Richard Kline
Encyclopedia
Richard Kline is an American
actor
and television director
. He is best known for playing the sleazy neighbor and used car salesman, Larry Dallas
, on the sitcom
, Three's Company
.
to Leah Klein. He was raised in Queens
by parents who practiced Reform Judaism
. He attended Queens College and has a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater from Northwestern University
. After he graduated, he served with the United States Army
in the Vietnam War
,
Repertory Company. Regional theater productions during this period included Chemin de Fer (in Chicago with actor Dennis Franz
), Death of a Salesman
, and Love's Labour's Lost
. A classically trained singer, Kline made his Broadway
career debut in City of Angels
, a musical (1990).
In addition to his television and big screen appearances, Kline has hosted two game show pilots, Jumble
in 1988 and To Tell the Truth
in 1990. The show's rights were then sold to NBC with Gordon Elliott
, then Lynn Swann
and Alex Trebek
later hosting. Kline's TTTT pilot did air on the East Coast as a mistake on September 3, 1990, the day the show debuted. He also subbed in for Charles Nelson Reilly
as a guest panelist on Sweethearts
for a week of shows in December 1988. His game show celebrity appearances included both The $25,000 and $100,000 Pyramid
, Super Password
, All New All-Star Beat the Clock
, and Body Language
. Kline also won $10,000 on The $10,000 Pyramid as a civilian contestant in 1974. Kline told SitcomsOnline.com he would like to compete on Jeopardy.
In February 2010 he was cast as the Wizard in the first national tour of Wicked
.
Kline will be seen next in October in a play directed by David Hyde Pierce
and starring Tyne Daly
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and television director
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
. He is best known for playing the sleazy neighbor and used car salesman, Larry Dallas
Larry Dallas
Larry Dallas is a fictional character on the 1977 - 1984 ABC sitcom Three's Company, portrayed by Richard Kline. He lives upstairs from Jack, Janet, and Chrissy/Cindy/Terri, and is Jack's best friend. He is a womanizer and often lies about his job to impress girls, from being "Playboy's best...
, on the sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
, Three's Company
Three's Company
Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984, on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom, Man About the House....
.
Early life
Richard Klein was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to Leah Klein. He was raised in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
by parents who practiced Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...
. He attended Queens College and has a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater from Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
. After he graduated, he served with the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
,
Career
Kline became involved in theater and made his professional debut in 1971 as part of the Lincoln CenterLincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of New York City's Upper West Side. Reynold Levy has been its president since 2002.-History and facilities:...
Repertory Company. Regional theater productions during this period included Chemin de Fer (in Chicago with actor Dennis Franz
Dennis Franz
Dennis Franz is an American actor best known for his role as Andy Sipowicz, a hard-boiled police detective in the television series NYPD Blue. He previously appeared as Lt...
), Death of a Salesman
Death of a Salesman
Death of a Salesman is a 1949 play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. It was the recipient of the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. Premiered at the Morosco Theatre in February 1949, the original production ran for a total of 742 performances.-Plot :Willy Loman...
, and Love's Labour's Lost
Love's Labour's Lost
Love's Labour's Lost is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s, and first published in 1598.-Title:...
. A classically trained singer, Kline made his Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
career debut in City of Angels
City of Angels (musical)
City of Angels is a musical comedy with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by David Zippel, and book by Larry Gelbart. The musical weaves together two plots, the "real" world of a writer trying to turn his book into a screenplay, and the "reel" world of the fictional film.-Productions:City of Angels...
, a musical (1990).
In addition to his television and big screen appearances, Kline has hosted two game show pilots, Jumble
Jumble (game show)
Jumble was an American game show that was broadcast on The Family Channel, running from June 13 September 2 and from November 21 to December 30, 1994. It was based on the newspaper game of the same name...
in 1988 and To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth is an American television panel game show created by Bob Stewart and produced by Goodson-Todman Productions that has aired in various forms since 1956 both on networks and in syndication...
in 1990. The show's rights were then sold to NBC with Gordon Elliott
Gordon Elliott
Gordon Elliott is a British-born Australian journalist and producer. He is the executive producer of ABC's daytime program The Chew, but is probably better known for his 1990s TV talk show program, The Gordon Elliott Show....
, then Lynn Swann
Lynn Swann
-Collegiate:Swann attended the University of Southern California, where he was an All-American on the Trojans football team. He played under legendary coach John McKay, including the 1972 undefeated and national championship season. McKay said of Swann, "He has speed, soft hands, and grace." He...
and Alex Trebek
Alex Trebek
George Alexander "Alex" Trebek is a Canadian American game show host who has been the host of the game show Jeopardy! since 1984, and prior to that, he hosted game shows such as Pitfall and High Rollers. He has appeared in numerous television series, usually as himself...
later hosting. Kline's TTTT pilot did air on the East Coast as a mistake on September 3, 1990, the day the show debuted. He also subbed in for Charles Nelson Reilly
Charles Nelson Reilly
Charles Nelson Reilly was an American actor, comedian, director and drama teacher known for his comedic roles in theater, movies, children's television, animated cartoons, and as a panelist on the game show Match Game....
as a guest panelist on Sweethearts
Sweethearts (US game show)
Sweethearts was an American television game show based on the British series of the same name which aired from September 12, 1988 to September 8, 1989. The show was syndicated throughout the United States by Multimedia Entertainment....
for a week of shows in December 1988. His game show celebrity appearances included both The $25,000 and $100,000 Pyramid
Pyramid (game show)
Pyramid is an American television game show which has aired several versions. The original series, The $10,000 Pyramid, debuted March 26, 1973 and spawned seven subsequent Pyramid series...
, Super Password
Password Plus and Super Password
Password Plus and Super Password are American game shows that are revivals of the game show Password. Both Password Plus and Super Password had the same format other than some subtle changes....
, All New All-Star Beat the Clock
Beat the Clock
Beat the Clock is a Goodson-Todman game show which has aired on American television in several versions since 1950.The original show, hosted by Bud Collyer, ran on CBS from 1950–1958 and ABC from 1958–1961. The show was revived in syndication as The New Beat the Clock from 1969–1974, with Jack Narz...
, and Body Language
Body Language (game show)
Body Language is an American game show produced by Mark Goodson Productions. The show aired on CBS from June 4, 1984 until January 3, 1986, and was hosted by Tom Kennedy...
. Kline also won $10,000 on The $10,000 Pyramid as a civilian contestant in 1974. Kline told SitcomsOnline.com he would like to compete on Jeopardy.
In February 2010 he was cast as the Wizard in the first national tour of Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
.
Kline will be seen next in October in a play directed by David Hyde Pierce
David Hyde Pierce
David Hyde Pierce is an American actor and comedian best known for playing psychiatrist Dr. Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom Frasier, for which he received many accolades including four Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.-Early life:Pierce, the youngest of four siblings,...
and starring Tyne Daly
Tyne Daly
Tyne Daly is an American stage and screen actress, widely known for her work as Detective Mary Beth Lacey in the television series Cagney & Lacey and as Maxine Gray in the television series Judging Amy. She is also known for her role as Alice Henderson in television series Christy...
.