Richard Beymer


Actor
Richard Beymer

About

Also Known As
Dick Beymer, George Richard Beymer Jr.
Birth Place
Avoca, Iowa, USA
Born
February 20, 1938

Biography

This former teen actor, who after starring in a string of major films in the 1950s and early 60s ("The Diary of Anne Frank" 1959, "West Side Story" 1961, "Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man" 1962 and "The Stripper" 1963), never really made the transition to interesting adult roles and came under critical attack for his sometimes wooden performances. Beymer left Hollywood in 1963 to tr...

Biography

This former teen actor, who after starring in a string of major films in the 1950s and early 60s ("The Diary of Anne Frank" 1959, "West Side Story" 1961, "Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man" 1962 and "The Stripper" 1963), never really made the transition to interesting adult roles and came under critical attack for his sometimes wooden performances.

Beymer left Hollywood in 1963 to try his hand at directing experimental films and documentaries and lensing TV features. He became involved in the 60s struggles for civil rights and directed and photographed the documentary, "A Regular Bouquet" (1964), which later aired on the PBS series, "Eyes on the Prize." He didn't return to acting (with the exception of starring in his own directed and produced independent film, "Innerview" 1973) until the 1980s with the thriller, "Cross Country" (1983). Beymer also made a TV appearance on "Paper Dolls" (ABC, 1984) and in the exploitation horror film, "Silent Night Deadly Night III: Better Watch Out" (1989).

Beymer scored a comeback of sorts in TV's "Twin Peaks" (ABC, 1990-91), as the wildly villainous entrepreneur, Ben Horne, giving a looser, funkier performance than any in his earlier career. In films, Beymer made brief appearances in the sequel "My Girl 2" and the erotic thriller "Under Investigation" (both 1994).

Life Events

1949

Moved with family to Hollywood at age 10 (date approximate)

1949

Debut as television performer on "Fantastic Studios Inc."

1953

First film as actor, "Indiscretion of an American Wife"

1959

Performance in "The Diary of Anne Frank" led to contract with 20th Century Fox

1964

Filmmaking debut, "A Regular Bouquet" (documentary; later shown on PBS's "Eyes on the Prize" series on civil rights; Beymer directed and photographed)

1973

Composed score for, photographed, edited, scripted and directed experimental film, "Innerview"; hiatus from acting

1982

Debut as TV-movie cinematographer, "The Juggler of Notre Dame"

1984

Returned to acting; featured in TV series, "Paper Dolls"

1990

Starred in TV series, "Twin Peaks"

Videos

Movie Clip

Diary Of Anne Frank, The (1959) -- (Movie Clip) Have You Seen My Shoes? Life in the attic apartment, Anne (Millie Perkins) first writing and narrating, then taunting Peter (Richard Beymer), his mother (Shelley Winters) and her father (Joseph Schildkraut) supporting, in George Stevens' The Diary Of Anne Frank, 1959.
Diary Of Anne Frank, The (1959) -- (Movie Clip) Bring Only What You Can Carry Delivered by the hosts (Douglas Spencer, Dody Heath) and introduced to the hidden family (including Joseph Schildkraut, Shelley Winters, Millie Perkins as the title character and Lou Jacobi as Van Daan), dentist Dussell (Ed Wynn) brings harrowing news of Amsterdam, in George Stevens’ The Diary Of Anne Frank, 1959.
Diary Of Anne Frank, The (1959) -- (Movie Clip) Was It A Very Bad Dream? A dream sequence from screenwriters Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, from their play and directed by George Stevens, Millie Perkins as the title character, in Amsterdam ca. 1944, imagining scenes of German concentration camps that have been described only by hearsay, Gusti Huber as her mother, in The Diary Of Anne Frank, 1959.
West Side Story (1961) -- (Movie Clip) Tonight Enraptured on the night of their meeting, Tony (Richard Beymer) and Maria (Natalie Wood) on the fire escapes, director Robert Wise mingling the Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim song with Ernest Lehman's script, singing voices by Marni Nixon and Jimmy Bryant, in West Side Story, 1961.
Longest Day, The (1962) -- (Movie Clip) Why'd He Have To Mention Fort Bragg? In an airplane hangar in England converted to barracks, we’ve just met Red Buttons as American G.I. Steele and Richard Beymer as Schultz, having something of a personal reckoning, observed by buddy Martini (Sal Mineo), awaiting D-Day, in producer Darryl F. Zanuck’s The Longest Day. 1962.
Johnny Tremain (1957) -- (Movie Clip) Liberty Is For The Young Hal Stalmaster (title character) visiting Rab (Richard “Dick” Beymer), in 1774 Boston, who works for historical figures Sam Adams, Joseph Warren (Rusty Lane, Walter Coy) and Paul Revere (Walter Sande), from whom he seeks silversmith-ing advice, early in Disney’s Johnny Tremain, 1957.
Johnny Tremain (1957) -- (Movie Clip) The Greatest Patriots In Boston Now interested in politics in 1774 Boston, Hal Stalmaster (title character) with pal Rab (Richard “Dick” Beymer) learns of patriots Adams, Warren, Revere, Quincy (Rusty Lane, Walter Coy, Walter Sande, Whit Bissell) et al, the Boston Tea Party brewing, in Disney’s Johnny Tremain, 1957.
So Big (1953) -- (Movie Clip) All Problems In Life Selina (Jane Wyman) trying to teach thick-headed farmer Pervus (Sterling Hayden), who will become her husband, and managing jealous young Roelf (Richard Beymer), in Robert Wise's version of Edna Ferber's So Big, 1953.
So Big (1953) -- (Movie Clip) Fields Of Cabbages Young teacher Selina (Jane Wyman), just arrived at the Pool home in New Holland, with Maartje (Ruth Swanson), then meeting 12 year-old Roelf (Richard Beymer), in So Big, 1953, from the Edna Ferber novel.

Trailer

Family

G R Beymer
Father
Printer. Divorced.
Eunice Beymer
Mother
Divorced.

Bibliography