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Richard Paul

Richard Paul

Actor · Died December 25, 1998, aged 58 · Los Angeles, California, USA

Richard Paul (June 6, 1940 – December 25, 1998) was an American actor. He was able to imitate most American and many foreign dialects, though he had a tenor voice and trained with Lee Sweetland. Paul had a B.A. in public affairs from Claremont Men's College and an M.A. in psychology from California State University, Los Angeles. He was near completion of his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, but gave up his career as a therapist to become a full-time performer. Richard Paul was nicknamed "Pige Paul" by Slim Pickens while filming an episode of The Love Boat (1977) after local pigeons anointed a new suit jacket. In 1980 he guest starred in the ABC comedy 'One In A Million" which only aired for one season Richard was also a frequent panelist on Match Game in the 1980s. From 1977 to 1979 he portrayed Mayor Teddy Burnside in Carter Country, and later played the recurring character of Cabot Cove Mayor, Sam Booth, in Murder, She Wrote. He was cast as Dr. Bob Halyers in the "Clean Up Radio Everywhere" episode ofWKRP in Cincinnati (1978) because of his resemblance to Rev. Jerry Falwell. Paul played Falwell himself twice: once in Fall From Grace, a Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker TV movie made in 1990, and then in The People vs. Larry Flynt in 1996. Paul was in the cult classic film Eating Raoul (1982), written and directed byPaul Bartel. Also in 1982, he co-starred on the short-lived sitcom Herbie, the Love Bug. He also appeared in Bartel's short film, The Secret Cinema, a paranoid-delusional, fantasy masterpiece of self-referential cinema, which was part of theAmazing Stories series on television. Paul also appeared in Not for Publication, written and directed by Bartel. He volunteered with Actors and Others for Animals. He was on the Mental Health Advisory Board of Los Angeles County. He volunteered at childhood immunization clinics for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. He read books into tapes by special request at the Braille Institute in Los Angeles. He married Patty Oestereich in 1968 in Pasadena, California. They were married for 30 years until his death on Christmas day in 1998 at home in Studio City, California, due to cancer at age 58.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 6, 1940
Died
December 25, 1998 (aged 58)
From
Los Angeles, California, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
22 on MovieCove · 33 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Up 9% in 30 days

What are Richard Paul's films like?

Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Power.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
30%
Power
22%
Bonds
20%
Survival
16%
Self
13%
Justice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 6 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Wry: How sincerely it treats its story and characters, from ironic to earnest. Browse their wry movies.
Tone · Sincerity
ironicearnest

A split, not a type: Ironic 2 · Wry 0 · Earnest 4

Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 4 · Serious 0 · Dark 2

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 3 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 3 · Charged 3 · Intense 0

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 2 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 4

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 1

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 6 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 6 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

2 analyzed roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Absurd
4
Thrilling
4
Tense
2
Joyful
2
Manic
1
Other
2

How their films linger

Fun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet3
  • Tragic1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Richard Paul's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 22 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Pluto TV (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Richard Paul's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

33 credits, 22 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Independent(2000)

    as Jeffries

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • The People vs. Larry Flynt(1996)

    as Reverend Jerry Falwell

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Mind Games (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as Dean Meyer

  • The Glass Cage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as Mr. Silkerman

  • The Drew Carey Show(1995)

    Show 1 episode · as Burt

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all shows

  • Beanstalk(1994)

    as Mayor Cecil Boggs

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Bloodfist III: Forced to Fight(1991)

    as Goddard

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Herman's Head (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Show 1 episode · as Mr. Fitzer

  • Beverly Hills, 90210(1990)

    Show 1 episode · as Bob Barnett

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all shows

  • Fall from Grace(1990)

    as Rev. Jerry Fallwell

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Pass the Ammo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    as G.W. Wraith

  • Full House(1987)

    Show 6 episodes · as Mr. Strowbridge

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows

  • Married... with Children(1987)

    Show 2 episodes · as The Sheriff

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • The Princess Academy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    as Drago

  • Uphill All the Way(1986)

    as Thaddeus Dillman

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Amazing Stories(1985)

    Show 1 episode · as Mr. Krupp

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • 227(1985)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all shows

  • Hail to the Chief (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 7 episodes · as Rev. Billy Joe Bickerstaff

  • Not for Publication(1984)

    as Troppogrosso

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Murder, She Wrote(1984)

    Show 7 episodes · as Sam Booth

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • Scarecrow and Mrs. King(1983)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • The Man Who Wasn't There(1983)

    as Pudgy Aide

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • At Ease (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Eating Raoul(1982)

    as Mr. Cray

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Herbie, the Love Bug (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 5 episodes · as Bo Phillips

  • One in a Million (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Show 13 episodes · as Barton Stone

  • WKRP in Cincinnati(1978)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr. Bob Hallier

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • The Love Boat(1977)

    Show 2 episodes · as Floyd Scofield

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all shows

  • Carter Country (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 44 episodes · as Mayor Teddy Burnside

  • Exorcist II: The Heretic(1977)

    as Man on the Plane

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Quincy, M.E. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

  • Happy Days(1974)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows

  • Emergency!(1972)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

Career shape

Star power in the 79th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 33 titles from 1972 to 2000; peak year 1996.

Biggest box office

Bloodfist III: Forced to Fight (1991)

$35K worldwide

Highest rated

Eating Raoul (1982)

Midcredits 73rd

Most popular right now

Bloodfist III: Forced to Fight (1991)

Film career

19722000

Peak 1996 · steadily prominent in film for years. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting33 of 33: 33 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score40th

By decade

1970s7 · acting1980s16 · acting1990s9 · acting2000s1 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Richard Paul's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 19th percentile, the median of all 10; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 23rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

23rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Approval · how many liked their films

19thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Reach · how many have seen their films

43rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Midcredits score across 22 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th7

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 22 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Universally Panned2
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed10

Most divisive · actor

Uphill All the Way (1986)

72nd percentile spread · 53% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)

Midcredits 90th · 79% liked

Reviewers score the acting 46/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles; fans 65, detractors 23. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Richard Paul work with?

People who share at least 2 of Richard Paul's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Paul Bartel shares the most, 2.

Directors

Actors

Editors

Producers