Rich was born in
Plymouth, Devon, the son of a
music hall comedian. Educated at
Dulwich College, southeast London, he became involved in acting at an early age, making his theatrical debut in 1923. He was subsequently involved in theatre for several years. Rich was a pioneering broadcaster for the BBC, as one of the first radio
DJs. During the
Second World War, he was standing in as a news announcer when
Broadcasting House was hit by a bomb during the 9:00 p.m. news broadcast. He presented
Children Calling Home, a series of wartime radio broadcasts featuring conversations between evacuees and their parents. In 1964, he became head of BBC Light Entertainments (Sound), a post which he held until his retirement in 1967. Rich died from cancer in hospital in
Stratford-upon-Avon in 1970, aged 58. He was married to actress
Brenda Bruce; they had twin daughters. ==Film and television credits==