Biography

Born in London Richard Ratcliffe went to school just around the corner from the Ealing Studios. That is where he got his taste for showbizz watching them filming the exterior shots! Ironically a few years later he had his first Television job there in an episode of Z Cars and then much later with one of his heroes Spike Milligan in Q10. Other TV includes guest appearances in Eastenders, General Hospital, The Bill, Bergerac, Crimewatch, Crime Monthly (LWT), Late Starter, Omnibus, etc.

Richard was a regular member of the BBC Radio Rep and often acted and sang on Children's Radio. He has also written comedy scripts and short stories for Radio; and composed several jingles for Radio Commercials! He often performed Soundalikes too (Dame Edna, etc) and is a well-established Voiceover Artiste for TV and Video documentaries.

He has also acted in several prestigious stage productions with Terence Stamp, Jenny Seagrove, Philip Madoc, Frank Finlay, Gerald Harper and many others. On tour he has appeared in several of the famous Ray Cooney farces and has co-written and starred in a revue at the Edinburgh Festival. Of course one of his all-time favourite jobs was working with The Two Ronnies when they performed their live shows, both at the London Palladium and on subsequent tours.

His singing career has included all sorts of music from seasons with International Ice shows, Barber Shop Quartet and right through to supper cabarets. He has also appeared in many successful West End musicals including 'The Sound of Music' as Captain Von Trapp opposite Bernie Nolan; 'Me and My Girl' with Gary Wilmot; 'Some Like It Hot' with Tommy Steele, 'Annie' and many many more! See Video..

In Summer Seasons he has appeared with Jimmy Cricket, Syd Little, Jim Bowen, Don MacLean and many others. He has also worked as a Compere and Singer for larger Corporate events, Dinner Dances and Weddings; a cabaret artiste for smaller, private functions; and a lounge singer. For several years Richard has been touring with Big Bands and has been thrilled to be booked especially to sing by celebs such as Heather Mills.

He is also well established on the After Dinner Speakers circuit. He shares some of his memories of 53 years in West End Theatre, TV, Radio, Films, Cabaret and Repertory. In particular the hilarious things that go wrong backstage and the fantastic people he has worked with. From the early days auditioning for Sir Laurence Olivier; opening night with the Two Ronnies at The London Palladium; and many many more. See the link to his TALKS PAGE

More recently he has been combining all his skills as a writer, singer and raconteur to create his own one-man show 'Pure Gold.' He just loves to sing romantic songs and brings you the best of the best! Standards from the kings of swing such as Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, Harry Connick Jr, Bobby Darin, Perry Como and many others.


biog (59K)

Here is a brief Resume of my Acting Work on the Equity Website.

Richard Ratcliffe - Actor - Equity

Graphic - Richard Ratcliffe Logo


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