Richard holds an M.F.A. in Acting from New York University’s School of the Arts and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of UC Berkeley’s Dramatic Art Department. His teachers include Peter Kass, Olympia Dukakis, Joseph Chaikin and Kristin Linklater. Upon graduation from NYU, Richard worked for Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival, appearing on Broadway in Michael Rudman's production of Hamlet starring Sam Waterston.

In Los Angeles Richard has acted in more than a dozen feature films and over thirty network television shows including, My Favorite Year, The Entity and CBS’ The Fugitive. In 1991 Richard appeared on the EMMY ballot for his guest-starring performance on the show, thirtysomething. In addition, Richard has acted off-broadway, in regional theater and on radio. He has served as a four-time Primetime EMMY awards Blue Ribbon Panel judge.

Richard has written four books on acting: The Camera Smart Actor, The Great Acting Teachers and Their Methods, Acting Under the Circumstances; Variations on a Theme of Stanislavski and most recently, The Actor's Wheel of Connection. His professional affiliations include the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Actors Equity Association, and the Screen Actors Guild. Richard is also a voting member of the Performers Branch of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (EMMYS).

In 2005 Richard acted in Bryan Reynolds' play Woof, Daddy which toured three cities in Poland. The magazine Warsaw Today, wrote of his performance, “As the father, Richard Brestoff was magnificent, like a Shakespearean anti-hero simultaneously loved and despised, he pushed the audience off the edges of their seats.” Also in 2005 Richard was the recipient of the Claire Trevor School of the Arts Dean's award for Excellence in Teaching.

In 2006 Richard appeared as Leonardo DaVinci in Robert Cohen's play, Machiavelli at the Hayworth Theater in Los Angeles. He also served, for the fifth time, as a Blue Ribbon Panel Judge for the EMMY awards in the following categories: Best Drama, Best Comedy, Best Actor in a Drama and Best Actor in a Comedy.

In 2007 Richard again served as a Blue Ribbon Panel Judge for the Primetime EMMY Awards. He also played the father in the Tony and Pulitzer prize winning play, Proof at the Long Beach Playhouse. About the performance one reviewer wrote, "Brestoff’s Robert gets better and better until a heartbreaking second act climax results in
audible gasps."

In March of 2007 Richard gave an invited acting seminar at Texas State University focusing on improvisational approaches to given circumstances and on acting for the camera.

Richard teaches personalization, scene study, acting for the camera and professional preparation for the graduate students and teaches acting for the camera for the undergraduates. In the Spring of 2008 he will be the Showcase Director for the graduating MFA actors.


Curriculum Vitae
Books available at Amazon.com
Film and TV credits available at IMDb.com

Department Phone: 949-824-6614, Fax: 949-824-3475, Email: drama@uci.edu
Address: University of California, Department of Drama, Irvine, CA 92697-2775