Rick Moses
Encyclopedia
Rick Moses is an American
actor
and singer/songwriter.
(1932–2004). Moses has three siblings; brothers Graham, Harry and Billy
. He grew up in Pasadena, California
where he showed an interest in wrestling, swimming, movies, and music. His mother enrolled him in various AAU
swim clubs and bought him a guitar. She drove him to Hollywood and enrolled him in acting classes.
Moses attended boarding school at the Chadwick School
in Palos Verdes, California where he was an all C.I.F. swimmer. In high school, Moses joined with friends to form several bands. They played parties and weddings with some success. Moses had been studying martial arts since age thirteen, becoming a student of notable instructors including Bruce Lee
, Ed Parker
and Bob Ozman. He continued the training throughout his life, earning a black-belt in Isshin-Ryu
Karate
. He worked as an instructor for Bob Ozman at his Van Nuys studio. At Andover
in Andover, Massachusetts
, he was named to the N.I.S.C.A. Prep School All-America Swimming Team for three years in a row from 1969 to 1971 in events including Butterfly
, Freestyle
, 200 yard medley relay and 400 yard freestyle relay.
production of “The Fifth Season” at the Santa Monica Playhouse. In 1970, he appeared in an episode of Room 222
, followed in 1971 with roles on Mission: Impossible
and The FBI.
He appeared in a production of Jean-Paul Sartre’s
“Dirty Hands (Les Mains Sales)
” at the Gallery Theatre in Hollywood. He headlined at Ye Little Club, a popular venue in Beverly Hills. Roger Ailes
spotted him on an episode of Owen Marshall
. Ailes invited Moses to become a client. Moses moved to New York
. Ailes arranged an audition for Moses to perform for Budd Friedman
, the owner of the well known New York night club The Improv
. Moses’ style clicked with Friedman and New York audiences. Moses became the only male singer to work the club regularly during that period along with the then unknown comedians Jay Leno
, Richard Lewis
, and Andy Kaufman
. Moses worked a number of east coast night clubs, including Host’s Farm in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
, and Michael’s Pub in Manhattan
, for several years, returning weekly to the Improv. He was hired to do a backer’s audition for a prospective New York show that was mounted in Los Angeles
. Budd Friedman had just opened his L.A. Improv. Moses was rehearsing the play by day and performing at the Improv at night. Moses was a veteran night club performer at this point. Standing ovations were not unusual for his twenty minute sets. (Westways magazine did an article on this phenomenon.) A talent coordinator for the nationally syndicated Merv Griffin Show (Don Kane) was present one night. Two weeks later, Moses appeared on Merv’s show. Merv, a successful singer himself for several decades, had Moses back 18 times in a nine month period.
In 1977, Moses played the title role in the prime-time action adventure drama
Young Dan'l Boone
on CBS
. In 1978, Moses played the role of Bruce Scott in the feature film "Avalanche"
which starred Rock Hudson
and Mia Farrow
. Also in 1978, 20th Century Fox
record division released his LP
album "Face The Music".
Moses is probably best known for playing Jefferson Smith Hutchins "(Hitman) Hutch" in the day-time soap opera
General Hospital
, from 1979 to 1980 on ABC
. The story-line, carried by “Luke, Laura, and Hutch” made General Hospital one of the most popular shows on television. Time Magazine did an article on the subject.
Moses had a hit in Germany in 1985 with the song "If I Could Just Fall in Love" released by Teldec Records
of Hamburg, Germany as a 12" vinyl record
. It was also made into a music video
directed by the German
filmmaker Utz Weber.
In 1986, Moses played Niles Perry, the rock star love interest of Eve Harper, played by Linda Purl
in the TV movie "Pleasures"
.
His CD "Evil and Dangerous Men" was released in 2005 and received favorable reviews. The title song of the album was derived from the short film "Jack Takes a Vacation" that was co-produced, co-written and directed by Moses. He also played the title role. Scenes from the film were intercut and used in the music video for "Evil and Dangerous Men".
Moses was raised an Episcopalian
but in his forties he converted to Orthodox Judaism
. In an interview with Internet journalist Luke Ford
, Moses related that, after his sons, "Judaism became the singular most important thing to me." He also stated: "I put my energies into (the study of Judaism) the same way a young man who wished to become a doctor would apply himself to his studies in medical school."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and singer/songwriter.
Early life
Moses was born in Washington, District of Columbia. He is the oldest son of advertising executive Richard Cantrell Moses and Marian McCargoMarian McCargo
Marian McCargo Bell was a former tennis champ who later found success in film and television....
(1932–2004). Moses has three siblings; brothers Graham, Harry and Billy
William R. Moses
William Remington Moses is an American actor.-Early life:Moses was born in Los Angeles, California. He is the son of the late actress Marian McCargo and advertising executive Richard Cantrell Moses, Sr. who divorced in 1963. Marian remarried in 1970 to the late former Republican Congressman...
. He grew up in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
where he showed an interest in wrestling, swimming, movies, and music. His mother enrolled him in various AAU
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
swim clubs and bought him a guitar. She drove him to Hollywood and enrolled him in acting classes.
Moses attended boarding school at the Chadwick School
Chadwick School
Chadwick School is a nonsectarian independent K-12 day school located on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles County, California.-History:...
in Palos Verdes, California where he was an all C.I.F. swimmer. In high school, Moses joined with friends to form several bands. They played parties and weddings with some success. Moses had been studying martial arts since age thirteen, becoming a student of notable instructors including Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
, Ed Parker
Ed Parker
Edmund Kealoha "Ed" Parker was an American martial artist, promoter, teacher, and author.-Life:Parker was born in Hawaii, and raised a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He began his training in the martial arts at a young age in judo and later boxing...
and Bob Ozman. He continued the training throughout his life, earning a black-belt in Isshin-Ryu
Isshin-ryu
is a style of Okinawan karate founded by Tatsuo Shimabuku and named by him on 15 January 1956. Isshin-Ryū karate is largely a synthesis of Shorin-ryū karate, Gojū-ryū karate, and kobudō. The name means, literally, "one heart method"...
Karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
. He worked as an instructor for Bob Ozman at his Van Nuys studio. At Andover
Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy is a selective, co-educational independent boarding high school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, along with a post-graduate year...
in Andover, Massachusetts
Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2010 census, the population was 33,201...
, he was named to the N.I.S.C.A. Prep School All-America Swimming Team for three years in a row from 1969 to 1971 in events including Butterfly
Butterfly stroke
The butterfly is a swimming stroke swum on the breast, with both arms moving simultaneously. The butterfly kick was developed separately, and is also known as the "dolphin kick"...
, Freestyle
Freestyle swimming
Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...
, 200 yard medley relay and 400 yard freestyle relay.
Career
Moses began his acting career in 1967, at age fifteen, in an EquityActors' Equity Association
The Actors' Equity Association , commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing the world of live theatrical performance, as opposed to film and television performance. However, performers appearing on live stage productions without a book or...
production of “The Fifth Season” at the Santa Monica Playhouse. In 1970, he appeared in an episode of Room 222
Room 222
Room 222 is an American comedy-drama television series produced by 20th Century Fox Television. The series aired on ABC from September 17, 1969, to January 11, 1974, for 112 episodes...
, followed in 1971 with roles on Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible is an American television series which was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicled the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The leader of the team was Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, except in...
and The FBI.
He appeared in a production of Jean-Paul Sartre’s
Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in 20th century French philosophy, particularly Marxism, and was one of the key figures in literary...
“Dirty Hands (Les Mains Sales)
Les Mains Sales
Dirty Hands is a play by Jean-Paul Sartre. It was first performed on 2 April 1948 at the Theatre Antoine in Paris, starring François Périer, Marie Olivier and André Luguet...
” at the Gallery Theatre in Hollywood. He headlined at Ye Little Club, a popular venue in Beverly Hills. Roger Ailes
Roger Ailes
Roger Eugene Ailes is president of Fox News Channel, chairman of the Fox Television Stations Group. Ailes was a media consultant for Republican presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W...
spotted him on an episode of Owen Marshall
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law is an American legal drama, jointly created by David Victor and former law professor Jerry McNeely, that starred actor Arthur Hill. The series was broadcast on ABC from 1971 to 1974...
. Ailes invited Moses to become a client. Moses moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Ailes arranged an audition for Moses to perform for Budd Friedman
Budd Friedman
Budd Friedman is best known as the founder and original proprietor and MC of the Improvisation Comedy Club, which opened in 1963, on West 44th Street near the SE corner of 9th Avenue, in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan...
, the owner of the well known New York night club The Improv
The Improv
The Improv is a comedy club franchise. Originally, it was a single venue founded in 1963 by Budd Friedman and located in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City on West 44th near the SE corner of 9th Ave. A second location was opened in 1974 at 8162 Melrose Avenue in the Fairfax District...
. Moses’ style clicked with Friedman and New York audiences. Moses became the only male singer to work the club regularly during that period along with the then unknown comedians Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
, Richard Lewis
Richard Lewis (comedian)
-Early life:Lewis was born in Brooklyn, New York City and was raised in Englewood, New Jersey. His father worked as a caterer and his mother was an actress. Lewis is Jewish. He later attended Ohio State University and was a member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity....
, and Andy Kaufman
Andy Kaufman
Andrew Geoffrey "Andy" Kaufman was an American entertainer, actor and performance artist. While often referred to as a comedian, Kaufman did not consider himself one...
. Moses worked a number of east coast night clubs, including Host’s Farm in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
, and Michael’s Pub in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, for several years, returning weekly to the Improv. He was hired to do a backer’s audition for a prospective New York show that was mounted in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Budd Friedman had just opened his L.A. Improv. Moses was rehearsing the play by day and performing at the Improv at night. Moses was a veteran night club performer at this point. Standing ovations were not unusual for his twenty minute sets. (Westways magazine did an article on this phenomenon.) A talent coordinator for the nationally syndicated Merv Griffin Show (Don Kane) was present one night. Two weeks later, Moses appeared on Merv’s show. Merv, a successful singer himself for several decades, had Moses back 18 times in a nine month period.
In 1977, Moses played the title role in the prime-time action adventure drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
Young Dan'l Boone
Young Dan'l Boone
Young Dan'l Boone was a short-lived TV series broadcast on CBS for only four episodes from September 12 to October 10, 1977. The series followed Daniel Boone on his adventures before he was married. His 3 companions were Peter Dawes, a 12-year-old English boy, a runaway slave named Hawk, and a...
on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. In 1978, Moses played the role of Bruce Scott in the feature film "Avalanche"
Avalanche (1978 film)
Avalanche is a 1978 American disaster film, directed by Corey Allen and starring Rock Hudson, Robert Forster, Mia Farrow and Jeanette Nolan...
which starred Rock Hudson
Rock Hudson
Roy Harold Scherer, Jr., later Roy Harold Fitzgerald , known professionally as Rock Hudson, was an American film and television actor, recognized as a romantic leading man during the 1950s and 1960s, most notably in several romantic comedies with Doris Day.Hudson was voted "Star of the Year",...
and Mia Farrow
Mia Farrow
Mia Farrow is an American actress, singer, humanitarian, and fashion model.Farrow first gained wide acclaim for her role as Allison Mackenzie in the soap opera Peyton Place, and for her subsequent short-lived marriage to Frank Sinatra...
. Also in 1978, 20th Century Fox
20th Century Records
20th Century Fox Records, also known as 20th Fox Records and 20th Century Records, was a subsidiary of film studio 20th Century Fox.-History:It began in 1958 as 20th Fox Records. In 1963, 20th Fox Records became 20th Century-Fox Records...
record division released his LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
album "Face The Music".
Moses is probably best known for playing Jefferson Smith Hutchins "(Hitman) Hutch" in the day-time soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
, from 1979 to 1980 on ABC
ABC Network
ABC Network may refer to any of the following:*American Broadcasting Company, a private television network in the United States.*Asahi Broadcasting Corporation, regional radio and television broadcaster in Japan....
. The story-line, carried by “Luke, Laura, and Hutch” made General Hospital one of the most popular shows on television. Time Magazine did an article on the subject.
Moses had a hit in Germany in 1985 with the song "If I Could Just Fall in Love" released by Teldec Records
Teldec
The Teldec is a German record label in Hamburg, Germany. Today the label is a property of Warner Music Group.-History:...
of Hamburg, Germany as a 12" vinyl record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
. It was also made into a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
directed by the German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
filmmaker Utz Weber.
In 1986, Moses played Niles Perry, the rock star love interest of Eve Harper, played by Linda Purl
Linda Purl
Linda Purl is an American actress and singer, perhaps best known for portraying Ben Matlock's daughter Charlene Matlock in season one of Matlock.-Early life and education abroad:...
in the TV movie "Pleasures"
Pleasures
Pleasures is a two hour American television film written by Jill Gordon and directed by Sharron Miller. Its cast includes Joanna Cassidy, Barry Bostwick, Linda Purl, Rick Moses and Tracy Nelson.-Plot Summary:...
.
His CD "Evil and Dangerous Men" was released in 2005 and received favorable reviews. The title song of the album was derived from the short film "Jack Takes a Vacation" that was co-produced, co-written and directed by Moses. He also played the title role. Scenes from the film were intercut and used in the music video for "Evil and Dangerous Men".
Personal life
Moses married Joni Morris in 1974. They had two sons, Richard, III and Tarrant, before they separated in 1982. In 1988, Moses married Colette Benhaim; they have four children together, all sons, Ronson, Adam, Dan and Naftali.Moses was raised an Episcopalian
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
but in his forties he converted to Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
. In an interview with Internet journalist Luke Ford
Luke Ford
Luke Ford is an American writer, blogger, and former pornography gossip columnist known for his disclosures and traditionalist Jewish religious views.-Personal:Ford moved to California in 1977...
, Moses related that, after his sons, "Judaism became the singular most important thing to me." He also stated: "I put my energies into (the study of Judaism) the same way a young man who wished to become a doctor would apply himself to his studies in medical school."
External links
- RickMoses.com
- Rick Moses on FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
- YouTube video "If I Could Just Fall in Love"
- YouTube video "Jack Takes a Vacation"
- YouTube video "Evil and Dangerous Men"