Richard O'Sullivan | |
---|---|
Born |
Chiswick, London, England, UK |
7 May 1944
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1953–1996 1999, 2006, |
Height | 5ft 6.5" (169cm) |
Spouse(s) | Diana Terry (1971–1971) (divorced) Christine Smart (1987–1994) (divorced) |
Partner(s) | Tessa Wyatt (1978–1985) |
Children | Jamie O'Sullivan |
Richard O'Sullivan (born 7 May 1944) is an English comedy actor, who is known for his role as Robin Tripp in the 1970s sitcoms Man About the House (1973–76) and Robin's Nest, and as the title character in the period family adventure series Dick Turpin. O'Sullivan also starred in Doctor at Large, Doctor in Charge, Trouble in Mind, Alcock and Gander and Me and My Girl.
Richard O'Sullivan's early education was at St. John the Evangelist's RC Primary School in Brentford, Middlesex. After a family holiday in Ireland as a boy, O'Sullivan returned with a strong Irish accent and was sent to the Corona Theatre School to try to get rid of it. He appeared in his first film at the age of eight.
His first film was as the main character in The Stranger's Hand starring Trevor Howard in 1953. Possibly his earliest television work was the part he played in the Sherlock Holmes episode of "The Unlucky Gambler" broadcast on 18 July 1955. However, his earliest recognised work was a part in the film It's Great to Be Young (1956) where he appeared alongside John Mills. He appeared alongside Keith Michell and Belinda Lee in the opulent swashbuckler, Dangerous Exile (1957) as Louis XVII, the ten-year-old son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Also during this period he featured in two episodes of the television series The Adventures of Robin Hood (1957) alongside Richard Greene, including as Will Dale in the episode "The Challenge of the Black Knight", as well as in the same company's ''Sword of Freedom'' series (1957) playing Alberto in the episode "Chart of Gold". He also acted in one Carry On film, Carry On Teacher (1959) in the small role of student Robin Stevens. Around the same time, he was cast in the role of Pierre van der Mal who appears in an early scene of The Nun's Story (also 1959), in which he bids farewell to his sister Gabrielle (Audrey Hepburn) as she leaves home to enter the convent. Also around this time he had a leading role in an episode of the Sapphire Films/ITC series The Four Just Men ("The Man With The Golden Touch", 1959), as Neapolitan street urchin Pietro who foils a robbery.