Richard Lynch

Richard Lynch
PerformerTOS1980
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Portrays:	Wolfe, "The Gun on Ice Planet Zero" Xavier, "Galactica Discovers Earth" Count Iblis, "Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming"
Date of Birth:	February 12, 1940
Date of Death:	June 19, 2012
Age at Death:	72
Nationality:	USA
Related Media
		@ BW Media
Official Site (archived)
IMDb profile

Richard Hugh Lynch (February 12, 1940 – June 19, 2012) was an American character actor best known for portraying villains in film and television. He portrayed Wolfe in the Original Series episode "The Gun on Ice Planet Zero," Commander Xaviar in Galactica 1980, and Count Iblis in the trailer for Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming. He holds the distinction of being the only actor to appear in the original Battlestar Galactica, Galactica 1980, and Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming.

Early Life and Military Service

Lynch was born in Brooklyn, New York to Irish immigrant parents. He was one of seven children. In 1958, Lynch joined the United States Marine Corps, where he served for four years, achieving the rank of Corporal and completing a tour of the Middle East with the Sixth Fleet.

Lynch's distinctive scarred facial features resulted from a 1967 incident in New York's Central Park, during which he set himself on fire while under the influence of LSD, suffering burns on 70 percent of his body. He was in recovery from his burns for more than a year, during which time he ceased using drugs. Thereafter, he began training at The Actors Studio and at the HB Studio. His scarred appearance had a degree of cachet, as directors often utilized him to play "heavies."

Career

Training and Theater

Following his recovery, Lynch trained with Herbert Berghof and Uta Hagen at H.B. Studios in New York's Greenwich Village, and later studied extensively with Lee Strasberg at Carnegie Hall. In 1970, he became a lifetime member of the Actors Studio.

Lynch spent years in the New York theater community, appearing in dozens of on- and off-Broadway productions. Notable plays included The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel (alongside close friend Al Pacino, for which he received a Tony Award nomination in 1977), The Lion in Winter, The Devils, The Lady from the Sea, Richard III, A View from the Bridge, and Shelley Winters' One Night Stands of a Noisy Passenger (1970, co-starring with Robert De Niro, Sally Kirkland, and Diane Ladd).

Film and Television

Lynch made his feature film debut in 1973's Scarecrow, starring Al Pacino and Gene Hackman, which won the Grand Prix at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival. This performance established him as a character actor specializing in villainous roles, a typecasting he acknowledged but accepted in order to maintain a working career.

His platinum hair and scarred appearance made him highly recognizable in antagonist roles across more than 160 film and television performances. Notable film credits included The Seven-Ups (1973), God Told Me To (1976), The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982), Invasion U.S.A. (1985), Bad Dreams (1988), Little Nikita (1988), and Rob Zombie's 2007 remake of Halloween.

In 1982, Lynch won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films for his performance as the evil King Cromwell in The Sword and the Sorcerer. He also received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his distinguished career at the Madrid Film Festival.

Television Work

Lynch appeared in numerous television series throughout his career. He worked extensively in productions by Glen A. Larson and Donald P. Bellisario, including Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (as Morgan Velosi), The A-Team, Airwolf, and The Fall Guy.

Other television appearances included Starsky & Hutch, Baretta, Charlie's Angels, T. J. Hooker, Blue Thunder, Vega$, Murder, She Wrote, Charmed, Six Feet Under, and Star Trek: The Next Generation (in the two-part episode "Gambit").

Lynch also appeared in numerous television movies, including Vampire (1979), Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story (1980), and Sizzle (1981).

International Work

Lynch's work in independent films earned him a high profile internationally. He worked in China on The Korean Project, which was the first joint production between the Screen Actors Guild and the People's Republic of China.

Personal Life

In addition to acting, Lynch was an accomplished musician who played the saxophone, guitar, piano, and flute. He held dual U.S. and Irish citizenship through his Irish-born parents and was a frequent visitor to Ireland.

Lynch was married twice: first to Béatrix Lynch, with whom he had a son, Christopher Lynch, and later to Lily Lynch. Christopher appeared with his father in the science fiction film Trancers II but died in 2005 from pneumonia. Lily Lynch appeared with Richard in the film Breaking the Silence (1998).

Lynch starred alongside his brother Barry Lynch, also an actor, in the films Nightforce and Total Force. He maintained a close friendship with Al Pacino throughout his life and collaborated with colleague Don Calfa in several films.

Death

On June 19, 2012, Lynch was found dead on the kitchen floor of his home in Yucca Valley, California, by his friend, actress Carol Vogel, who had gone to check on him after not hearing from him for several days. Vogel found the door to Lynch's home open and discovered his body in the kitchen. It is not known if Lynch died on June 18 or June 19. The cause of death was reported as a heart attack. According to his representative, Mike Baronas, the body was sent directly to a funeral home and no investigation into the cause of death was conducted.

Lynch was 76 years old at the time of his death. Some news reports following his death incorrectly identified his birth year as 1936, but the obituary published by his family in the Los Angeles Times and New York Times correctly listed the year as 1940. He was survived by his wife Lily Lynch, his brother Barry Lynch, and his sisters Carole J. Taylor and Cathy L. Jones. A memorial service was held at Hollywood Forever Funeral Home on June 24, 2012.

Lynch's final film appearance was scheduled to be in Rob Zombie's The Lords of Salem, which was in post-production at the time of his death. However, due to poor health, Lynch was replaced by Andrew Prine during the early stages of filming, and his scenes were deleted from the final cut.

Carol Vogel, the actress who discovered Lynch's body, died five years later on November 22, 2017, at age 75. Her body was found in a dirt field in Flamingo Heights, Yucca Valley, on November 25, 2017.

External links

• Official Website (archived)
• Richard Lynch article at Memory Alpha, the Star Trek wiki.

References