Richard Kline is the kind of guy that never really got away from TV apart from a handful of other appearances. He’s also been a stage actor and a noted singer as he’s been classically-trained. But one thing about the guy that a lot of people are bound to remember is the part of Larry Dallas from Three’s Company. Larry was pretty much the typical playboy type that was a lady’s man, or thought he was a lot of times, and played up his own reputation as much as he could. He played the best friend of Jack Tripper, portrayed by John Ritter, and was continually the kind of guy that the women had to watch themselves around and the guys either wanted to be friends with or were instantly suspicious of for various reasons. It was a role that he held secure for a while since apart from John he was one of the only cast members to make his way into the spin-off shows, The Ropers, and Three’s a Crowd, after Three’s Company was over and done with. In a big way the show was the type of program that one wouldn’t expect to see work today since some might call out any and all possible misogynistic acts and material that they could find. It was a different era after all, and a lot more went under the radar than a lot of people would want to admit to this day.
Even with that in mind Richard did go on to have a long and successful career that he’s continuing even into his 70s today by all accounts. He’s still making his way around and still has the charm that he had as a younger man, though it’s likely that he doesn’t quite have the same energy that he did back then since anyone that can remember him as Larry might think that he was about as energetic as anyone and was one of the more dynamic characters of the show. He was definitely a fast-talker and the kind of guy you’d want to watch closely, but he was still pretty funny and gave a lot to the show that would have likely been missed had he ever been taken off. As of now he’s made a comfortable living and his net worth isn’t super impressive but it’s more than enough to keep him in a lifestyle that’s fitting for a man that made us laugh so hard in the past.
Among those that went into acting that have a service record, Richard did join the US Army right out of high school and was in Vietnam as a lieutenant for his term of service. While there are a good number of actors in Hollywood it’s a little easier to respect those that served their country since it shows that they had some sense of discipline and responsibility at one time. Some of them might have changed quite a bit in the years since, but those that took their time seriously don’t often talk as big as those that didn’t. It’s funny to listen to actors talk about their terms of service, as some of them will talk about it rather nonchalantly, while others will be a little more reserved and dole out information that they don’t mind people knowing. Of course a lot of people that went to Vietnam and came back either didn’t see a lot of combat or saw a little too much and don’t want to talk about it. Unfortunately it was the kind of war that changes people in a way that’s hard to describe. Many would say the same of any war, especially when it’s seen close up, but something about Vietnam really managed to mess up a lot of the veterans that were able to come home. I might have said ‘lucky enough’ but the truth is that some people never really left the country, no matter if they came home in body. Thankfully Richard, if he did see anything too disturbing in that particular war, was able to put his energy into TV and managed to inspire and entertain a great number of people throughout the years.
Like many people that starred on the show Three’s Company, Richard was one that’s easy to remember since the cast size was never that large and it consisted of people that were both vibrant and energetic. Since that time he’s stayed pretty busy and has been the kind of guy that likes to laugh and have fun with what he does, as current generations have benefited from his experience and have embraced him in various shows where he’s appeared as one character or another. Likely as not he’ll be acting until he can’t perform any longer, as many of the older actors are wont to do these days.
