Richard Caspar Sarafian (April 28, 1930 – September 18, 2013) was an Armenian-American film director and actor. He compiled a versatile career that spanned over five decades as a director, actor, and writer. Sarafian is best known as the director of the 1971 film Vanishing Point and the classic The Twilight Zone episode "Living Doll".
Biography Sarafian was born in New York City on April 28, 1930, to Armenian immigrants. He studied pre-law and pre-med at New York University and was a poor student, but changed over to studying film, at which he excelled. He left college to join the United States Army, in which he served as a reporter for an Army news service. While stationed in Kansas City, Missouri during the Korean War (1950–1953) he met the future Hollywood director Robert Altman, and the two became friends.
Sarafian worked with Altman on industrial films and married Altmans sister, Helen Joan Altman. He also acted in a local play Altman directed. His television career began in the early 1960s in Kansas City as Altmans assistant. Sarafian soon began to direct television shows, and in 1963, he scored one of his great successes as director of the "Living Doll" episode of The Twilight Zone. His first feature film was Andy in 1965. His greatest success as a feature film director came with Vanishing Point, an existential road movie that followed a man driving a white Dodge Challenger from Denver to San Francisco in 15 hours; critics disliked the movie, but it became a cult hit.
Besides The Twilight Zone, Sarafians directing credits on television included episodes of Gunsmoke and Batman. In addition to Andy and Vanishing Point, he directed a number of feature films, including Run Wild, Run Free in 1969, Man in the Wilderness in 1971, and The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing in 1973. In his film acting career, he played a gangster in Bugsy in 1991, Paul Castellano in Gotti, and a hitman in Bulworth in 1998, and in 2001 he voiced the animated God Beaver character in Dr. Dolittle 2. On television, he played a coffee shop owner as a regular member of the cast of the 1985–1986 sitcom Foley Square.McNeil, Alex, Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to Programming From 1948 to the Present, New York: Penguin Books, 1996, p. 293.Brooks, Tim, and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime-Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present, Sixth Edition, New York: Ballantine Books, 1995, , p. 364.
Personal life Sarafian and Helen Altman Sarafian married, divorced, and remarried; she died in 2011. They had five children, including actor Richard Sarafian Jr., actor/director Deran Sarafian, special effects expert Damon B. Sarafian, screenwriter Tedi Sarafian, and Catherine Sarafian.
Death Sarafian died at the age of 83 in Santa Monica, California, on September 18, 2013, of pneumonia, which he contracted while recovering from a broken back.
Filmography Film Director Year Title Director Writer Producer 1962 Terror at Black Falls 1965 Andy 1969 Run Wild, Run Free 1970 Fragment of Fear 1971 Vanishing Point Man in the Wilderness 1973 Lolly-Madonna XXX The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing 1976 The Next Man 1979 Sunburn 1981 Gangster Wars 1984 The Bear 1986 Eye of the Tiger 1987 Street Justice 1990 Solar Crisis* * Credited as "Alan Smithee"
Actor Year Title Role Notes 1956 The Magic Bond Short 1976 The Next Man Gregory Zolnikov uncredited 1984 Songwriter Rodeo Rocky 1986 Alien Predator Capt. J.J. Wells voice, uncredited 1987 Street Justice Taxi Driver 1989 To Die For Bartender 1991 Bugsy Jack Dragna 1992 Ruby Proby1994 Gunmen Chief Chavez Roadflower Trucker1995 Don Juan DeMarco Detective Sy Tobias The Crossing Guard Sunny Ventura 1996 Bound Gino Marzzone 1998 Bulworth Vinnie1999 Blink of an Eye Erlik Blue Streak Uncle Lou 2000 Picking Up the Pieces Wino 2001 Dr. Dolittle 2 God Beaver voice 2002 Hitters 2003 Masked and Anonymous President 2007 Reeling Teeth voice, short
Television TV series Director Year Title Notes1961 Maverick episode: "The Forbidden City" Bronco episode: "Guns of the Lawless" Surfside 6 episode: "Count Seven!" The Roaring 20's episode: "Blondes Prefer Gentlemen"1961–1962 Lawman 22 episodes Cheyenne 2 episodes 1962 Hawaiian Eye 2 episodes1962–1963 The Dakotas 3 episodes The Gallant Men 9 episodes 77 Sunset Strip 3 episodes1963 Redigo episode: "Lady War-Bonnet" The Great Adventure episode: "Six Wagons to the Sea" The Twilight Zone episode: "Living Doll" Bonanza episode: "The Waiting Game" 1963–1965 Ben Casey 3 episodes 1964 Dr. Kildare episode: "An Exchange of Gifts"1965 Slattery's People 4 episodes The Wild Wild West 2 episodes Convoy episode: "Lady on the Rock" The Long, Hot Summer episode: "Home Is a Nameless Place" The Big Valley episode: "Winner Lose All" The Wackiest Ship in the Army episode: "The Stowaway" 1965–1968 Gunsmoke 4 episodes1966 The Trials of O'Brien episode: "Alarums and Excursions" Batman 2 episodes Jericho 5 episodes The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. episode: "The Romany Lie Affair" 1966–1968 I Spy 8 episodes1967 Iron Horse episode: "Consignment, Betsy the Boiler" The Guns of Will Sonnett 3 episodes Cimarron Strip episode: "The Battle of Bloody Stones" 1967–1968 The Danny Thomas Hour 2 episodes 1968 Premiere 1975 Doctors' Hospital episode: "One of Our Own"1981 The Gangster Chronicles miniseries Shannon 2 episodes 1982 The Mississippi episode: "The Mississippi" 1985 Wildside 3 episodes 1990 Zorro episode: "Zorro: The Legend Continues" (unaired TV pilot)
Actor Year Title Role Notes 1985–1986 Foley Square Spiro Papadopolis 14 episodes 1989 Wiseguy episode: "Le Lacrime D'Amore: Part 2" 1990 MacGyver Caspar Kasabian episode: "Bitter Harvest" 1997 Michael Hayes Restaurant Owner episode: "Retribution"
TV movies Director Shadow on the Land (1968) One of Our Own (1975) The African Queen (1977) A Killing Affair (1977) Disaster on the Coastliner (1977) The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story (1980) Splendor in the Grass (1981) Liberty (1986)
Actor Year Title Role Notes1986 Long Time Gone Omar Liberty Philbert Evans 1993 Sex, Love and Cold Hard Cash Abe Uncredited1996 Miami Hustle Henry Kronfeld Gotti Paul Castellano
Awards Nominee, Gold Hugo, Best Feature Film – Chicago International Film Festival (The Next Man) (1976)
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