Richard was born in New York and attended New York University School of the Arts. His first major break was in the film Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) in the role of Apostle John. He has also appeared on Broadway as Action in "West Side Story" and Larry, Al, and Greg in "A Chorus Line. He most recently has worked with Mr. Haim Topol on "Fiddler on the Roof" in the Australian production and before that on the Israeli production.