Born Richard Norman Anderson on August 8, 1926 in New Jersey, Richard Anderson began his career in the mailroom at MGM, where he soon transitioned into a contract player on-screen with feature films The Magnificent Yankee (1950), Scaramouche (1952), Escape From Fort Bravo (1953; opposite William Holden) and Forbidden Planet (1956), and in Stanley Kubrick's anti-war classic Paths of Glory (1957).
In 1958, he moved to Fox and portrayed Allan Stuart, the subservient boyfriend to Joanne Woodward in The Long, Hot Summer (1958), juxtaposed to his usual commanding presence, which was later re-ignited in more military movies, including the Rod Serling-penned screenplay for John Frankenheimer's Seven Days in May (1964), and with a second Frankenheimer film, a science-fiction movie called Seconds (1966), playing opposite Rock Hudson.
On television, he guest-starred on shows like Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Daniel Boone, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Hawaii Five-O, Ironside, Charlie's Angels, Dynasty, The A-Team, and Murder, She Wrote, as well as in the highly-rated, final two-part segment of ABC's 1960s series, The Fugitive, a development that ultimately went on to set the precedent for series finale scenario utilized by various shows ever since.
Additionally, Anderson, who authored Richard Anderson: At Last…A Memoir, had played police Lt. Steve Drumm on the final season of CBS' Perry Mason and Santa Luisa Police Chief George Untermeyer on ABC's Dan August, starring Burt Reynolds, and in TV-movies like The Night Strangler, a sequel to The Night Stalker movie that lead to the pre-X-Files weekly supernatural series starring Darren McGavin.
As fate would have it, McGavin had appeared in a similarly-supervisory role to Oscar Goldman in the 1973 90-minute pilot for The Six Million Dollar Man.
A Closer Bionic Look
Had he lived, Richard Anderson would have turned 98 years old on August 8, 2024. However, the late actor's distinctive voice will remain forever heard in the now-legendary narrative of the opening credit sequences of The Six Million Dollar Man. Anderson's pulsating phrasing accented by the show's heart-beat medical sound effects is unmistakable: "A man barely alive…we have the technology. We can rebuild him…make it stronger…faster…better."
Lee Majors played that man, Col. Steve Austin, an astronaut turned test-pilot whose body is shattered in a near-fatal accident, and then rebuilt into a secret service cyborg (the latter word of which was the title of Martin Caidin's original sci-fi novel that spawned the series).
Lindsay Wagner portrayed former-tennis pro Jaime Sommers, a first love to Austin who is injured in a sky-diving accident. She, too, like Austin, is rebuilt – under Goldman's watchful eye and budget (her parts were smaller, clocking in at $5 million).
Both Man and Woman were born and originally aired on ABC, but when the latter switched to NBC in its third and final season, Anderson benchmarked his performance as one of the first actors to play the same character on two different shows on two opposing networks.
Twin Performance
Although his performance as Oscar Goldman was consistent on both The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman, Richard Anderson delivered a twin but unique interpretation of the character opposite Lee Majors' Steve Austin and Lindsay Wagner's Jaime Sommers.
Goldman was the protective older brother-type boss in each case, but alongside Majors as Austin it was more business than casual as when appearing next to Wagner as Sommers. Minus any sexist stigma, Oscar referred to Steve as his "Pal," and Jaime as "Babe," and all was well, and safe and good in the Bionic world.
Today, the "Babe" reference in some circles may be considered politically incorrect, but according to what Anderson once relayed, during Woman's initial reign, "Oscar was attaching it to a person for whom he cared a great deal."
As Anderson further explained of the bionic dichotomy between Man and Woman, "When we did Six Mill, we concentrated on the Washington scene. It was more of a straight adventure show.
"The Bionic Woman did more emotional stories. It was funnier, looser [than Six] because Lindsay has a relaxed, humorous quality. Jaime allowed me to add some colors. Oscar was firm and brotherly with Steve, and had to constantly reestablish that he, not Steve, was the boss. With Jaime, he was lenient and fatherly, almost overly protective, and only argued with her out of concern for her health and safety."
More Insight into Richard as Oscar
Writer/producer/director Kenneth Johnson, who guided both The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman shows (and who created the later), remembered when he first saw Anderson playing Oscar on the Man set. The actor was sunning himself with an aluminum reflector, off-stage, looking somewhat austere.
"I didn't know really what he was going to be like," Johnson admitted. "Then I walked past him, and he said, 'You're Kenny, aren't you. I just want to tell you big guy, that you write really great love stories. Why can't you write one for me. Why can't I be in love with The Bionic Woman?'"
From that point on, Johnson was on to Anderson's humor, and the two became "very good friends."
But what about the assumption by some fans of both shows that Oscar was in love with Jaime?
"I won't try to hide behind that," Anderson mused. "I think he was in love with her, and I tried to convey that in very subtle ways. He couldn't help himself." [As with the wedding scene in the 1994's TV-reunion movie, Bionic Ever After?, when a smile momentarily disappears from Oscar's face as if ultimately realizes that Steve is the one who finally weds Jaime.]
That Time ABC Objected to Oscar Being on NBC
ABC was initially apprehensive about having Richard Anderson play Oscar Goldman on NBC when The Bionic Woman switched to that network in the fall of 1978. ABC didn't want their advertisers to move any of their accounts over to the newly-ordained NBC edition of Woman on a rival network.
"They didn't like that idea at all," Anderson said. "In fact, they tried kill it. They were quite adamant about it, and made a big deal. They didn't want me appearing on the competition in any manner, much less one of their own born and bred characters."
Frank Price, the executive for Universal Studio, proprietor of both series, then stepped up to the plate for Anderson, believing his Goldman role was intrinsically pertinent to both shows.
In the end, Anderson stayed put on both networks and both shows, an experience he described in total as "enjoyable."
"It was a very happy time, and a unique experience," he explained. "I had the chance to play a very respectable character, who was involved privately and on a business level with two very special people. As Steve and Jaime grew and developed, Oscar did as well."
Bionic writer/producer Arthur Rowe (father to actress Misty Rowe) praised Anderson's "Oscar-winning" performance. He liked working with the actor and later employed him on Fantasy Island, for which he served as supervising producer.
"Richard is an extremely decent individual," Rowe said. "He played Oscar about as perfect as the character could be played. You had the ultimate head of this secret government organization who, despite his heady position, expressed sympathy in his dealings with Steve and Jaime."
"I met Richard in 1967 when he first guest starred on The Big Valley - we worked together on five episodes," Majors said. "In 1974, he joined me as my boss, Oscar Goldman, in The Six Million Dollar Man. Richard became a dear and loyal friend, and I have never met a man like him.
"I called him 'Old Money.' His always stylish attire, his class, calmness and knowledge never faltered in his 91 years. He loved his daughters, tennis and his work as an actor."
Majors had spoken to Anderson on a few weeks before the actor died. "He was still the sweet, charming man [he had always been]." Majors noted.
Lindsay Wagner joined in Major's sentiment, defining Anderson's legacy and, in the process, subtly expressing the measure of loss that will resonate with his fans for years to come:
"I can't begin to say how much I have always admired and have been grateful for the elegance and loving friendship I was blessed to have with Richard Anderson."
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