He was another of the TV character actors of the 1960s & 70s who
appeared on almost every show of that period. Later known as Mark Richman
he was a tall, dark, well built man with a face that looked as if it were
carved of stone and very piercing eyes. His demeanor was always very serious
and he was perfect for intense roles, usually the bad guy. He was born Mark
Richman on April 16, 1927 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a gifted
football player in his youth and went on to play in a semi-professional
football league until a knee injury sidelined him. He served in the U.S.
Navy and after his hitch used the G.I. Bill as an opportunity to study pharmacy.
He worked as a pharmacist for a time in a Rosemount, Pennsylvania drugstore
but he had a desire for acting which steered his course in another direction.
He began in stage productions and stock theatre and later debuted on television
in 1954 on "Goodyear Playhouse" thus beginning a long and prosperous
career. It was around this time that he added ‘Peter’ to his name
for what he called "spiritual" reasons. His film debut was in
"Friendly Persuasion" (1956) with Gary Cooper, as Gard Jordan.
His film credits include: "The Strange One" (1957) with Ben Gazzara,
as Cadet Col. Laurie Corger; "Girls on the Loose" (1958) as Lt.
Bill Hanley; "The Black Orchid" (1959) as Noble; "Agent for
H.A.R.M." (1966) as Adam Chance; "For Singles Only" (1968)
as Gerald Pryor; "Nightmare at 43 Hillcrest" (1973); "Judgment
Day" (1988); "Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan"
(1989) as Charles McCulloch and "Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear"
(1991) as Dunwell. On TV he was a regular on the series: "Cain's Hundred"
(1961-62) as Nicholas 'Nick' Cain; "Longstreet" (1971-72) with
James Franciscus, as Duke Paige; "Three's Company" (1978-79) as
Rev. Snow; "Greatest Heroes of the Bible" (1978) a mini-series,
as the Voice of God; "Blind Ambition" (1979) a mini-series, as
Robert Mardian; "Dynasty" (1981-84) as Andrew Laird; the soap
"Santa Barbara" (1984) as Channing Creighton Capwell #1; "Defenders
of the Earth" (1986) and "Beverly Hills, 90210" (1993-94)
as Lawrence Carson. He also guest starred on such series as: "Alfred
Hitchcock Presents"; "Rawhide"; "Combat"; "Ben
Casey"; "The Outer Limits"; "Twilight Zone"; "The
Fugitive"; "Gunsmoke"; "Bonanza"; "The Invaders";
"Hawaii 5-0"; "Mission: Impossible"; "Dallas";
"Knight Rider"; "Star Trek: The Next Generation"; "Murder,
She Wrote" and "Matlock." He recently wrote a one man, four
character, drama in which he starred, with his wife, Helen, as director
and son, Lucas, as musical score composer. It won the prestigious Drama-Logue
Award.
