Actor Biographies
Richard Dean Anderson (MacGyver)
Richard Dean Anderson
Like many boys growing up in Minnesota, Richard dreamed of becoming a professional hockey player. However, at the age of 16, he broke both arms in separate accidents three weeks apart while playing in high school hockey games. He put aside his dreams of playing professionally, though he still harbors a deep love for the sport. Richard studied drama at St. Cloud State University and at Ohio University, though he left just short of completing his degree.
Richard came to national attention in 1976 as Dr. Jeff Webber on the popular daytime drama General Hospital. After five years in that role, he felt it was time to move on, and he left to try his hand at prime time television. He appeared in two short-lived television series for CBS, as the eldest brother in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in 1982, and as a hot-shot Naval pilot in Emerald Point N.A.S. in 1983, as well as numerous guest appearances in other series.
In 1985 Richard was cast in his signature role as MacGyver, on ABC. He has told the story of how he won the role. He had been called in for an audition, and asked to "cold read" an unfamiliar script. Being very nearsighted, he asked to wear his glasses for the reading, and that simple unselfconscious gesture immediately convinced the show's producers that they had found the right man to become their unpretentious hero. MacGyver ran for seven successful years, and continues to enjoy popularity all around the world.
As MacGyver came to an end, Richard and his partner, Michael Greenburg, had signed an overall deal with Paramount Pictures to develop and produce several films and series for television for their own production company, Gekko Film Corp. In their first project, Richard acted as both star and executive producer of two MacGyver movies for television, both of which were filmed in London in 1993. MacGyver: Lost Treasure of Atlantis and MacGyver: Trail to Doomsday aired in 1994 to critical acclaim. Their next project for Gekko was the 1995 TV series Legend for UPN. In it, Richard portrayed Ernest Pratt, a dime novelist who reluctantly takes on the role of his literary hero, Nicodemus Legend, in a lighthearted blend of western and science fiction. Once again Richard took on the role of executive producer, as well as demonstrating a considerable talent for comedy, in what he has described as his favorite role to date.
Throughout his career, Richard has made a point of selecting roles that would allow him to stretch and demonstrate the range of his remarkable skill. With additional projects in development from Gekko Film Corp, Richard's fans can look forward to many more appearances from this accomplished and versatile actor.