Richard Biggs
{{Short description|American actor (1960–2004)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Richard Biggs
| image = Richard Biggs.jpg
| caption = Richard Biggs at a B5-Event in
Stuttgart, Germany, 2000.
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1960|3|18}}
| birth_place = Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2004|5|22|1960|3|18}}{{cite news | url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-may-28-me-biggs28-story.html | title = Richard Biggs, 44; Television Actor Known for Featured Roles in 'Babylon 5,' 'Days of Our Lives' | date = May 28, 2004 | first = Elaine | last = Woo | newspaper = Los Angeles Times |access-date=July 26, 2021}}
| death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 1985–2004
| children = 2
| spouse = {{marriage|Lori Kay Biggs
|1998}}
| alma_mater = University of Southern California
| parents = Col. Richard Biggs
Delores Biggs
}}
Richard James Biggs II (March 18, 1960 – May 22, 2004) was an American television and stage actor, known for his roles on the television series Days of Our Lives and Babylon 5.
Early life
Born in Columbus, Ohio, Biggs graduated from Minot High School (Minot, ND). He attended the University of Southern California on scholarship, studying theatre. He briefly taught at a Los Angeles high school before landing his first major television role, that of Dr. Marcus Hunter on the soap opera Days of Our Lives.
Biggs was diagnosed with hearing problems when he was 13, and was partially deaf in one ear, completely deaf in the other. He frequently used his celebrity status to raise money for the Aliso Academy,{{cite web|title=Richard Biggs: Any Day Now, Back To Babylon|url=http://www.littlereview.com/getcritical/interviews/biggs.htm|access-date=November 8, 2018|last=Green|first=Michelle Erica|website=www.littlereview.com}} a private school in Rancho Santa Margarita, California that serves deaf children.{{cite web|title=Aliso Academy For The Deaf And Hard Of Hearing|url=https://www.taxexemptworld.com/organization.asp?tn=1320983|website=TaxExemptWorld.com|date=November 3, 2018|access-date=November 8, 2018}}
Career
From 1987 until 1994, Biggs played the role of Dr. Marcus Hunter on the soap opera Days of Our Lives.{{cite web|title=What Happened to Richard Biggs? – 2018 Update|url=https://gazettereview.com/2018/01/what-happened-to-richard-biggs/|website=Gazette Review|date=January 4, 2018|access-date=November 8, 2018|last=Stanton|first=Barry W.}}{{cite web|title=Richard Biggs|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0081863/|website=IMDb|access-date=November 8, 2018}}
He appeared as Dr. Stephen Franklin on the well-regarded science fiction series Babylon 5 (1994–1998), reprising the role in the final aired episode of the spin-off show, Crusade ("Each Night I Dream of Home").
After Babylon 5, he played roles on Any Day Now and Strong Medicine, as well as the recurring role of Clayton Boudreaux on the soap opera Guiding Light.
Biggs' stage credits include The Tempest, Cymbeline and The Taming of the Shrew.{{cite web|title=Richard Biggs Biography (1961-)|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/40/Richard-Biggs.html|website=FilmReference.com|access-date=November 8, 2018}}
At the time of his death, he was a regular on the television series Strong Medicine; following his death, his character was killed in an off-screen traffic accident.{{cite web|title=Richard Biggs|url=https://www.metacritic.com/person/richard-biggs|access-date=November 8, 2018|website=Metacritic}}{{cite episode|title=Fractured|series=Strong Medicine|series-link=Strong Medicine|season=5|number=5}} He also guest starred as a visiting scientist on Tremors: The Series. Biggs' final film appearance was in Special Report: Zombie Invasion, a short film also featuring Biggs' Babylon 5 costar, Bruce Boxleitner, released as a companion piece to the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead on DVD.{{cite web|title=Richard Biggs|website=sharetv.com|url=https://sharetv.com/person/richard_biggs|access-date=November 8, 2018}} His final television appearance was as a guest star on a 2004 episode of the Nickelodeon series Drake & Josh, entitled "The Gary Grill" portraying an FBI agent, which was dedicated to his memory. He only won one award in his career. That award was the Soap Opera Digest Award for Supporting Actor.{{cite news|title='Days of Our Lives' named favorite soap opera|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FrlBAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vqkMAAAAIBAJ&dq=9th%20soap%20opera%20digest%20awards&pg=1253%2C2520017|newspaper=Point Pleasant Register|date=February 17, 1993|access-date=November 9, 2018|page=8|agency=Associated Press|volume=55|number=40|via=Google News}}
Personal life
He grew up on Air Force bases across the US because his father Colonel Richard was in the Air Force.
He married Lori Kay Gebers Biggshttp://www.wireimage.com/celebrity-pictures/Richard-Biggs-and-wife-Lori-at-the-Pasadena-Civic-Auditorium-in/74706977 Photograph Of Lori and Ricahrd on August 1, 1998. They have two sons Richard James III and Hunter Lee.https://www.jason47.com/days/biggs.html Richard Biggs Jr Tribute
Death
Biggs collapsed at his home in Los Angeles, and died at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center of complications stemming from aortic dissection on May 22, 2004. He was 44 years old.
Filmography
= Film =
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 1986
|Unknown | |
| 1987
|Salesman | |
| 1988
|Brian Jones | |
| 1992
|One Stormy Night |Marcus Hunter | |
| 1995
|data-sort-value="Alien Within, The" | The Alien Within |Hawkes | |
| 1998
|Dr. Stephen Franklin | |
| 1998
|Dr. Stephen Franklin | |
| 1998
|Dr. Berris | |
| 1998
|Babylon 5: The River of Souls |Dr. Stephen Franklin | |
| 2001
|Garrison | |
= Television =
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 1985
|Bailiff |Episode: "September Song" |
| 1985
|Frawley |Episode: "The Chicago Connection" |
| 1986
|Cabin Guard |Episode: "As Far as the Eye Can See" |
| 1986
|data-sort-value="Twilight Zone, The" | The Twilight Zone |Dr. Tomson |Episode: "The Toys of Caliban" |
| 1987–1992
| Regular role |
| 1994–1998
|Stephen Franklin |Series regular |
| 2001–2002
|Clayton Boudreux |2 episodes |
| 2003
|Roger Garrett |2 episodes |
| 2004
|FBI agent |Episode: "The Gary Grill"; dedicated in memory |
| 2000–2004
|Milo Morton |Recurring |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Portal|Film|Television}}
- {{IMDb name|0081863}}
- [http://www.jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-4288 Death Announcement by J. Michael Straczynski], creator of Babylon 5
- [http://www.zteamproductions.com/b5stuff/RickBiggs.html Richard Biggs Memorial Video by John E. Hudgens]
- {{Find a Grave|8815955}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biggs, Richard}}
Category:American male soap opera actors
Category:Deaths from aortic dissection
Category:Male actors from Columbus, Ohio
Category:USC School of Dramatic Arts alumni
Category:American male deaf actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:20th-century African-American male actors