Jefferson Richard, a true pioneer of the independent film movement, began his professional career in the 1960s as a folk/blues singer and musician, performing at legendary venues such as Club 47 in Harvard Square and Greenwich Village's coffee houses, alongside notable artists like Tom Rush, Mike Bloomfield, and Paul Butterfield.
He earned his degree at the Cambridge School Of Broadcasting, where he managed the radio station, and graduated from the American Academy Of Dramatic Arts in New York. It was during his time at the Academy that he met lifelong friend and collaborator George 'Buck' Flower.
Richard joined Flower's nationally known repertory company The Inspiration Players, based in Santa Monica, California, and toured the country, acting and directing morality-based classical theatre in churches and schools. After serving in the US Army, where he headed up Armed Forces Radio at Fort Ord, California, during the Vietnam War, he began directing theatre in Los Angeles and throughout the country, as well as working on low-budget films as an actor, grip, or whatever job he could get.
Over the next few years, Richard performed every job on the set, eventually breaking into the film production field as First Assistant Director on The Black 6 (1973). He went on to work with Matt Cimber on several films, including The Candy Tangerine Man (1975),Gemini Affair: A Diary (1975),and The Witch Who Came from the Sea (1976),progressing to production manager, line producer, second-unit director, and eventually producer.
Richard's work with Cimber led him to meet and work with Orson Welles, who remains a great influence in his life. In 1977, he migrated to Park City, Utah, to work with Sunn Classic Pictures, where he honed his skills as a second-unit director on The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams (1977) and The Time Machine (1978).
He also served as 1st Assistant Director on the Emmy-nominated The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1980) and a number of other television movies and features. In the 1980s, he was one of the most sought-after line producers for independent films in Los Angeles, co-producing such features as Hit List (1989),One Man Force (1989),and Maniac Cop (1988),as well as international productions including A Time to Die (1982),Hundra (1983),and Dance Academy (1988).
Richard also directed two features: the family-themed theatrical hit In Search of a Golden Sky (1984) and the campy horror cult classic Berserker (1987),which he also wrote. The 1990s brought success with his own productions as well as producing action sequences for such films as In Too Deep (1999),Get Carter (2000),and 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001).
He worked with James Glickenhaus on several films, including Slaughter of the Innocents (1993) and Time Master (1995),which he produced. In addition, he line-produced two international television series: Acapulco H.E.A.T. (1998) and Conan the Adventurer (1992) in Mexico, where he has also co-produced two features. Other assignments include Daddy Day Camp (2007),Say It in Russian (2007),Bagboy (2007),and I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (2006).
Richard is currently developing several of his own projects as well as contemplating his next line producer assignment. He resides in Park City, Utah, and Las Vegas, Nevada, with his wife and soul mate Sheila, who is also an active environmentalist.
