Richard Lawson

Richard Lawson is an American actor who has starred in movies and on television. He is perhaps best-known for his roles in science fiction—he portrayed Ryan in the 1982 hit movie Poltergeist, and Dr. Ben Taylor in the hit 1983 NBC miniseries V. Born Rickey Lee Lawson in Loma Linda, California, Lawson served a tour of duty in the Vietnam War before embarking on an acting career. His first feature film role was that of a gay man targeted for murder in the classic 1971 movie Dirty Harry. In 1973, he played Willis in Scream Blacula Scream. His other well known roles include the 1979 movie... The Main Event, and the 1984 drama Streets of Fire, where he played Officer Ed Price. Lawson's first on-going starring role in a television series was in Australian drama Hotel Story in 1977. That series was cancelled before the first episode had gone to air.
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