Richard Kelton
| Richard Kelton | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Richard Duane Kelton April 29, 1943 Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Died |
November 27, 1978 (aged 35) Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Carbon monoxide poisoning |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1963-1978, his death |
| Spouse(s) | Eileen Jacobsen, ? - 1978, his death |
| Children | 1 son, Zachary (b. 1974) |
Richard Kelton (April 29, 1943 – November 27, 1978) was an American actor. He died of accidental carbon monoxide asphyxiation due to a faulty heater in his trailer while filming the NBC-TV miniseries Centennial.
Life and career
Born Richard Duane Kelton in Lincoln, Nebraska, Kelton the only child of Alvis Fred Kelton (1917-1996), a former Army Air Corps flight instructor and engineer during World War II and schoolteacher,[1] and his wife, the former Glenna Sedalia Zachary (1912-1989).[2]
While growing up in Miami, Oklahoma, After briefly attending Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in 1963, he transferred to The University of Kansas, earning his Bachelors' Degree in drama 1966, and then his Masters' two years later, in 1968. He returned briely in 1973 to appear in a campus production of He made his way to California where he made his debut playing "Bud" in an episode of Gunsmoke. In 1967, made his film debut with a small part in the movie In Cold Blood (1967) as Nancy's boyfriend. Soon after arriving in California with his wife in 1970, he got another guest starring role in the ABC-TV series The Young Rebels.
Soon afterwards, he made his TV movie debut as "Lieutenant Charring" in Wild Women (1970). He continued in numerous other guest starring roles and a movie roles. He also played the role of "Nick" in the Broadway revival of Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? in 1976.
After returning to California, he had a guest-starring role on ABC-TV's Charile's Angels that same year, 1976, His performance was so well received, that he was offered the starring role as "Ficus Pandorata" in the short-lived NBC-TV science fiction series Quark (1978). Later that year he was invited back to The University of Kansas to give a short seminar on films.
Death
Kelton died of accidental carbon monoxide asphyxiation due to a faulty heater in his trailer while filming the NBC-TV miniseries Centennial, in which he was to have co-starred in. Universal Studios, which produced the TV miniseries, was fined $720 for the failure to provide a proper ventilation system for the trailer which Kelton had retreated to rehearse his lines.[3][4][5]
Legacy
His alma mater, KU, established the Richard Kelton Memorial Fund was established in December 1978 to aid student actors in their professional acting aspirations.[5] The fund still exists today in the form of the Richard Kelton Memorial Scholarship, that provides scholarships for undergraduate students majoring in theatre with an emphasis in acting [6] He was survived by his wife, the former Eileen Jacobsen, and son Zachary (born in 1974), and his parents.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Character | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | In Cold Blood | Nancy's Boyfriend | Uncredited film role |
| 1970 | Wild Women | Lt. Charring | TV movie |
| Heroic Mission | Nancy's Boyfriend | TV series, uncredited role | |
| The Young Rebels | Edward Brockton | TV series | |
| 1970-73 | Gunsmoke | Various characters | 5 episodes |
| 1971 | Mission: Impossible | Billy Walsh | in episode "Takeover" |
| The F.B.I. | Chuck Davis | in episode "The Hitchhiker" | |
| Cade's County | Paul Jeffries | TV series | |
| 1972 | The Waltons (TV series) | Anson Collier | in episode "The Foundling" |
| Hawaii Five-O | Lt. Carter | in episode R & R & R | |
| Room 222 | Uncredited role | in episode "Where Is It Written?" | |
| 1973 | Hawkins | Don Morrison | Tv series |
| 1974 | McQ | Radicial | Film |
| Harry O | Bill Dempsey | in episode "Guardian at the Gates" | |
| The Lives of Benjamin Franklin | TV Mini-Series | ||
| Kung Fu (TV Series) | Graham | in episode "My Brother, My Executioner"" | |
| Nakia (TV Series) | Uncredited role | 1 episode | |
| Silence | Al | Film | |
| The Cowboys (TV Series) | Carl Rivers | 1 episode | |
| The Streets of San Francisco | Stuttering Kidnapper | in episode "Chapel of the Damned" | |
| 1975 | Joe Forrester (TV Series) | Uncredited role | 1 episode |
| Medical Story (TV Series) | Uncredited role | in episode "Us Against the World" | |
| Matt Helm (TV series) | Jed Larson | in episode "Murder on Ice" | |
| The Ultimate Warrior | Cal | Feature film | |
| Barbary Coast | Cad Shugrue | TV series; in episode "The Ballad of Redwing Jail" | |
| Archer (TV series) | Ernest Richter | 1 episode | |
| 1976 | Logan's Run (TV series) | Sanctuary Man | Voice, uncredited |
| 1977 | The Feather and Father Gang | Colby | TV series; in episode "The People's Choice" |
| Charlie's Angels (1976 TV series) | Hubie | in episode "Pretty Angels All in a Row" | |
| 1978 | Dallas | Taylor "Guzzler" Bennett | in episode "Fallen Idol" |
| A Guide for the Married Woman | Everett Hemming-Fantasy Man | TV movie | |
| Go West, Young Girl | Griff | TV Movie | |
| Quark (TV series) | Ficus | 7 episodes | |
| The Incredible Hulk (TV series) | Carl | in episode "The Beast Within" | |
| Police Woman (TV series) | Ron Chamberlin | in episode "Sixth Sense" | |
| 1979 | The Rockford Files | Norman Wheeler | in episode "The Deuce" |
| How the West Was Won (TV series) | Trey Hollingsworth | ABC-TV Miniseres, in episode "Hillary" |
References
- ↑ Alvis Fred Kelton at Find a Grave
- ↑ Glenna Sedalia Zachery Kelton at Find a Grave
- ↑ Universal Studios fined after carbon monoxide kills actor, published by United Press International (UPI) for the Lodi News-Sentinel (CA), January 11, 1979, retrieved March 16, 2016.
- ↑ "Studio Fined In Death". Associated Press (AP), for the Reading (PA) Eagle. January 11, 1979. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
- 1 2 Harkavy, Ward (December 1, 1978). "Actor's death evokes mourning". United Press International for the Lawrence Journal World (KS). Retrieved March 16, 2016.
- ↑ Richard Kelton Memorial Scholarship page at KU's Theatre Website
External links
- Richard Kelton at the Internet Movie Database
- Richard Kelton at Find a Grave
- Richard Kelton at the Internet Broadway Database
