Sir Ralph David Richardson (December 19, 1902 - 1983) was an English actor, one of a group of theatrical knights of the mid-20th century who, though more closely associated with the stage, did their best to make the transition to film. Richardson was born in Cheltenham and made his West End début in 1926. Thereafter he became one of the Old Vic's major stars. After World War II, he became co-director of the Vic, and also appeared with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-on-Avon. In 1954-1955 he played the character of Dr. John Watson (mistakenly called 'James' in several episodes) in an American/BBC radio co-production of canonical Sherlock Holmes stories, which starred John Gielgud as the famous consulting detective. His film appearances included The Heiress, Richard III (playing Buckingham to Laurence Olivier's Richard), O Lucky Man!, Oh! What a Lovely War and Time Bandits. His career has often been compared with that of Olivier, Alec Guinness and John Gielgud.
