Richard O'Brien, English actor and screenwriter
Richard Timothy Smith (born 25 March 1942), known professionally as Richard O'Brien, is an English-New Zealand writer, actor, musician, and television presenter. He wrote the musical stage show The Rocky Horror Show in 1973, which has remained in almost continuous production. He also co-wrote the screenplay of the film adaptation, The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), also appearing in the film as Riff Raff; the film became an international success and has received a large cult following. O'Brien co-wrote the musical Shock Treatment (1981) and appeared in the film as Dr. Cosmo McKinley.
O'Brien presented four series of the Channel 4 game show The Crystal Maze (1990–1993, 2016). He played the voice role of Lawrence Fletcher in the Disney Channel animated series Phineas and Ferb (2007–2015) and its two films (2011 and 2020). His other film credits include Flash Gordon (1980), Dark City (1998), Dungeons & Dragons (2000), Elvira's Haunted Hills (2001), and Jackboots on Whitehall (2010).
After a long and successful career based in the United Kingdom, O'Brien gained dual citizenship with New Zealand in 2011, where he resided in Tauranga. O’Brien identifies as third gender and uses he/him pronouns.
1942Mar, 25
Richard O'Brien
Choose Another Date
Events on 1942
- 25Jan
Thailand
World War II: Thailand declares war on the United States and United Kingdom. - 8Mar
Myanmar
World War II: Imperial Japanese Army forces captured Rangoon, Burma from British. - 10Jul
Soviet Union
Diplomatic relations between the Netherlands and the Soviet Union are established. - 13Aug
Manhattan Project
Major General Eugene Reybold of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers authorizes the construction of facilities that would house the "Development of Substitute Materials" project, better known as the Manhattan Project. - 25Sep
Holocaust
World War II: Swiss Police instruction dictates that "Under current practice ... refugees on the grounds of race alone are not political refugees", effectively denying entry to Jews trying to flee occupied Europe during the Holocaust.