Larry Riley

Larry Riley (June 20, 1952 – June 6, 1992) was an American actor, singer, and musician born in Memphis, Tennessee. He began performing in high school and went on to study drama at Memphis State University, making his professional stage debut in 1971.

Riley's Broadway career spanned from 1977 to 1985 and included appearances in Pippin, Cabaret, Night and Day, and A Broadway Musical. His stage work extended beyond Broadway to off-Broadway productions, among them Shakespeare's Cabaret, I Love My Wife, and Big River, a musical adaptation of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In 1982, his performance in A Soldier's Play earned him both a Clarence Derwent Award and an Obie Award. He subsequently reprised his role as C.J. Memphis when the play was adapted into the 1984 film A Soldier's Story. Riley also performed the leading player role in the U.S. touring company of Pippin, and from 1984 to 1985 portrayed Curtis Taylor, Jr. in the national touring company of Dreamgirls.

On television, Riley played Calvin Barnes on the NBC daytime soap opera The Doctors from 1980 to 1982. He made guest appearances on Hill Street Blues and Miami Vice before landing the recurring role of Frank Williams on the nighttime soap Knots Landing in 1988, becoming the series' first regular African American cast member. He sang in multiple episodes of the series and composed the score for several installments as well. His work on the show earned him a Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Actor in a Primetime Supporting Role in 1991. Riley also starred in the short-lived 1985 sitcom Stir Crazy, based on the 1980 film of the same name, and appeared in Louis Malle's 1984 film Crackers. He voiced the character Dumping Jack Trash in the children's animated series Fantastic Max, and performed two songs as Reverend Gillis in the Emmy-nominated television film Polly and its sequel, Polly! Comin' Home. In 1988, Riley created a musical tribute to Louis Jordan titled Let The Good Times Roll, which was performed at the Cinegrill of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

In May 1989, Riley entered rehabilitation for drug and alcohol abuse. The following year he learned he was HIV positive. Concerned that public knowledge of his diagnosis would damage his career, he disclosed his illness only to his wife, Nina, and continued working on Knots Landing until his death. He attributed his visible weight loss to kidney failure caused by high blood pressure. His true diagnosis was made public by his wife and doctor after his death. Riley died on June 6, 1992, in Burbank, California, two weeks before his 40th birthday. He was survived by his wife Nina and a son, Larry, Jr.