Photo: "Photograph courtesy of United States Steel Corporation". The company was the sponsor of the program. / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
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 with a Loyola education, 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.
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
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Dog
- Origin
- Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Occupation
- stage actor / film actor / television actor / actor / musical theatre actor
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
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Richard Kiley born?
March 31, 1922 – March 5, 1999.
Where is Richard Kiley from?
Richard Kiley is from Chicago, Illinois, United States.
What does Richard Kiley do?
Richard Kiley works as stage actor, film actor, television actor, actor, musical theatre actor.
Stage actor — see all → · Film actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.