NEW JERSEY—Allan Rich, an actor who was blacklisted in Hollywood in the 1950s due to his support for civil rights, died on Saturday, August 22 at the age of 94.
Rich died of progressive dementia at the Lillian Booth actors Home in Englewood, New Jersey, according to his family.
Rich began his acting career at 9 years old and made his Broadway debut in “I’ll Take the High Road” in 1943. He also played supporting roles in three other Broadway shows including “Career Angel,” “Darkness at Noon” and “The Emperor’s Clothes” during the 1940s and 1950s.
He was a member of the Theater Action Committee that advocated to free Willie McGee, a Black man who was convicted of rape in 1945 in Mississippi. Rich was placed on the Hollywood blacklist for years.
He returned to his acting career in 1966 and worked with Dustin Hoffman in “Journey of the Fifth Horse.” In 1973, he starred as District Attorney Herman Tauber in the crime drama “Serpico.”
In the following years, Rich continued to take part in various films including “The Gamble,” “The Happy Hooker,” “Amistad,” “Disclosure,” “Eating Raoul” and “Quiz Show.”
He appeared in more than 130 movies and TV shows throughout his career.
In 1951, he married Elaine Rich, who was a personal manager to a number of Hollywood actors. Elaine died in 2015 at the age of 81.
Rich is survived by his son, David, his daughter, Marian, and his two grandchildren, Julia and Ruby.