Photo: "Photograph courtesy of United States Steel Corporation". The company was the sponsor of the program. / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Richard Kiley, born on March 31, 1922 in Chicago, Illinois, United States, was a stage actor, film actor and television actor. Richard Kiley died on March 5, 1999, aged 76. Schooling on record includes Mount Carmel High School and Loyola University Chicago. Awards on record include Theatre World Award (1953), Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical (1959, 1966), Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (1988) and 2 more.
My Take
Richard Kiley is one of those rare talents who dominated every medium he touched without ever quite becoming a household name — and that's a genuine shame. A Chicago kid who spent a year at Loyola before drama school, he brought a baritone authority to Broadway that landed him not one but two Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Musical, for Redhead in 1959 and Man of La Mancha in 1966 — and honestly, his "The Impossible Dream" is still the definitive version as far as I'm concerned. Then he quietly proved he was just as formidable on television, winning an Emmy for a drama lead in 1988 and another guest Emmy in 1994, decades into his career. He passed away just weeks before his 77th birthday in 1999, leaving behind a legacy of craft over celebrity that the industry doesn't produce nearly enough of.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Richard Kiley
- Name (Japanese)
- リチャード・カイリー
- Reading
- りちゃーど・かいりー
- Born
- March 31, 1922 – March 5, 1999
- Origin
- Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Occupation
- stage actor / film actor / television actor / actor / musical theatre actor
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Dog
2. Background
- High school
- Mount Carmel High School
- University
- Loyola University Chicago
Awards & achievements
- 1953 Theatre World Award
- 1959 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical
- 1966 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical
- 1988 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
- 1983 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
- 1994 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
3. Links
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
Only publicly available facts are listed; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. Base data was compiled from Wikidata from June 2026 onward; ages are recalculated daily and deaths are checked against Wikidata on an ongoing basis. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Richard Kiley born?
Richard Kiley was born on March 31, 1922.
When did Richard Kiley die?
Richard Kiley died on March 5, 1999, aged 76.
Where was Richard Kiley from?
Richard Kiley was from Chicago, Illinois, United States.
What did Richard Kiley do?
Richard Kiley worked as stage actor, film actor, television actor, actor, musical theatre actor.
Where did Richard Kiley study?
Richard Kiley attended Loyola University Chicago.
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