Richard Long, actor, was born December 17, 1927, in Chicago, Illinois, to Sherman D. Long and Dale McCord Long. He was the fifth of six children. The Long family moved to Hollywood, California, in 1944.

Long was discovered by a casting director for Universal-International studios while acting in a high school play. The director, Jack Murton, was searching for a teen-ager to play a part in a movie and liked what he saw in Long. He was given the role of Drew, playing the son of Claudette Colbert and George Brent in the movie "Tomorrow is Forever". Not a bad way for a 17 year old to start a career. He stayed with Universal-International for 11 years.

Long married his first wife, Suzan Ball, on April 11, 1954, in Santa Barbara, California. Ms. Ball had already been diagnosed with cancer of the knee when she and Long met. Before they were married, she had to have her leg amputated and doctors believed they had stopped the cancer. However, the cancer returned and she tragically died of the disease at the age of 21, in August 5, 1955.

Long married his second wife, Mara Corday, on January 26, 1957, and the couple had three children; Carey, born September 11, 1957, Valerie, September 9, 1958, and Gregory, September 3, 1960.

Long is probably best remembered for his roles in the televsion shows "The Big Valley" and "Nanny and the Professor", but he had a long career spanning four decades in both movies and television.

Tomorrow is Forever
The Stranger
The Dark Mirror
The Egg and I
Tap Roots
Criss Cross
Ma and Pa Kettle
The Life of Riley
Ma and Pa Kettle Go To Town
Kansas Raiders
Air Cadet
Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm
Back at the Front
All I Desire
All American
Saskatchewan
Playgirl
Cult of the Cobra
Fury at Gunsight Pass
He Laughed Last
Maverick, television series
House on Haunted Hill
Bourbon Street Beat, television series
Tokyo After Dark
77 Sunset Strip, television series
Follow the Boys
The Tenderfoot
The Big Valley, television series
Nanny and the Professor, television series
Nanny and the Professor, television series, animated
Thicker Than Water, television series
The Mini-Munsters, television series, animated
Nanny and the Professor and the Phantom of the Circus, television series, animated
The Girl Who Came Gift-Wrapped
Death Cruise

Richard Long died on December 21, 1974, of a heart ailment. He was 47 years old.


Sources:

http://www.actor-richardlong.com/main.html
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/2075/index.html
http://us.imdb.com/Name?Long,+Richard+(I)