Richard Beymer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Richard Beymer
Beymer in 1961
Born	George Richard Beymer Jr. (1938-02-20) February 20, 1938 (age 87) Avoca, Iowa, U.S.
Occupation	Actor painter sculptor novelist
Years active	1949–present
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)

Richard Beymer (born February 20, 1938) is an American actor, filmmaker, and artist. He is best known for playing Tony in the movie West Side Story (1961). He also played Peter in The Diary of Anne Frank (1959). Later, he became famous for his role as Ben Horne in the TV show Twin Peaks (1990–1991, 2017).

Richard Beymer's Acting Journey

Starting as a Young Actor

Richard Beymer began acting on television when he was young. For three years, he worked on a show called Sandy Dreams in Los Angeles. He would rehearse after school and record the show on Saturdays. This show ended when he was 13 years old.

His first movie role was in Stazione Termini (1953). He then signed a contract with a famous producer, David O. Selznick, for one year. During this time, Beymer was very busy with TV shows. He appeared in Cavalcade of America (1954) and Johnny Tremain (1957). He also guest-starred in many other shows like Make Room for Daddy and Sky King.

Becoming a Star with 20th Century Fox

In 1959, director George Stevens chose Beymer for the movie The Diary of Anne Frank. He played the role of Peter Van Daan. After this, 20th Century Fox signed him to a contract. Many people thought he would become a big star.

Beymer had a supporting role in the comedy movie High Time (1960) with Bing Crosby. He said he wanted to be "a very good actor" and for his work to "stand for something."

In 1960, Beymer got the main role of Tony in West Side Story (1961). This movie was a huge success! He even won a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor in 1962, sharing it with Bobby Darin and Warren Beatty.

Even though West Side Story was a hit, Beymer later said he was "miserable" during filming. He felt he "lacked certain knowledge in acting" and that his performance came out "ridiculous."

After West Side Story, Beymer worked with Tuesday Weld again in Bachelor Flat (1961). He also appeared in Five Finger Exercise (1962). He later said he was "terrible" in that movie.

Beymer then played Nick Adams in Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man (1962). During this film, he met Sharon Tate and encouraged her to try acting. However, this movie did not do well at the box office.

He also had a role in the successful war film The Longest Day (1962). But he was still not happy with his acting. He felt that studios tried to make him "the nice kid next door," which he said was "just not me." To improve, Beymer started taking daily classes at the Actors Studio.

Taking a Break and Making Documentaries

In 1964, Beymer decided to take a break from Hollywood and moved back to New York. He became involved in the Freedom Summer project in Mississippi. This project helped African-Americans register to vote. He even filmed a documentary called A Regular Bouquet: Mississippi Summer (1964) about these efforts.

Beymer felt that many of his early films should have been "classroom work" instead of public releases. He realized he was more of a "character actor" than a typical leading man. He said he didn't care about being a "star" and just wanted to "be myself."

He continued to appear in TV shows like The Virginian and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. He also started making his own films. His movie The Innerview (1973) was a project where he wrote, produced, directed, and starred. He even lived in a commune for two years and worked in Switzerland. Beymer explained, "I never left the movies. I just made different kinds of movies."

Returning to Acting and Twin Peaks

In 1982, Richard Beymer returned to Los Angeles to restart his acting career. He appeared in movies like Cross Country (1983) and My Girl 2 (1994). He also had roles in TV shows such as Moonlighting and Dallas.

A big role for him was playing Ben Horne in the popular TV series Twin Peaks (1990–1991). He appeared in 30 episodes of the show. He later returned to play Ben Horne again in the third season of Twin Peaks in 2017.

Beymer also made three appearances on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as Li Nalas. He continued to act in many TV shows like Murder, She Wrote, The X-Files, and Profiler.

In 2019, Beymer visited the set of Steven Spielberg's new version of West Side Story. He met the film's star, Rachel Zegler, who played Maria. She shared photos of them together, and said Beymer kept telling her "Te adoro María" (which means "I adore you, Maria" in Spanish).

Filmmaking Work

In the early 2000s, Richard Beymer focused on making documentaries. One film, Whatever Happened to Richard Beymer?, was about his love for photography. It was shown at the Twin Peaks Festival in 2002.

He has directed several documentaries, including The Passing of a Saint (2010), which was about the funeral of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. In 2014, his film It's a Beautiful World was released. It showed a trip he took to India with director David Lynch.

Books and Art

In 2007, Beymer wrote his first book, a novel called Impostor: Or Whatever Happened to Richard Beymer?. It's a story about a young actor trying to find himself, based partly on his own life.

Besides acting and filmmaking, Richard Beymer is also a visual artist. He is a painter and a sculptor. His photographs of the Twin Peaks cast and crew were included in a special DVD set for the show.

Personal Life

Richard Beymer has been a strong supporter of the Civil Rights Movement. He took part in Freedom Summer in Mississippi, which helped African-Americans gain voting rights.

As of 2010, Beymer lives in Fairfield, Iowa. He continues to make films, write, sculpt, and paint. He practices Transcendental Meditation, which he says helps him "cool out."

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

Images for kids

• 

  A robot for kids.

See also

In Spanish: Richard Beymer para niños