Richard Webb (actor)
Encyclopedia
Richard Webb was a film, television and radio actor. He was born in Bloomington, Illinois
.
He appeared in more than fifty films, including many westerns
and films noir including Out of the Past
(1947), Night Has a Thousand Eyes
(1948), I Was a Communist for the FBI
(1951) and Carson City
(1952). Today, he may be best remembered as the star of the 1950s TV series Captain Midnight
, based on a long-running radio
program of the same name. In 1958, he guest starred as agent James Foster in Bruce Gordon
's short-lived docudrama
about the Cold War
, Behind Closed Doors
.
In 1954, Webb played the notorious gunfighter John Wesley Hardin
in an episode of Jim Davis
's Stories of the Century
western
anthology series. The segment shows Hardin shooting two Indians
in the back, gunning down a sheriff
in a saloon, and finally being outgunned himself by an El Paso
officer attempting to arrest Hardin, then a lawyer
, on a new murder warrant, possibly his 41st or 45th killing.
In 1959, he appeared as the fictitious Don Jagger, the deputy chief of the United States Border Patrol
in the syndicated
series Border Patrol
.
Webb played Lieutenant Commander Ben Finney on Star Trek: The Original Series
— "Court Martial"
In the 1970s, Webb became a writer and published four books on psychic phenomena.
After a long-term respiratory illness, Webb died of a self-inflicted gunshot
in Van Nuys, California
.
Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
.
He appeared in more than fifty films, including many westerns
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
and films noir including Out of the Past
Out of the Past
Out of the Past is a 1947 film noir directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas. The film was adapted by Daniel Mainwaring , with uncredited revisions by Frank Fenton and James M...
(1947), Night Has a Thousand Eyes
Night Has a Thousand Eyes
Night Has a Thousand Eyes is a 1948 film noir, starring Edward G. Robinson and directed by John Farrow. The screenplay was written by Barré Lyndon and Jonathan Latimer. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Cornell Woolrich.- Plot :...
(1948), I Was a Communist for the FBI
I Was a Communist for the FBI
I Was a Communist for the FBI is the name of a series of stories written by Matt Cvetic that appeared in the Saturday Evening Post. The stories were later turned into a best-selling book, an American espionage thriller radio series and motion picture in the early 1950s.The story follows Cvetic, who...
(1951) and Carson City
Carson City (1952 film)
Carson City is a 1952 western film starring Randolph Scott, Lucille Norman, Raymond Massey, and Richard Webb. Carson City was Warner Bros.' first film shot in WarnerColor.-Plot:...
(1952). Today, he may be best remembered as the star of the 1950s TV series Captain Midnight
Captain Midnight
Captain Midnight is a U.S. adventure franchise first broadcast as a radio serial from 1938 to 1949. Sponsored by the Skelly Oil Company, the radio program was the creation of radio scripters Wilfred G. Moore and Robert M...
, based on a long-running radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
program of the same name. In 1958, he guest starred as agent James Foster in Bruce Gordon
Bruce Gordon (actor)
Bruce Gordon was an American actor best known for playing Frank Nitti in the ABC television series The Untouchables....
's short-lived docudrama
Docudrama
In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
about the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, Behind Closed Doors
Behind Closed Doors (1958 TV series)
Behind Closed Doors is an American drama series set during the Cold War hosted by and occasionally starring Bruce Gordon in the role of Commander Matson. The series, which aired on NBC from October 2, 1958, to April 9, 1959, focuses, among other themes, on how the former Soviet Union stole American...
.
In 1954, Webb played the notorious gunfighter John Wesley Hardin
John Wesley Hardin
John Wesley Hardin was an American outlaw, gunfighter, and controversial folk hero of the Old West. He was born in Bonham, Texas. Hardin found himself in trouble with the law at an early age, and spent the majority of his life being pursued by both local lawmen and federal troops of the...
in an episode of Jim Davis
Jim Davis (actor)
Jim Davis was an American actor, best known for his role as Jock Ewing in the CBS prime-time soap Dallas, a role which he held up until his death in April 1981.-Biography:...
's Stories of the Century
Stories of the Century
Stories of the Century is a Western television series that ran in syndication through Republic Pictures between January 23, 1954, and March 11, 1955.-Synopsis:...
western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
anthology series. The segment shows Hardin shooting two Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
in the back, gunning down a sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
in a saloon, and finally being outgunned himself by an El Paso
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
officer attempting to arrest Hardin, then a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, on a new murder warrant, possibly his 41st or 45th killing.
In 1959, he appeared as the fictitious Don Jagger, the deputy chief of the United States Border Patrol
United States Border Patrol
The United States Border Patrol is a federal law enforcement agency within U.S. Customs and Border Protection , a component of the Department of Homeland Security . It is an agency in the Department of Homeland Security that enforces laws and regulations for the admission of foreign-born persons to...
in the syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
series Border Patrol
Border Patrol (US TV series)
Border Patrol is a 34-episode syndicated half-hour adventure/drama television series which aired in the United States during calendar year 1959, with Richard Webb cast as Don Jagger, the fictitious deputy chief of the Border Patrol...
.
Webb played Lieutenant Commander Ben Finney on Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
— "Court Martial"
In the 1970s, Webb became a writer and published four books on psychic phenomena.
After a long-term respiratory illness, Webb died of a self-inflicted gunshot
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
in Van Nuys, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
External links
- Find-A-Grave profile for Richard Webb
- Richard Webb in Captain Midnight Information and memorabilia illustrations, on the Collecting Books and Magazines website