Richard Ian Cox

Character actor Richard Cox is well-known in theater circles but has only achieved fleeting fame in film and television, usually playing supporting roles. A New York native, he studied both anthropology and drama at Yale after growing up the only child of two show-business parents. After graduating, he combined a stage and screen career during the 1970s, landing a recurring role on the short-lived drama "Executive Suite" and earning a Tony for his role in the 1979 musical "Platinum." His career highlight was arguably his supporting role in the 1980 psychological drama "Cruising" which co-starred Al Pacino. Although he never became a star, he maintained a steady work schedule for the next few decades, occasionally landing recurring roles as he did in the critically-acclaimed Robert Altman miniseries "Tanner '88" and the public-school drama "The Bronx Zoo," which lasted less than two seasons. Another career highlight was playing Max Frazier in a multiple-episode guest-starring role on the family mystery "Ghostwriter" in the early '90s. Since then, Cox has been busy with guest spots on a multitude of TV dramas, including a three-episode stint on the sci-fi show "The Visitor" and a recurring role on the venerable soap "Guiding Light." His film work continued but consisted almost exclusively of small roles in low-profile projects like the 2005 comedy "Barry Dingle."