Richard Kneeland

Richard was born in Providence, Rhode Island on February 8, 1928. His family moved to California, where he was raised with two brothers and three sisters. He attended high school in Los Angeles and began his theatre work there. He attended Los Angeles City College for one year before leaving to work as a Mormon Missionary. He served in the United States Navy, as well. After completing his service time, Richard began doing summer stock theatre in Florida, which led to him being picked up for work with various theatre companies. In the 1960s, Adrian Hall contacted Kneeland to move back home to Rhode Island and help him to establish the Trinity Square Theatre. Today, Trinity Repertory Company is a Tony Award winning regional theatre that has produced such notable talents as Katherine Helmond, Richard Jenkins, Peter Gerety, Daniel Von Bargen and Timothy Daly, to name a few. Richard stayed with Trinity for twenty seasons, performing in two to three productions per season. In between, he performed at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Edinburgh Theatre Festival and made guest appearances at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego as well as many other regional theatres across the United States. He toured the Far East with Trinity in 1980. In 1990, he left Trinity Rep and joined the company at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. While in California, he also performed regularly at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. Richard made appearances in film, but much to his chagrin - the stage was his life and where he truly belonged. He passed away quietly in his San Diego apartment on July 19, 1996. His passing is still mourned deeply today by his friends, fans and colleagues all across the country.