 Born Richard Sederholm in 1943, he received a degree in acting from the University of Washington.He was the brother of director and theatre academic Jack Paul Sederholm.Richards made his Broadway debut in 1966 in "Walking Happy", and among his other Broadway credits were roles in "Barnum" (1980), "Blood Red Roses" (1970), "Mack & Mabel" (1974), and "Meet Me in St. Louis" (1989).