Richard Muenz

Richard Muenz is an American actor and baritone born on March 9, 1948, in Hartford, Connecticut. He grew up in the Ridgewood, New Jersey, area, attended Ridgewood High School, and went on to study voice at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania.

Muenz launched his professional career in the early 1970s as a chorus member with the New York City Opera, where he sang for three seasons. Concurrently, he joined the Gregg Smith Singers, recording nine albums with the ensemble over several years, among them William Schuman's The Mighty Casey. He also performed Brahms's Liebeslieder Waltzes with the group at Carnegie Hall. In 1975, he played Sam in a production of Leonard Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti at the Whitney Museum. Bernstein attended that performance and personally invited Muenz to join the cast of his forthcoming Broadway musical 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, in which Muenz made his Broadway debut in the spring of 1976 in a variety of smaller roles. The following year he joined the long-running Off-Broadway production of The Fantasticks, taking on the role of El Gallo.

Muenz returned to Broadway in 1979 as Joe in the revival of The Most Happy Fella, a production recorded live for PBS's Great Performances. That same year he joined the cast of the television soap opera Ryan's Hope, portraying Joe Novak through 1980. In 1980, he was cast as Lancelot in the Broadway revival of Lerner and Loewe's Camelot, initially opposite Richard Burton as King Arthur and Christine Ebersole as Guenevere at the New York State Theater. When the production transferred to the Winter Garden Theatre, Muenz remained with the show, now performing alongside Richard Harris as Arthur and Meg Bussert as Guenevere; that second cast was recorded live for HBO. In 1983, he portrayed Cadet Dick Thorpe in a New Amsterdam Theater Company production of George Gershwin and Sigmund Romberg's Rosalie at Town Hall.

In 1988, Muenz joined the original Broadway cast of Chess, playing Joe. The following year he earned a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Musical for his work in the New York City Opera's production of The Pajama Game, in which he played Sid. Also in 1989, he appeared in the world premiere of Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire's Closer Than Ever at the Cherry Lane Theatre. The Off-Broadway production ran for 312 performances and was recorded on the RCA Victor label. In 1990, he portrayed Samuel Cooper in Kurt Weill's Love Life at the American Music Theater Festival in Philadelphia.

Muenz's Broadway credits also include High Society, Nick & Nora, and two separate stints in 42nd Street as Pat Denning, first in 2001 and again in 2005. In 1999, he stepped in to cover several performances as Frank Butler opposite Bernadette Peters in the Broadway revival of Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun, a role normally played by Tom Wopat. He additionally appeared in the national tours of Guys and Dolls, in which he played Sky Masterson in Jerry Zaks' revival, and The Sound of Music. In 2000, he played Robert Baker in New York City Center Encores!'s production of Bernstein's Wonderful Town, and in 2001 he narrated Great Performances's tribute to Aaron Copland, Copland's America.

His New York City Opera appearances included Bob in Wonderful Town, File in 110 in the Shade, Danilo in The Merry Widow, and Sid in The Pajama Game. Off-Broadway, he appeared as Eddie Flagrante in John Dempsey's Zombie Prom at the Variety Arts Theatre in 1996. His television work includes guest appearances on Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Highway to Heaven, Kate & Allie, and Law & Order, as well as recurring roles as Jean-Luc on Guiding Light and Dr. Kessler on Another World. In 1995, he portrayed Frank Sinatra in the television film Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story. He also performed across three seasons of Garrison Keillor's The American Radio Company of the Air and with the Night Kitchen Radio Theater.