| Richard B. Shull | |
| Birth Name: | Richard Bruce Shull |
| Birth Date: | 24 February 1929 |
| Birth Place: | Evanston, Illinois, U.S. |
| Death Place: | New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Years Active: | 1965 - 1999 |
| Spouse: | Margaret Ann Haddy (14 July 1951-1956) (divorced) Peggy Joan Barringer (9 June 1957-1967) (divorced) Marilyn Sandra Swartz (6 July 1969- 1985) (divorced) Marilyn Sandra Swartz (remarried) (July 7, 1989 - May 15, 1997) (her death) Deborah Thomas (12 December 1998 - 14 October 1999) (his death) |
Richard Bruce Shull (February 24, 1929 – October 14, 1999) was an American character actor.
Shull was born in Evanston, Illinois, the son of Zana Marie (née Brown), a court stenographer, and Ulysses Homer Shull, a manufacturing executive. He attended York High School (Elmhurst, Illinois) and the University of Iowa. He served in the U.S. Army before starting his Broadway career as a stage manager.
He got his first big break as an actor when he was cast in Minnie's Boys in 1970. Additional theatre credits include Goodtime Charley (in which he sang a duet "Merci, Bon Dieu"; and for which he received Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations), Fools, The Front Page, A Flea in Her Ear, and Victor/Victoria.
Shull's screen credits include thirty movies, The Anderson Tapes (1971), Klute (1971), Slither (1973), The Fortune (1975), Splash (1984), Garbo Talks (1984), Unfaithfully Yours (1984), Housesitter (1992) and Private Parts (1997).
His television appearances included Love, American Style in episode "Love and the Locksmith", Ironside "Once More for Joey" aired 1974, Good Times "The Visitor", The Rockford Files "The Great Blue Lake", Alice "Flo's Chili Reception", where he played Mel's rival restaurant owner Barney of Barney's Burger Barn; Diana co star, Lou Grant episode "Samaratan", Hart to Hart, and Holmes & Yoyo starred as a police detective, as well as numerous television movies. He also appeared as the judge in a music video for the song "Keeping the Faith" (1984), by Billy Joel. He appeared as the delivery man in Tales from the Darkside Do Not Open This Box (1988) series 4, episode 15. In 1963 Richard became a member of the historical theater club, The Lambs, served on its council and remained a member until his death.
As a writer, Shull wrote the 1960 play Fenton's Folly, which was adapted as Fentons völlig verrückte Erfindung (1967), an independent German movie filmed in Austria. Shull also wrote the story for the 1966 thriller movie Aroused, and co-authored, with William L. Rose, the dramatic film Pamela, Pamela You are... (1968).
On October 14, 1999, Shull died of a heart attack at his home in New York City; He was 70 years old. He had been appearing in the play Epic Proportions on Broadway.[1] He was buried at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla Westchester County, New York.[2]
In a 2012 interview, Shull's Holmes & Yoyo co-star John Schuck remembered him as "a very funny actor and a unique man", adding that Shull "lived in the ’40s. He bought ’40s clothing, he only used pen and ink, he had his own railroad car which he would attach to trains and travel around the country. He had a 1949 Chevrolet car. I mean, he truly lived in the past. Quite remarkable."[3] In 1995, Shull co-founded the North American Araucanian Royalist Society (NAARS)[4] with Daniel Paul Morrison. The NAARS studies the Kingdom of Araucania and Patagonia which was founded in 1860 by the Mapuche people of South America. The NAARS devoted a large portion of issue number 10 of their official journal, The Steel Crown, to the life of Shull.[5]
Shull was an invested member of The Baker Street Irregulars, the literary society dedicated to Sherlock Holmes. He received his investiture "An Actor, and a Rare One", in 1986.[6]
Shull was a member of the Players Club, the New York and the Sons of the Revolution in the state of New York.
| Films | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
| 1965 | Watch the Birdie | Cullen Lauterbach | ||
| 1968 | Cargo of Love | Dr. Everett | Uncredited | |
| 1969 | Decameron '69 | Roxanne's lover | Uncredited | |
| 1971 | B.S. I Love You | Mr. Harris | As an executive | |
| 1971 | The Anderson Tapes | Werner | Long scene with Dyan Cannon and Sean Connery | |
| 1971 | Klute | Sugarman | Short scene as a policeman | |
| 1971 | Made for Each Other | Unnamed character | Credit: "and Richard B. Shull" | |
| 1971 | Such Good Friends | Clarence Fitch | Long scene | |
| 1972 | Hail to the Chief | Secretary of Health | Leading role | |
| 1973 | Slither | Harry Moss | Co-starring as an embezzler | |
| 1973 | Sssssss | Dr. Ken Daniels | ||
| 1974 | Cockfighter | Omar Baradansky | Leading role as a business partner | |
| 1975 | The Fortune | Chief Detective Sergeant Jack Power | ||
| 1975 | Hearts of the West | Stout Crook | Co-starring with Jeff Bridges | |
| 1975 | The Black Bird | Vernon Prizer | ||
| 1976 | The Big Bus | Emery Bush | As a dying tourist | |
| 1977 | The Pack | Hardiman | Co-starring role | |
| 1979 | Dreamer | George Taylor | The boss | |
| 1980 | Wholly Moses! | Moses' father-in-law | ||
| 1981 | Heartbeeps | Factory Boss | ||
| 1983 | Lovesick | Dr. Fessner | Minor role | |
| 1983 | Spring Break | Eddie | Comic supporting role | |
| 1984 | Unfaithfully Yours | Jess Keller | ||
| 1984 | Splash | Dr. Ross | ||
| 1984 | Garbo Talks | Shepard Platkin | As the boss | |
| 1984 | "Keeping the Faith" | Judge | Billy Joel music video | |
| 1986 | Seize the Day | Rojox | Robin Williams' boss | |
| 1990 | Tune in Tomorrow | Leonard Pando | ||
| 1992 | HouseSitter | Ralph / Bernie Duncle | Comic supporting role as Goldie Hawn's father | |
| 1994 | Trapped in Paradise | Father Ritter | Short scene | |
| 1995 | Cafe Society | Samuel Segal | Key role | |
| 1997 | Private Parts | Symphony Sid | Short scene as the boss | |
| 2000 | Two Family House | Mr. Barrancaccio | As a banker in three scenes, (posthumously released), (final film role) | |