Lawson, Richard 1947- (Rick Lawson)

PERSONAL

Born March 7, 1947, in Loma Linda, CA; children: George, Bianca (an actress). Education: Attended Riverside College and Chabot College. Avocational Interests: Golf.

Addresses:

Agent—The Gage Group, 14724 Ventura Blvd., Suite 505, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403. Office—The Richard Lawson Studios, 14431 Ventura Blvd., Suite 576, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423.

Career:

Actor. Beverly Hills Playhouse, Beverly Hills, CA, acting teacher and director; The Richard Lawson Studios, Sherman Oaks, CA, acting teacher. Worked as a drug counselor and consultant, including work with professional basketball teams. Military service: U.S. Army, medic, c. 1968; served in Vietnam; received Purple Heart.

Awards, Honors:

Los Angeles theater critics award, for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

CREDITS

Film Appearances:

(Uncredited) Homosexual, Dirty Harry, Warner Bros., 1971.

Willis, Scream Blacula Scream (also known as Blacula II, Blacula Is Beautiful, Blacula Lives Again!, and The Name Is Blacula), American International Pictures, 1973.

Sugar, Willie Dynamite, Universal, 1973.

Lieutenant Valentine, Sugar Hill (also known as Voodoo Girl and The Zombies of Sugar Hill), American International Pictures, 1974.

Leroy Fisk, The Black Street Fighter (also known as Black Fist, Fist, Bogard, and Homeboy), New Line Cinema, 1976.

First policeman, Audrey Rose, United Artists, 1977.

Pat, Coming Home (also known as Hemkomsten), United Artists, 1978.

Hector Mantilla, The Main Event, Warner Bros., 1979.

Ryan, Poltergeist, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1982.

Ed Price, Streets of Fire, Universal/RKO Radio Pictures, 1984.

Cornell, Stick, Universal, 1985.

Young man/CIA, Wag the Dog, New Line Cinema, 1997.

Jack, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, 1998.

Uncle Rob, Blue Hill Avenue, Artisan Entertainment, 2001.

Donald, Out of the Rain, 2003.

Agent Gordon, Black Listed, York Entertainment, 2003.

Marcus, Guess Who, Sony Pictures Entertainment, 2005.

James Evans, The Inevitable Undoing of Jay Brooks, 2007.

Film Work:

Acting coach, The Kid & I, Slowhand Cinema Releasing, 2005.

Television Appearances; Series:

Hotel Story, 1977.

Detective O. Z. Tate, Chicago Story, NBC, 1982.

Nick Kimball, Dynasty, ABC, 1986-87.

Detective Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd, Lifetime, 1989-91.

Lucas Barnes, All My Children, ABC, 1992-94.

Victor, Sister, Sister, The WB, 1999.

Television Appearances; Miniseries:

Dr. Ben Taylor, V (also known as V: The Original Miniseries), NBC, 1983.

Captain Daniel Robb, Pandora's Clock (also known as Doomsday Virus), NBC, 1996.

Television Appearances; Movies:

James Harris, Charleston, NBC, 1979.

R. C. Stiles, The Jericho Mile, ABC, 1979.

Gene Davis, The Golden Moment—An Olympic Love Story, NBC, 1980.

Adam Prentice, Johnnie Mae Gibson: FBI (also known as Johnnie Gibson F.B.I.), CBS, 1986.

Dr. Duran, Under the Influence, CBS, 1986.

C. Gabriel Dash, Double Your Pleasure (also known as The Reluctant Agent), NBC, 1989.

Sergeant Frank "Doc" McDermott, The Forgotten, USA Network, 1989.

Milkman Summers, Jackie's first ex-husband, Jackie's Back! (also known as Jackie's Back: Portrait of a Diva), Lifetime, 1999.

Gus, Justice (also known as Backlash), Cinemax, 2000.

Mission flight director Maynard Nixon, Mars and Beyond, Sci-Fi Channel, 2000.

Mr. Beale, Maniac Magee, Nickelodeon, 2003.

Mr. Turner, Christmas at Water's Edge, 2004.

Television Appearances; Pilots:

Ken Dillard, Crossfire, NBC, 1975.

Most Wanted, ABC, 1976.

Caleb Holiday, The Buffalo Soldiers, NBC, 1979.

McNeil, T. J. Hooker, 1982.

Nick Scott, Silent Whisper (broadcast as an episode of CBS Summer Playhouse), CBS, 1988.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Officer Venchek, Lead Foot, syndicated, 1982.

The 10th Annual Black Achievement Awards, 1989.

Host, The 1992 NAACP Act-So Awards, 1993.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

(As Rick Lawson) Morgan, "Old Friends," Bonanza, 1969.

First suspect, "One for the Morgue," Kojak, 1973.

Don Lewis, "The Enforcers," Shaft, 1973.

"Fatal Damage," Get Christie Love!, ABC, 1974.

Andy Willis, "Survivors," Medical Center, CBS, 1975.

"Endgame," The Streets of San Francisco, ABC, 1975.

"The Brown Horse Connection," Bert D'Angelo/Superstar, 1976.

Raymond, "I Had a Dream," Good Times, 1977.

Angry black man, "Mike the Pacifist," All in the Family, CBS, 1977.

Barker, "Funhouse," The Fantastic Journey, 1977.

David Mackey, "Burnout," The White Shadow, 1981.

Kid Calico, "The Boxer," Hardcastle and McCormick, 1984.

Gerald Calvin, "Under World," Magnum, P.I., 1984.

"Cheers," St. Elsewhere, 1985.

Monroe Henderson, "Premium Steele," Remington Steele, NBC, 1985.

Dr. Julius Pepper, "The Faculty," Comedy Factory, 1986.

Dr. Julius Pepper, The Faculty, ABC, 1986.

Dr. Jonathan Williams, Amen, NBC, 1987.

Raymond, "A Yen for Lester," 227, NBC, 1988.

McGill, "Last of the True Believers," Wiseguy, CBS, 1988.

Jesse Colton, "Ma Dalton," MacGyver, ABC, 1989.

Jesse Colton, "Second Chance," MacGyver, ABC, 1989.

"Out of the Past," 1st and Ten, 1989.

"Final Bow," 1st and Ten, 1989.

Brad Whitfield, "The Joyful Noise Mystery," Father Dowling Mysteries, 1991.

Mr. Bostic, "Pam Applies to College," The Cosby Show, 1991.

Jesse Colton, "The Coltons," MacGyver, ABC, 1991.

Judge Thurston Jones, "Good-bye Megan," Saved by the Bell: The New Class, 1993.

Dale "Sky" Betts, "Bloodbrothers," Picket Fences, CBS, 1995.

Percy Shepperd, "Show Me the Money: Parts 1 & 2," The Good News, UPN, 1997.

Marlon James, "Talk to the Town," Moesha, UPN, 1997.

Gary Miller, "The Code," L.A. Doctors, CBS, 1998.

T. K.'s father, "Color Him Father," The Parent 'Hood, 1998.

Thomas Horne, "An Impartial Bias," Judging Amy, CBS, 1999.

Victor Sims, "Double Talk," Sister, Sister, The WB, 1999.

Victor Sims, "FreakNik," Sister, Sister, The WB, 1999.

Victor Sims, "Let Them Eat Cupcakes," Sister, Sister, The WB, 1999.

Victor Sims, "Fly Away Home," Sister, Sister, The WB, 1999.

Thomas Horne, "An Impartial Bias," Judging Amy, CBS, 1999.

Deputy district attorney Chuck Duncan, "One Mistake," Family Law, CBS, 2000.

Sergeant Dan Craig, "Baby, It's Cold Outside," JAG, CBS, 2001.

Nicholas Freeman, "The Sign of the Dove," Touched by an Angel, CBS, 2001.

Reverend Bobby Baxter, "Games People Play," Soul Food, Showtime, 2001.

Alton Clayborne, "Systemic," Strong Medicine, Lifetime, 2001.

Bishop, "Saving Bernie Mac," The Bernie Mac Show, Fox, 2001.

Commander Richard Gray, "Shades of Gray," The District, CBS, 2002.

Commander Richard Gray, "Payback," The District, CBS, 2002.

Clay Portman, "Textbook Perfect," For the People (also known as Para la gente), Lifetime, 2002.

Ben, "The Big How The Ex Stole Christmas Episode," Half & Half, UPN, 2003.

LaBon, "Hail, Hail the Gang's All Here," The Division (also kwon as Heart of the City), Lifetime, 2004.

William Garrett, "Hurry," Dead Like Me, Showtime, 2004.

E-Ring, NBC, 2005.

Luther, "Like Father, Like Son, Like Hell!," All of Us, The CW, 2006.

Luther, "My Two Dads," All of Us, The CW, 2006.

Stage Appearances:

Joe Wellington, Golden Boy, San Francisco, CA, 1969.

Getting It Together, Los Angeles Actors Theatre, Los Angeles, 1975.

Carlisle, Streamers, Westwood Playhouse, Los Angeles, 1977.

The Final Concert Tour of Mickey Colossus, Philadelphia Company, Philadelphia, PA, 1978.

Frankie, The Mighty Gents, New York Shakespeare Festival, Mobile Theatre, New York City, 1979.

The Final Concert Tour of Mickey Colossus, Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, 1983-84.

Eddie, Fool for Love, Los Angeles Theatre Center, Los Angeles, 1985.

Levee, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Los Angeles Theatre Center, 1987.

Syl, Checkmates, Westwood Playhouse, 1987.

Moor, Othello, Houston Shakespeare Festival, Houston, TX, 1988.

Wates, Hapgood, James A. Doolittle Theatre, Los Angeles, 1989.

Checkmates, Westwood Playhouse, 1989.

Bernard, The Talented Tenth, Manhattan Theatre Club, Stage I, New York City, 1989.

The Talented Tenth, Manhattan Theatre, New York City, 1991.

Louie and Ophelia, Regency West Theatre, 1996.

Visions and Lovers, 1997.

Delbert, The Exonerated, Actors' Gang, Hollywood, CA 2002.

Major Tours:

(Professional debut) Melvin Smeltz, Gabe, and Johnnie, No Place to Be Somebody, U.S. cities, 1970-71.

Stage Producer:

Getting It Together, Los Angeles Actors Theatre, Los Angeles, 1975.

OTHER SOURCES

Periodicals:

Ebony, July, 1992, p. 30.

Essence, July, 1992, p. 90.

Electronic:

Richard Lawson Website,http://www.richardlawson.net, June 15, 2007.