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.
Overview
Richard Paul Kiley (March 31, 1922 – March 5, 1999) was an American stage, film, and television actor and singer. He is best known for his distinguished theatrical career in which he twice won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.
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
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- stage actor / film actor / television actor / actor / musical theatre actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- 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. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.