Richard Easton facts for kids

John Richard Easton (born March 22, 1933 – died December 2, 2019) was a Canadian actor. He was most famous for playing Brian Hammond in the 1970s BBC TV show The Brothers.

Richard Easton's Early Life and Acting Career

Richard Easton was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. His mother was Mary Louise Easton, and his father was Leonard Idell Easton, a civil engineer.

Richard started acting when he was very young. He joined a children's theatre group. When he was seventeen, he moved to Ottawa. There, he worked in a special type of theatre called a repertory theatre. In this kind of theatre, actors perform different plays each week.

Richard Easton's Work in TV and Movies

Richard Easton acted in many plays, movies, and TV shows. He made guest appearances on popular TV series. These included Doctor Who, L.A. Law, Frasier, and Ed.

In 2002, Easton played a very important historical figure. He starred as Benjamin Franklin in a three-part TV documentary. This show was shown on PBS. From 2005 to 2011, he continued to play Benjamin Franklin. He appeared as Franklin in commercials and videos about Freemasonry. These were made for the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts.

One of his last acting roles was a voice part. He was the voice of Nigel in the video game Grand Theft Auto V. Nigel was an interesting character who loved movies.

A Health Scare on Stage

On October 18, 2006, something serious happened to Richard Easton. He was performing in a play called The Coast of Utopia. The play was at the Lincoln Center Theater in New York. During the show, he suddenly had a heart problem and collapsed.

His heart stopped beating for a short time. Luckily, his co-star, Martha Plimpton, quickly realized he was in trouble. She asked the audience if there was a doctor. A stagehand, who knew what to do, immediately started CPR. An ambulance was called right away.

Paramedics used a special device called a defibrillator to help his heart. Richard Easton was revived and taken to the hospital. He had a procedure to fix an irregular heartbeat. This incident caused a short delay in the play's opening. However, Richard made a full recovery. He was able to return to the play soon after, continuing his important role.

Awards and Recognition

In 2008, Richard Easton received a special honor. He was added to the American Theater Hall of Fame. This is a place where famous theatre actors are recognized for their great work.

He also won two major awards in 2001. He received a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play. This was for his role in The Invention of Love. In the same year, he also won a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play.

Richard Easton passed away on December 2, 2019. He was 86 years old.

Richard Easton's Acting Roles

Film Roles

Television Roles

Stage Roles

• Hamlet - Claudius (1969 Lyceum Theatre production)
• The Invention of Love - A. E. Housman, aged 77 (2001)
• Noises Off - Selsdon Mowbray (2001 Royal National Theatre production)
• Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2 - Henry IV (2003 Lincoln Center production)
• The Coast of Utopia - Alexander Bakunin/Leonty Ibayev/Stanislaw Worcell (2006 Lincoln Center production)
• Elling - Alfons (2010 Broadway production)

Video Game Roles

Awards and Nominations