Richard Gaines

Richard Houston Gaines (July 23, 1904 – July 20, 1975) was an American actor whose career spanned Broadway, film, and television. Born in Indian Territory and raised in Texas, he developed early skills in frontier labor alongside an interest in performance. He enrolled at Texas Christian University at age 16, studying drama while acting in little theater productions in Dallas and Fort Worth. After working various jobs in both the United States and France, he won a scholarship to study at the American Laboratory Theatre.

Gaines made his Broadway debut in 1929 and appeared in five productions through 1942. His stage credits included the drama The Walking Gentleman, the drama In Time to Come, A Glass of Water, and S. S. Glencairn. His most prominent Broadway role came in Robert E. Sherwood's Abe Lincoln in Illinois, the original 1938–1939 production, in which he stepped in as Abraham Lincoln to replace Raymond Massey.

His film career began with a portrayal of Patrick Henry in the historical drama The Howards of Virginia, opposite Cary Grant. In Hollywood, Gaines became a reliable presence in supporting roles, frequently cast as lawyers, doctors, supervisors, and father figures. He played Charles J. Pendergast, the stiff suitor of Jean Arthur's character, in George Stevens's The More the Merrier (1943), a role that became one of his most recognized. The following year he appeared in Double Indemnity (1944), the Billy Wilder film noir, as the insurance company superior to Fred MacMurray and Edward G. Robinson. In Cecil B. DeMille's Unconquered (1947), he portrayed George Washington. Over the course of his screen career, Gaines appeared in more than 75 film and television productions between 1940 and 1962.

Television occupied much of his work during the 1950s, and between 1958 and 1961 he appeared as a judge in 14 episodes of Perry Mason. He made a guest appearance on Alfred Hitchcock Presents in 1962, after which he retired from the industry. He died in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, on July 20, 1975, three days before his 71st birthday.

In his personal life, Gaines married actress Brenda Marshall on September 30, 1936. The couple had one daughter, Virginia, before divorcing in 1940. Marshall subsequently married actor William Holden in 1941, and Holden adopted Virginia Gaines.