Richard “Dick” Backus
Mowglis Staff 65, 66, 67
Dick Backus came to Mowglis on the staff in 1965, introduced to the camp by his sister who had worked at Onaway. He joined an iconic staff that included the Boicourt Brothers, Robert Ulery, Stu Klein, John Gilbert.
Dick laughs when he describes coming to camp as the nature counselor with equipment his father, an amateur entomologist and full-time Doctor provided to him - including kill jars - and he was promptly told by Mr. Hart that killing our insect brothers and sisters was not the "Mowglis way" a point of view that Dick admired and adopted himself.
As a student at Harvard, Dick had already caught the acting bug and he was actively acting in college and stock circles but he was caught up in the Mowglis spirit and luckily for us he continued to return to Mowglis for 3 years when he could easily have been acting in summer stock.
Of course that didn't stop him from bringing his skills to Mowglis and in this podcast, he describes a Sci-Fi play involving the camp dishwasher as a time-travel machine with detailed costuming and makeup provided by the iconic Stuart Klein!
Dick went on to an illustrious career as not only an actor but also a writer.
Listen here:
https://feeds.podetize.com/ep/KZ4I2xuy5/media
Though his first love has always been the stage, Dick is An Emmy-nominated soap actor ("Ryan's Hope"), he eventually went behind the scenes as a daytime serial writer. In fact He has been nominated for four Daytime Emmy Awards for writing and one for acting.
In 1972 he won the Theatre World and Clarence Derwent Awards for his multiple roles in the Broadway comedy "Promenade, All!".
He also understudied Keir Dullea on Broadway in the original "Butterflies Are Free" (1969) and eventually took over the role.
Richard Backus was born on March 28, 1945 in Goffstown, New Hampshire, USA. Where
His dad was a local physician.
He discovered his love for acting, the theatre and writing at a relatively early age and made his Broadway theatre debut at the Booth Theatre in the Theatre District of Manhattan in the original production of Butterflies Are Free. The production began in October 1969 with Backus cast as the understudy for Keir Dullea in the role of Don Baker. He was first appeared in the role, which we would later take over, in 1971.
Since then, he has appeared in several other Broadway productions, including Ah, Wilderness!, Camelot, and most recently You Never Can Tell.[5] Other venues at which Backus has appeared include the American Shakespeare Theatre, the Ensemble Studio Theatre, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.[3]
Backus has also acted in film and television. In the seventies, Backus was in Deathdream a movie that today is considered a cult classic in the horror genre. He also portrayed scheming but well-meaning Jason Saxton on Lovers and Friends. Closer to home, he appeared in several episodes of Spencer for Hire with the late Robert Urich.
On the Soap Opera circuit He replaced Eric Roberts in the role of Ted Bancroft on Another World. From 1980 through 1981, and portrayed Barry Ryan on the soap opera Ryan's Hope,[4] a performance for which he was nominated for the 1981 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role in a Daytime Drama Series
He married his wife Sharon Romeyko in 1985.
In 1989 he turned his talents toward screenwriting and has not looked back. Richard Backus has been a screenwriter since early 1989. He has worked on three television shows: As the World Turns, One Life to Live, and Days of Our Lives. As the World Turns and One Life to Live have each earned Backus two nominations for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team.[2] The writing team behind One Life to Live was also nominated for the 2004 Writers Guild of America Award for Daytime Serials.[6]
He married Sharon Romeyko in 1985.
While Dick's career has led him to live in and work in many different venues, especially New York, his heart has always seemed to lead him back to New Hampshire. Where I first met him in 1965 when I was a boy and he was among my favorite camp counselors at Mowglis, the School of the Open, a camp on Newfound Lake in East Hebron.
Showing all 10 items
Jump to: Overview (2) | Mini Bio (1) | Family (1) | Trade Mark (1) | Trivia (5)
Overview (2)
Born
March 28, 1945 in Goffstown, New Hampshire, USA
Height
6' 5" (1.96 m)
Mini Bio (1)
Richard Backus was born on March 28, 1945 in Goffstown, New Hampshire, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for As the World Turns (1956), One Life to Live (1968) and Ryan's Hope (1975). He has been married to Sharon Romeyko since January 27, 1985.
Family (1)
Spouse
Sharon Romeyko (27 January 1985 - present)
Trade Mark (1)
Towering height and menacing frame
Trivia (5)
Born at 5:40pm-EWT
An Emmy-nominated soap actor ("Ryan's Hope"), he eventually went behind the scenes as a daytime serial writer.
Won the Theatre World and Clarence Derwent Awards for his multiple roles in the Broadway comedy "Promenade, All!" in 1972.
Understudied Keir Dullea on Broadway in the original "Butterflies Are Free" (1969) and eventually took over the role.
(? - Present) is a writer for "One Life to Live"
See also
Other Works | Publicity Listings | Official Sites
View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro
Richard Backus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Richard Backus
Born
March 28, 1945 (age 76)
Goffstown, New Hampshire, U.S.
Occupation
Actor, writer
Richard Backus (born March 28, 1945) is an American actor and television writer. He has been nominated for four Daytime Emmy Awards for writing and one for acting.[1][2]
Contents
1Biography
2Acting career
3Writing career
4Partial filmography
5References
6External links
Biography[edit]
Richard Backus was born in Goffstown, New Hampshire on March 28, 1945. He attended Harvard University.[3] He has been married to Sharon Romeyko since January 27, 1985.[4]
Acting career[edit]
Richard Backus made his Broadway theatre debut at the Booth Theatre in the original production of Butterflies Are Free. The production began in October 1969 with Backus cast as the understudy for Keir Dullea in the role of Don Baker. He was first appeared in the role, which we would later take over, in 1971.[3][5]
Since then, he has appeared in several other Broadway productions, including Ah, Wilderness!, Camelot, and most recently You Never Can Tell.[5] Other venues at which Backus has appeared include the American Shakespeare Theatre, the Ensemble Studio Theatre, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.[3]
Backus has also acted in film and television. In the seventies, Backus was in Deathdream and portrayed scheming but well-meaning Jason Saxton on Lovers and Friends. He later replaced Eric Roberts in the role of Ted Bancroft on Another World. From 1980 through 1981, he portrayed Barry Ryan on the soap opera Ryan's Hope,[4] a performance for which he was nominated for the 1981 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role in a Daytime Drama Series.[2]
Writing career[edit]
Richard Backus has been a screenwriter since as early as 1989. He has worked on three television shows: As the World Turns, One Life to Live, and Days of Our Lives. As the World Turns and One Life to Live have each earned Backus two nominations for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team.[2] The writing team behind One Life to Live was also nominated for the 2004 Writers Guild of America Award for Daytime Serials.[6]
Partial filmography[edit]
Deathdream (1974) - 'Andy' / Andy Brooks
The First Deadly Sin (1980) - Walt Ashman
References[edit]
^ New York Times
^ Jump up to:a b c "Richard Backus - Awards"
. imdb.com. 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
^ Jump up to:a b c Ian Herbert, ed. (1981). "BACKUS, Richard". Who's Who in the Theatre. Vol. 1. Gale Research Company. p. 33. ISSN 0083-9833
.
^ Jump up to:a b Richard Backus
at IMDb
^ Jump up to:a b Richard Backus
at the Internet Broadway Database
^ "2004 WGA Award Nominees; 2004 Producers Guild Award Winners"
. The Futon Critic. 2004-01-20. Retrieved 2009-11-03.
External links[edit]
Richard Backus
at IMDb
Richard Backus
at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
Dead Of Night/Deathdream (1974)
Dead of Night (1974) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]
