well as his numerous TV appearances, Bradford has featured in many films, such as The Chase
(1966), More American Graffiti
(1979), and The Legend of Billie Jean
(1985), and The Trip To Bountiful
(1986), but his best known role in the cinema
was in Brian De Palma
's The Untouchables (1987), playing corrupt Irish
cop Mike Dorsett, and also having a notable fight scene with Sean Connery
. Bradford played a similar police officer in the 1997 film Hoodlum
featuring Laurence Fishburne
, Andy García
, and Tim Roth
. Bradford appeared in the 1989 film Heart of Dixie
.
He also guest starred NBC's "Viper (TV series)
"
He appeared in one episode of the Television series Gunsmoke
in the 1960s.
He was also a semi-regular cast member of the television crime series Cagney & Lacey
. In 2004 Richard Bradford gave a series of interviews and commentaries for a DVD
release of Man in a Suitcase, expressing mild surprise at the ongoing popularity of the series today.
Bradford married ballet dancer Eileen Elliott.
In 1986 The Smiths
used a photograph of Bradford on the cover of their single "Panic".
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
adventure series Man in a Suitcase
Man in a Suitcase
Man in a Suitcase is a 1967 television series produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment.-Origins and overview:Man in a Suitcase was effectively a replacement for Danger Man, whose production had been curtailed when its star Patrick McGoohan had decided to create his own series, The Prisoner...
, made by ITC
ITC Entertainment
The Incorporated Television Company was a British television company largely involved in production and distribution. It was founded by Lew Grade.-History:...
in 1967.
Bradford was born in Tyler, Texas
Tyler, Texas
Tyler is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, in the United States. It takes its name from President John Tyler . The city had a population of 109,000 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau...
, the son of Rose and Richard Edwin Bradford. His stepfather was a wholesale grocer. He first studied acting at the Actors' Studio in New York. As well as his numerous TV appearances, Bradford has featured in many films, such as The Chase
The Chase (1966 film)
The Chase is a 1966 American drama film directed by Arthur Penn, about a series of events set into motion by a prison break. Since one of the two escapees is Charlie "Bubber" Reeves , the escape causes a stir in a nearby town where Bubber is a well-known figure.The film deals with themes of racism...
(1966), More American Graffiti
More American Graffiti
More American Graffiti is the 1979 sequel film to George Lucas's hit film American Graffiti. Whereas the first film followed a group of friends during the summer evening before they set off for college, this film shows us where the characters from the first film end up a few years later.Most of the...
(1979), and The Legend of Billie Jean
The Legend of Billie Jean
The Legend of Billie Jean is a 1985 American drama film, directed by Matthew Robbins.-Plot:Billie Jean Davy , a Corpus Christi, Texas high school girl, rides with her younger brother, Binx , on a Honda Elite to a local lake to enjoy a day of swimming and relaxation...
(1985), and The Trip To Bountiful
The Trip to Bountiful
The Trip to Bountiful is a 1985 film starring Geraldine Page, John Heard, Carlin Glynn, Richard Bradford and Rebecca De Mornay. Geraldine Page won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as Carrie Watts. The movie was adapted by Horton Foote from his television play. The Trip to...
(1986), but his best known role in the cinema
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
was in Brian De Palma
Brian De Palma
Brian Russell De Palma is an American film director and writer. In a career spanning over 40 years, he is probably best known for his suspense and crime thriller films, including such box office successes as the horror film Carrie, Dressed to Kill, Scarface, The Untouchables, and Mission:...
's The Untouchables (1987), playing corrupt Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
cop Mike Dorsett, and also having a notable fight scene with Sean Connery
Sean Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
. Bradford played a similar police officer in the 1997 film Hoodlum
Hoodlum
Hoodlum is a 1997 crime film that gives a fictionalized account of the gang war between the Italian/Jewish mafia alliance and the black gangsters of Harlem that took place in the late 1920s and early 1930s...
featuring Laurence Fishburne
Laurence Fishburne
Laurence John Fishburne III is an American film and stage actor, playwright, director, and producer. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Morpheus in the Matrix science fiction film trilogy, as Cowboy Curtis on the 1980's television show Pee-wee's Playhouse, and as singer-musician Ike Turner...
, Andy García
Andy García
Andrés Arturo García Menéndez , professionally known as Andy García, is a Cuban American actor. He became known in the late 1980s and 1990s, having appeared in several successful Hollywood films, including The Godfather: Part III, The Untouchables, Internal Affairs and When a Man Loves a Woman...
, and Tim Roth
Tim Roth
Simon Timothy "Tim" Roth is an English film actor and director best known for his roles in the American films,Legend of 1900, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Four Rooms, Skellig, Planet of the Apes, The Incredible Hulk and Rob Roy, receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for...
. Bradford appeared in the 1989 film Heart of Dixie
Heart of Dixie
Heart of Dixie is a 1989 drama film adaptation of the 1976 novel Heartbreak Hotel by Anne Rivers Siddons and directed by Martin Davidson...
.
He also guest starred NBC's "Viper (TV series)
Viper (TV series)
Viper is an action-adventure TV series about a special task force set up by the federal government to fight crime in the fictional city of Metro City, California that is perpetually under siege from one crime wave after another. The weapon used by this task force is an assault vehicle that...
"
He appeared in one episode of the Television series Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
in the 1960s.
He was also a semi-regular cast member of the television crime series Cagney & Lacey
Cagney & Lacey
Cagney & Lacey is an American television series that originally aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from October 8, 1981 to May 16, 1988...
. In 2004 Richard Bradford gave a series of interviews and commentaries for a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release of Man in a Suitcase, expressing mild surprise at the ongoing popularity of the series today.
Bradford married ballet dancer Eileen Elliott.
In 1986 The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
used a photograph of Bradford on the cover of their single "Panic".