Richard Coleman
Richard Coleman was a British film, television and stage actor.
Early life
Richard Coleman was born Ronald Coleman in Peckham, London in 1930. He was educated at Wilson's Grammar School, Peckham. After three years' National Service in the R.A.F., he worked as a salesman in a West End gentleman's outfitters. While there he became interested in amateur dramatics, joining "The Taverners", a group which visited local inns and public houses, giving performances of Shakespeare. Bob and Frances Fish, who ran The Taverners, recognised Coleman's potential and entered him in 1951 for the Leverhulme Scholarship to RADA, which he won. To make ends meet during the Academy's vacations, he was forced to do a variety of jobs, including working on the Thames River Bus and selling razors. He graduated from RADA in 1953 with the Principal’s Medal. He adopted the stage name Richard Coleman, to avoid confusion with the film star Ronald Colman.He then spent two years with the Worthing Repertory Company, appearing in many plays.
Career
Theatre
Coleman made his professional acting debut in 1955, playing Albert Tufnell, A.B., in the stage adaptation of Sailor Beware!starring Peggy Mount, which opened in The Strand Theatre in London's West End on Wednesday 16 February 1955 and ran for 1231 performances. He also appeared in The World of Suzie Wong, The Big Killing, A Murder is Announced, The Mousetrap and had three years from 1968-70 playing both Andrew Hunter and Robert Danvers in the London West End stage version of There's a Girl in My Soup. Later in his career Coleman became a theatre producer and, among other ventures, toured Canada in 1976 with a well-received production of "Absurd Person Singular", starring John Thaw.A full list of the plays in which Coleman appeared is:
1955-58 Sailor, Beware!
1959 Suzie Wong
1962 The Big Killing
1968-70 There's A Girl in My Soup
1975 How It Can Ruin Your Health
1975 Cheaper by the Dozen
1976 Absurd Person Singular
1976 The Roaring Forties
1977 The Chiltern Hundreds
1977 A Murder is Announced
1978 Suddenly At Home
1979 An Ideal Husband
1982 Public Relations
1982 In Praise of Love.
He also appeared in: Lady Windermere's Fan, Staircase, The Mousetrap, Two and Two Make Sex and Not Now Darling.