Richardson was born in
Chicago, Illinois. During
World War II, he served in the
Army Air Forces and was stationed in
England, where he was introduced to the works of
William Shakespeare and
Noël Coward. After an honorable discharge, Richardson enrolled in
Loyola University Chicago as a prelaw major. After one semester, he decided to pursue the dramatic arts instead, and left Loyola to study at the
Goodman Theatre's acting school. Richardson was one of several founding members of the
Guthrie Theater in
Minneapolis. His Shakespearean background saw him often play characters with a clipped English accent, and he was sometimes mistaken to be British. In 1972, he was nominated for a
Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in
Vivat! Vivat Regina!. Richardson appeared in such films as
Brubaker,
Prince of the City, ''
Prizzi's Honor, Tiger Warsaw, The Fly II, Q&A, The Exorcist III, Daniel and A Stranger Among Us and such television series as Law & Order and Hearts and Minds. He also narrated Network and appeared in the television film Skylark. He appeared in an uncredited role as Franklin D. Roosevelt in Truman''. == Personal life and death ==