Richard Southern

Richard Allen Southern was born May 5, 1942 in Great Bend, KS. His father was Woodrow Southern, an oil field worker, and his mother, Hazel Mary Daves, was a housewife. His father's occupation necessitated frequent moves and, as a consequence, Richard was too often the new kid in school. According to his count, he attended 12 schools before graduating high school. He vividly remembers twice changing schools three times in one academic year. Richard read for a school play his senior year in high school and was stunned to get a role. Once into the rehearsal process, he discovered it was a natural fit and never looked back. This was his life's calling. He went on to major in theater at Texas Western College, now the University of Texas at El Paso. From there, he migrated to the Hillberry Classic Theatre at Wayne State University where he performed and, also, earned a master's degree in theatre. He served in the U.S. Army in the 24th Infantry Division. While in the service, he met and married Lisa Legrand. They have one daughter. Upon being discharged, he moved to Los Angeles where he performed in small theatre productions. During one such performance, he was spotted by an agent who submitted him for a commercial. He got the spot and soon had a beer commercial, a national health club spot, and a running role in a Union 76 campaign and said goodbye to his side gig as a substitute teacher. A new play that Richard had worked on was accepted for a production in New York City, and he was offered the opportunity to direct it. Gambling on the success of the play (The Shortchanged Review), he temporarily relocated to New York. The New York Times gave the EST production a rave review which enticed Joseph Papp of the Public Theater to attend one of the initial performances at EST. Mr Papp was impressed and as soon as its limited run was over there, Mr. Papp moved the production to The Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center, where it again garnered glowing reviews. Before leaving New York, he signed with a respected New York agent. Only then did he broach the subject of a permanent move to NYC to his wife. To his everlasting surprise, she was all in from the jump and later that year, they relocated to a 450 square foot apartment in the village. He called it their starter apartment. About the Greenwich Village apartment, Richard says, "I knew it was time to move when my eleven-year old daughter stretched out her arms and touched the opposite walls of her tiny bedroom." In New York, his career has centered on commercials and corporate film work. However, he has kept his hand in the directing end of the business and has 6 plays to his credit. He also has daytime drama credits on his resume. In 1984, he graduated from Fordham University School of Law and passed the New York Bar Exam, thus becoming a licensed attorney, a license he held for twenty years before admitting that he was never going to practice law and allowing the license to lapse. In 1988, Richard was offered the opportunity to teach commercial acting for the camera at a respected NYC commercial studio. He accepted and based on the response of his students, the head of the school, another administrator and Richard designed a 2-year acting program that became The School for Film & Television--later renamed The New York Conservatory of Dramatic Arts. He taught acting there for 18 years, ultimately serving as the Director of the Two-Year Program for eight years. Richard is still active in the profession and lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with his wife Lisa.