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Richard Kiley

A legendary stage actor and musical star who has also won Emmy awards for his TV work, Richard Kiley had one of the best "voices" in the business--mellifluous and warmly authoritarian--which complemented his wide acting range. He began his career in his native Chicago, performing juvenile role on radio soap operas such as the famed "Ma Perkins" and "The Guiding Light." After military service, Kiley settled in NYC to pursue a stage career. His first break came when he was tapped to replace Anthony Quinn as Stanley Kowalski in the road company of "A Streetcar Named Desire." In 1953, Kiley made his Broadway debut in a revival of George Bernard Shaw's "Misalliance," for which he received a Theatre World Award. Turning to musicals, the actor displayed his vocal abilities as the Caliph in "Kismet" (introducing songs such as "Stranger in Paradise"), earned his first Tony Award co-starring with Gwen Verdon in the musical thriller "Redhead" (1959) and went on to alternate in dramas (e.g., "Advise and Consent") and musicals (i.e., Richard Rodgers' "No Strings"). But it was in the 1965 production of "Man of La Mancha," in which Kiley played the dual roles of Cervantes and Don Quixote, that solidified his theatrical stardom and provided him with a signature role. He introduced "The Impossible Dream" not only on the New York stage but also in London in 1969, and on numerous TV variety shows, including "The Ed Sullivan Show." Kiley would later also star on Broadway in the comedy "Absurd Person Singular" and in a revival of "All My Sons," but he would periodically return to "Man of La Mancha."