Person Biography:
Richard Jordan was born on July 19, 1937, in New York City, to a socially prominent family. He was the grandson of Learned Hand, the greatest American jurist never to have served on the U.S. Supreme Court. Jordan's stepfather, Newbold Morris, was a member of the New York City Council during Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia's administration.
Jordan was educated in private Manhattan schools and then at the exclusive Hotchkiss prep school in Lakeville, Connecticut. He was outstanding as the eponymous lead of the school play "Mr. Roberts", which won him a place in the Sharon, Connecticut summer stock company.
Jordan went to England as an exchange student at the Sherbourne School, a college (private school) that was over 1,000 years old. After graduating from Sherbourne, Jordan entered Harvard College and took his degree in three years.
At Harvard, Jordan was a member of the Dramatic Club, both as an actor and as a director. It was while at Harvard that he decided to become a professional actor and began performing with off-campus stage companies.
