Richard Whorf

Richard Whorf (June 4, 1906 – December 14, 1966) was an American actor, author, director, and designer.

Richard Whorf
Born(1906-06-04)June 4, 1906
Winthrop, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedDecember 14, 1966(1966-12-14) (aged 60)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
OccupationFilm and television actor, director, and author
Years active1927-1966
Spouse(s)Margaret Harriet Smith (1929-1966) (his death) (2 children)[1]
RelativesBenjamin Lee Whorf (brother)

Life and career

Whorf was born in Winthrop, Massachusetts to Harry and Sarah (née Lee) Whorf. His older brother was linguist Benjamin Lee Whorf.[2] Whorf began his acting career on the Boston stage as a teenager, then moved to Broadway at age 21, debuting there in The Banshee (1927).[3] He had a role in a production of Taming of the Shrew at the Globe Theatre in New York City. He moved to Hollywood and became a contract player in films of the 1930s and 1940s before becoming a director in 1944.

He played a famous painter who had resorted to drinking in the 1960 episode "The Illustrator" of The Rifleman, starring Chuck Connors and Johnny Crawford. He directed a number of television programs in the 1950s and 1960s, including early episodes of Gunsmoke and The Beverly Hillbillies (most if not all of the first two seasons), and the entire second season of My Three Sons. He directed the short-lived series Border Patrol, and the 1964–1965 ABC sitcom Mickey, starring Mickey Rooney. In the summer of 1960, he guest-starred in one episode and directed other segments of the short-lived western series Tate.

Whorf directed the unsuccessful 1961 stage comedy Julia, Jake and Uncle Joe.[4] His hobby was painting; he sold his first painting at the age of 15 for $100.

In 1929, Whorf married Margaret H. Smith.[5]

Whorf died at age 60 on December 14, 1966. His grave site is at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles.

Partial filmography

As director

As actor

As producer

References
  1. https://www.myheritage.com/names/richard_whorf
  2. Carrol, John B. (1956) "Introduction" in "Language, Thought and Reality: Selected Writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf". MIT Press. pp. 2-3
  3. "Richard Whorf". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  4. Julia, Jake and Uncle Joe at the Internet Broadway Database
  5. Pryor, Thomas M. (October 22, 1944). "Man of Talents". The New York Times. p. X 3. Retrieved November 7, 2020 – via ProQuest.
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