Peter Mark Richman (born Marvin Jack Richman; April 16, 1927[citation needed] – January 14, 2021) was an American actor in films and on television, who was for many years credited as Mark Richman.[1] He appeared in about 30 films and 130 television series from the 1950s until his retirement in 2011.
Making his feature film debut in William Wyler's 1956 film Friendly Persuasion, Richman was, by that time, a regularly employed television actor, as well as a member of New York's Actors Studio, a resource of which he would avail himself frequently until moving to Los Angeles in 1961.[2][3] He played Nicholas "Nick" Cain in the 1961 films The Murder Men and The Crimebusters. He reprised his role as Nicholas Cain in the television series Cain's Hundred. His other films include Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989), and Vic (2005). His last film credits were Mysteria and After the Wizard, both released in 2011. Richman sat on the board of trustees of the Motion Picture and Television Fund.[citation needed]
His television credits include Hawaii Five-O, Justice, The Fall Guy, The DuPont Show with June Allyson, Stoney Burke, Breaking Point, The Fugitive, The Outer Limits, Blue Light, The Invaders, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Wild Wild West, Bonanza, Daniel Boone, The Silent Force, Get Christie Love!, The Bionic Woman, Knight Rider, The Incredible Hulk, Mission: Impossible, Combat! and Matlock. He had multiple guest roles on The F.B.I. over its nine-year run. He appeared as Ralph Offenhouse in Star Trek: The Next Generation's first season episode "The Neutral Zone". Richman starred in the penultimate filmed episode of The Twilight Zone, titled "The Fear". He voiced The Phantom in the animated series Defenders of the Earth. Richman's other TV roles were on the soap opera Santa Barbara as Channing Creighton 'C.C.' Capwell (1984), Longstreet as Duke Paige, on the soap opera Dynasty as Andrew Laird (1981–1984), and a recurring role on Three's Company (1978–1979) as Chrissy's father, Rev. Luther Snow. He guest-starred on Beverly Hills, 90210.
Richman was married to actress Helen (Landess) Richman from 1953 until his death, and they had five children together, including composer and Grammy Award-winning conductor Lucas Richman. Before his acting career, he started off his career as a pharmacist. "My father died when I was 16 and my brother was kind of a surrogate father," recalled Richman. "He was a pharmacist and I worked in his store as a teenager. He thought I should get a real education so I ended up reluctantly going to pharmacy school. I expected to flunk out after six weeks but stuck it out, graduated, and became a licensed pharmacist in two states."[4]
Richman died of natural causes in Woodland Hills, California, on January 14, 2021, at the age of 93.[5]