Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.Richard PaulΒ (June 6, 1940 β December 25, 1998) was anΒ AmericanΒ actor who was born inΒ Los Angeles, California. He was able to imitate most American and many foreign dialects. He had a tenor voice and trained withΒ Lee Sweetland. Richard had a B.A. in public affairs fromΒ Claremont Men's CollegeΒ and an M.A. in psychology fromΒ California State University, Los Angeles. He was near completion of his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from theΒ University of ArizonaΒ in Tucson, Arizona, but gave up his career as a therapist to become a full-time performer. Richard Paul was nicknamed "Pige Paul" byΒ Slim PickensΒ while filming an episode ofΒ The Love BoatΒ (1977) after local pigeons anointed a new suit jacket. In 1980 he guest starred in the ABC comedy 'One In A Million" which only aired for one season Richard was also a frequent panelist onΒ Match GameΒ in the 1980s. From 1977 to 1979 he portrayed Mayor Teddy Burnside inΒ Carter Country, and later played the recurring character of Cabot Cove Mayor, Sam Booth, inΒ Murder, She Wrote. He was cast as Dr.Β Bob HalyersΒ in the "Clean Up Radio Everywhere" episode ofWKRP in CincinnatiΒ (1978) because of his resemblance toΒ Rev. Jerry Falwell. Paul played Falwell himself twice: once inΒ Fall From Grace, aΒ JimΒ andΒ Tammy Faye BakkerΒ TV movie made in 1990, and then inΒ The People vs. Larry FlyntΒ in 1996. Paul was in the cult classic filmΒ Eating RaoulΒ (1982), written and directed byPaul Bartel. Also in 1982, he co-starred on the short-lived sitcomΒ Herbie, the Love Bug. He also appeared in Bartel's short film,Β The Secret Cinema, a paranoid-delusional, fantasy masterpiece of self-referential cinema, which was part of theAmazing StoriesΒ series on television. Paul also appeared inΒ Not for Publication, written and directed by Bartel. He volunteered with Actors and Others for Animals. He was on the Mental Health Advisory Board of Los Angeles County. He volunteered at childhood immunization clinics for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. He read books into tapes by special request at theΒ Braille InstituteΒ in Los Angeles. He married Patty Oestereich in 1968 inΒ Pasadena, California. They were married for 30 years until his death onΒ Christmas dayΒ in 1998 at home inΒ Studio City, California, due toΒ cancerΒ at age 58.