Christopher Rich
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
Blond, wavy-haired actor Christopher Rich's movie star good looks landed him roles as Prince Charming and dashing but dumb news anchor Miller Redfield, but he proved himself more than just a pretty face with a consistent and varied acting career. Rich started out on stage and made his Broadway debut starring as Dionysius in the 1980 Circle in the Square production of "The Bacchus." By the following year, he was a regular on the NBC daytime drama "Another World," playing Sandy Cory, an audience favorite harboring a secret. Though his character was earmarked to be the first gay man in daytime television, producers changed their minds and Rich lost an opportunity to be a very memorable player in soaps. Nevertheless, he made the most of the role until his departure in 1985. Following up his soap success with a string of failed pilots, Rich finally landed a starring regular role in "The Charmings" (ABC, 1987-88), a sitcom about a fairy tale family trapped in contemporary suburbia. Playing the legendary husband of Snow White offered the actor the opportunity to do comedy, and he rose to the challenge with an often inspired turn as the handsome but brainless patriarch of a fish-out-of-water clan.
1989 saw the actor make his debut in features (the independent "Prisoners of Inertia") as well as in the CBS sitcom "Murphy Brown," where he would essay the hilariously cocky and clueless news anchor Miller Redfield in guest spots through 1991 and in a more fully-realized recurring role from 1995-97. The nemesis of the issues-minded "FYI" news team, Miller used his all-American good looks and seemingly guileless charm to his advantage, happily playing all of the games necessary to climb the ladder of success. Rich's other memorable TV series work includes a starring turn on "Almost Home" (NBC, 1993), as a single father who hires a nanny with a brood of her own, and a regular role on the Fox sitcom "The George Carlin Show" (1994-95), as snooty medic who constantly clashes with Carlin's cab driver lead. Beginning in 2001, he co-starred with country star turned actress Reba McEntire in her sitcom "Reba" (The WB), playing a dentist who seeks to divorce his wife after falling for his young hygienist.
Rich also was a fixture in TV-movies, counting among his credits the NBC presentations "In the Line of Duty: Manhunt in the Dakotas" (1990) and "Luck of the Draw: The Gambler" (1991), also serving as associate producer of both. In 1998 he starred as a father who moves his family to a seat of supernatural activity in the children's TV-movie "R.L. Stine's Ghosts of Fear Street" (ABC), wrapped up a two-year recurring stint on the CBS action series "Nash Bridges" and had funny guest spots on NBC's "Suddenly Susan" and The WB's "Alright Already."
Though he has worked with much greater frequency in television, Rich has made some big screen appearances, including a supporting role in the 1990 adventure "Flight of the Intruder" and a featured turn as the Anglo husband of Tamlyn Tomita's Chinese-American woman in Wayne Wang's "The Joy Luck Club" (1993).
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Special Thanks (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1980
Starred as Dionysius in "The Bacchae" on Broadway
1981
Was a regular on the NBC daytime drama "Another World", playing Sandy Cory; when introduced the character was intended to be the first continuing gay male in a daytime drama but the network and sponsor (Proctor & Gamble) became worried and changed direction of the character, making him a gigolo instead
1982
Had a cameo in the forgettable teen comedy "The First Time"
1989
Co-starred in the independent romantic comedy "Prisoners of Inertia"
1990
Appeared in the action feature "Flight of the Intruder"
1990
Featured in the NBC TV-movie "In the Line of Duty: Manhunt in the Dakotas"; also served as associate produer
1990
Played popular comic book character Archie Andrews in the TV-movie "Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again" (NBC)
1991
Acted in and associate produced the NBC two-part TV-movie "Luck of the Draw: The Gambler Returns"; first collaboration with Reba McEntire
1993
Played Tamlyn Tomita's husband in "The Joy Luck Club"
1993
Starred as a man who hires a nanny and takes in her many children on the short-lived ABC sitcom "Almost Home"
1998
Played a sexually harassing politican on a two-part episode of "Suddenly Susan" (NBC)
1998
Guest starred on episodes of "Alright Already" (The WB), playing an astronaut who dates the show's protagonist (Carol Leifer)
1998
Starred in the children's TV-movie thriller "R.L. Stine's Ghosts of Fear Street" (ABC)
2000
Made a guest appearance on an episode of NBC's "ER"
2001
Guested on the short-lived "The X-Files" spin-off "The Lone Gunmen"
2001
Co-starred on the sitcom "Reba" (The WB), playing the title character's philandering ex-husband
Companions
