RIP

Richard Easton
March 22, 1933 to December 2, 2019
Age: 86
Died From:
Notable For: Canadian actor, best known for his portrayal of Brian Hammond in the 1970s BBC serial The Brothers.

Easton was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the son of Mary Louise (née Withington) and Leonard Idell Easton, a civil engineer. He started acting in a children's theatre group before moving, at the age of seventeen, to Ottawa to work in a weekly repertory theatre.

Easton has performed in a number of stage productions, as well as various film roles. He has had television guest appearances on Doctor Who, L.A. Law, Frasier, and Ed.

In 2002, Easton starred in the title role in a three-part documentary, Benjamin Franklin, on PBS. Between 2005 and 2011, Easton appeared as Benjamin Franklin in a series of commercials and videos about Freemasonry, produced for the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts A.F. & A.M.

On 18 October 2006, while performing Tom Stoppard's The Coast of Utopia on stage during the show's second preview at the Lincoln Center Theater's Vivian Beaumont Theater, Easton suffered a heart attack and collapsed. His heart stopped beating, but after co-star Ethan Hawke realised that Easton's fall was serious and asked the audience if a doctor was present, a stagehand stepped up to perform CPR. An ambulance was called and Easton was revived with defibrillation. He underwent a procedure to correct a heart arrhythmia, briefly delaying the opening of the play, in which he played a central role.

In 2008, Easton was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.

In 2011, Easton made a guest appearance in the second season of Boardwalk Empire, appearing as Jackson Parkhurst in the episode, "Gimcrack & Bunkum".

Easton died in December 2019 at the age of 86.

Filmography
Film
Film
Year Title Role Notes
1976 Feelings (Unknown Role)
1983 Young Warriors Bartender
1989 Henry V Constable of France Charles D'Albret
1991 Dead Again Father Timothy
2000 Finding Forrester Prof. Matthews
2005 Stealing Martin Lane Ed
2005 It's About Time Mr. Dawson
2005 Pizza Mr. Mitchell
2008 Revolutionary Road Mr. Givings
Television
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1959 Play of the Week Beliaev 1 episode
1960 The DuPont Show of the Month 1 episode
1963 No Hiding Place Simon McCowen 1 episode
1971-1976 The Brothers Brian Hammond 85 episodes
1982 Doctor Who Captain Stapley 4 episodes
1997 Frasier Mel White Episode: "Ham Radio"
2002 Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin PBS mini series
3 episodes
2004 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Richard Sutton Episode: "Bound"
2011 Boardwalk Empire Jackson Parkhurst Episode: "Gimcrack & Bunkum
Stage

Hamlet - Claudius (1969 Lyceum Theatre production)
The Invention of Love - A. E. Housman, aged 77 (2001)
Noises Off - Selsdon Mowbray (2001 Royal National Theatre production)
Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2 - Henry IV (2003 Lincoln Center production)
The Coast of Utopia - Alexander Bakunin/Leonty Ibayev/Stanislaw Worcell (2006 Lincoln Center production)
Elling - Alfons (2010 Broadway production)

Video Games
Videogames
Year Title Role
2007 Manhunt 2 Watchdogs member
2013 Grand Theft Auto V Nigel
Awards
Year Award Category Film/TV Show/Play Result
2001 Tony Award Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play The Invention of Love Won
2001 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actor in a Play Won