Upon his return to Los Angeles after spending months away in Korea, Richard tried his hand at painting once again. But that flare and joy he was seeking from the strokes of the brush just weren’t present. It was at this moment that he once again realized that perhaps acting truly was his calling and he couldn’t run from it. Forsaking his painting ambitions, Richard finally decided to pursue his acting career, going on to study extensively under acting coach Jeff Corey.
It appeared to work out well for the duo, and soon enough, at only 23, Richard co-founded Company of Angels, a remarkable Los Angeles theater group. His first television appearance was a guest spot on Alfred Hitchcock Presents in 1959. Soon after, he began landing roles in popular American TV series and made his film debut in The Secret of the Purple Reef in 1960.
But even Richard’s breakthrough role as Dr. Kildare almost didn’t happen. That’s right. It was thanks to his high school friend George, whose father was a movie executive, that he even got the role at all. George, who was at the time an assistant at MGM, saw Richard’s picture in a player’s book and wondered what he was up to.
Naturally, he invited his old buddy over for a generic interview. George and his team were impressed, and soon enough, they were shaking hands over contracts as Richard had landed the lead in the western pilot “Paradise Kid.” A couple of years later in 1961, George’s studio was once again in search of a young actor to play Dr. Kildare, and it was thanks to this that Richard finally got his big break.
After a rather long search for the best actor for the role, George remembered the pilot Richard had starred in and immediately knew Richard was perfect for the role. Following their agreement to work together, Dr. Kildare aired on NBC from 1961 to 1966, during which Richard also starred in two feature films.