Richard Hugh Lynch (February 12, 1940 – June 19, 2012) was an Irish American actor best known for portraying villains in films and television. His film credits included The Sword and the Sorcerer, Invasion USA, The Seven-Ups, Scarecrow, Little Nikita, Bad Dreams, God Told Me To, Puppet Master 3, Trancers 2, Rob Zombie’s remake of Halloween, and most recently Zombie’s Lords of Salem (although, his ill-health obligated his being replaced by Andrew Prine). He often appeared in science fiction productions, including Battlestar Galactica (as Wolfe) and its sequel series Galactica 1980 (as Commander Xaviar). He also appeared in such shows as Starsky and Hutch, T. J. Hooker, The A-Team, Charmed and Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Richard Lynch was born on February 12, 1940 (sometimes incorrectly cited as 1936) in Brooklyn, New York to Irish Catholic parents. His younger brother is actor Barry Lynch. Lynch served in the United States Marine Corps.
Lynch was trained at The Actors Studio and at the HB Studios. Lynch’s distinct scarred appearance has made him a popular nemesis, in over 100 film and TV performances. The scars came from a 1967 incident in New York’s Central Park in which he set himself on fire. He often played a heavy in features, including Scarecrow, which marked his film debut, The Seven-Ups, Bad Dreams, and Little Nikita. In 1982, Lynch won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as the evil King Cromwell in The Sword and the Sorcerer.Although Richard Lynch is best known for playing villains, he was cast as the President of the United States in the 2007 film Mil Mascaras vs. the Aztec Mummy. Lynch starred along side Judson Scott in the 1982 short-lived science fiction TV series The Phoenix.
In addition to acting, Lynch was also a musician and played the saxophone, guitar, piano, and flute. He also enjoyed fishing, poetry, and architecture. He held Irish citizenship through his Irish born parents and was a frequent visitor to Ireland. With Barry, the two brothers starred together in the films Nightforce and Total Force. Lynch’s wife Lily starred with him in the film Breaking the Silence (1998) and son Christopher Lynch starred with him in the science fiction film Trancers II.
Through the years, Lynch worked with old friend and colleague Don Calfa in the films Necronomicon (1993), Toughguy (1995), Corpses Are Forever (2003), and Lewisburg (2009).
Lynch married twice — once to Béatrix Lynch (their son Christopher died in 2005 from pneumonia), and later to Lily Lynch. His body was found in his home in Yucca Valley, California on June 19, 2012. It is not known if Lynch died on June 18 or 19. After not having heard from Lynch for several days, friend and actress Carol Vogel went to his home to find the door open and his body in his kitchen. She then called 9-1-1 He was survived by his brother Barry and sisters Carole Taylor and Cathy Jones. News reports following his death incorrectly identified his birth year as 1936, but the LA Times obituary published by his family correctly listed the year as 1940. His last film was our own Resurrection.
