Richard Ross Eyer (born May 6, 1945)[1] is an American former child actor who worked during the 1950s and 1960s. He then became a teacher and taught at elementary schools in Bishop, California until he retired in 2006. He is the older brother of Robert Eyer (1948-2005), another child actor of the period.[2]

Richard Eyer
Born
Richard Ross Eyer

(1945-05-06) May 6, 1945 (age 79)
Occupation(s)Actor, schoolteacher
Years active1952-1967
Spouse(s)Laurie Lynn Seabern (1970-1983; divorced); 3 children
ChildrenSamantha Rae Eyer
Benjamin Adam Eyer
Andrew Z. Eyer

Career

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Eyer played a war orphan in "Homeward Borne", an episode of Playhouse 90, August 22, 1957, on CBS.[3]

In 1956, he played a boy named Chuck in Canyon River which starred George Montgomery and Peter Graves. He had the starring role in The Invisible Boy, producer Nicholas Nayfack's independent sequel to MGM's Forbidden Planet.[4]

In The Desperate Hours (1955), Eyer played Fredric March's dangerously impulsive son.[5] He also starred in the 1958 western Fort Dobbs, with Clint Walker and Virginia Mayo and The 7th Voyage of Sinbad in 1958, in which he portrayed the metallic-voiced Barani the Genie.[5]

In a 1995 interview, Eyer credited his mother for the promotion of his acting career. "It was all her work that did it. I had curly hair, freckles, and people would say what a cute kid he was and all that; so my mother entered me in some children's personality contests, and I won one of these which had been held at the Hollywood Bowl, and I guess that one was the springboard in getting me started. After that, I was hired for some television commercials and some modeling jobs, and this led into other things ... I was around fourteen when I did Stagecoach West ... My last role was at age 21, appearing in an episode of [ABC's] Combat!"[6]

He appeared in more than one hundred episodes of various television programs, including Rod Cameron's syndicated City Detective, when he was eight years of age. Other appearances include Arrest and Trial, Stoney Burke, Mr. Novak, Wagon Train, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Father Knows Best, Gunsmoke, Lassie, Rawhide and General Electric Theater.[4]

Personal life

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Eyer is divorced. He is the father of Samantha Rae Eyer, and twin sons, Benjamin Adam Eyer and Andrew Z. Eyer.[4]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1952 Invasion U.S.A. Mulfory's Son Uncredited
1953 It Happens Every Thursday Stan Uncredited
1954 Ma and Pa Kettle at Home Billy Kettle
1954 The Raid Larry's Friend Uncredited
1955 The Desperate Hours Ralphie Hilliard
1955 Sincerely Yours Alvie Hunt
1956 Come Next Spring Abraham
1956 The Kettles in the Ozarks Billy Kettle
1956 Canyon River Chuck Hale
1956 Friendly Persuasion Little Jess Birdwell
1957 Slander Joey Martin
1957 Bailout at 43,000 Kit Peterson
1957 The Invisible Boy Timmie Merrinoe
1958 Fort Dobbs Chad Gray
1958 The 7th Voyage of Sinbad The Genie
1958 Johnny Rocco Johnny Rocco
1958 Father Knows Best Burgess Vale
1959 Wanted Dead or Alive Montana Kid Season 2 ep 1
1960 Hell to Eternity Guy - as a Boy
1959 Gunsmoke Tommy - befriends ex outlaw
1960 Wagon Train Matthew Brant

References

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  1. ^ "Richard Eyer". TV.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  2. ^ "Richard Eyer Biography". autographedtoyou.com. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  3. ^ "'Homeward Borne' On 'Playhouse 90' Aug. 22". Altoona Tribune. August 17, 1957. p. 14. Retrieved April 20, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ a b c Richard Eyer at IMDb
  5. ^ a b "Answers - The Most Trusted Place for Answering Life's Questions". Answers.com. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  6. ^ Classic Images - Vol. 251 - May 1996 Issue

Bibliography

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  • Goldrup, Tom and Jim (2002). Growing Up on the Set: Interviews with 39 Former Child Actors of Film and Television. McFarland & Co. pp. 76–82. ISBN 1476613702.
  • Holmstrom, John (1996). The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995. Norwich: Michael Russell, p. 253.
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