Richard Farmer

Richard Farmer. (1936-2010) was an actor.

Biography

He was born in the United Kingdom. He was married to Sue King. They moved to Cape Town in 1978 and they had a son, Simon, and a daughter, Nicola.

He died on 20 April 2010 in Cape Town at the age of 74.

Career

He appeared in numerous productions for CAPAB at the Nico Malan Theatre (later Artscape), the Baxter Theatre and the Maynardville and worked with local amateur theatre societies. He was also in demand for TV appearances, feature films, voice-overs and advertising. Comedy was his forte.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

Performed in French Farce (at the Academy Theatre), The Student Prince (with CAPAB), The Robe (at the Baxter Theatre), First Monday in October (with CAPAB, 1981), Loot (at the Baxter Theatre), Kiss Me, Kate (with CAPAB), Forbidden Fruits (1983), After Magritte (at the Space), Uproar in the House (at the Hofmeyr Theatre), Fantasticks (at the Hofmeyr Theatre), Green Julia (at the Space), One For the Pot (at the Hofmeyr Theatre), Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Children of a Lesser God, The King and I, Albert, Come as you Are, Othello, One for the Pot, Barefoot in the Park.

Quoted from the programme notes in A Sleep of Prisoners in 1997(?) wherein he played the role of Private Tim Meadows: 'When Gordon Mulholland re-opened the Hofmeyr Theatre, Richard was one of The Fantasticks. He first worked with Peter Krummeck in the latter's adaptation of The Robe at the Baxter and, most recently, in CAPAB's The Winter's Tale at Maynardville. They were more consistently on stage in Richard Harris' Albert at the Nico. Other CAPAB performances include Loot, the controversial Francis and The Madness of George III in which Richard played Prime Minister William Pitt. He also 'did' Loot at the Baxter, along with the hit show: Send for Dolly and Blue Remembered Hills in which the entire cast played seven-year olds. Featured in several television series, such as The Great Chase, Syndicate and Just Nuisance, he is in current Acts of the Apostles and an episode of Sinbad. Richard rues the decline of radio - especially Springbok - bread-and-butter to actors, he says, it was entertainment to thousands.'

Sources

Limelight 1981/82; 1983/84.

A Sleep of Prisoners programme notes in 1997.

Cape Times, 28 April 2010.

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