Actor Richard Beymer's biography: wife, gay rumours, where is he now?

Richard Beymer is among the most prominent Hollywood veterans. The award-winning actor is popularly known for playing Benjamin Horne in Twin Peaks, Tony in West Side Story, and David Fenton in Paper Dolls. Read actor Richard Beymer's biography to know his major accomplishments from the beginning to the peak of his career and after retirement.

Key Takeaways

• Beymer began his acting career at the age of 10.
• His West Side Story appearance is the most memorable to his fans.
• He almost did not play Tony, the love interest of Maria in West Side Story.
• Producers chose him after Elvis Presley, Warren Beatty, and Tab Hunter rejected the role.
• Richard and Natalie Wood, who played Maria, had incredible chemistry in the show.

Richard Beymer's profile summary

Richard Beymer's biography

George Richard Beymer Jr. was born on 20 February 1938, in Avoca, located in Iowa. Some sources state his year of birth was 1939 but the actor is yet to verify this information.

Richard moved to Hollywood, California, with his parents in the late 1940s. Due to his passion for acting from a tender age, he appeared in several films while studying. By the time he was graduating from high school, Beymer had already transformed into a fully-fledged actor.

How old is Richard Beymer?

The American filmmaker is 87 years old (as of 2025).

What nationality is Richard Beymer?

The actor is an American citizen, born and raised in the United States.

Richard Beymer's family

Richard Beymer's parents are George Richard Beymer Sr. and Eunice Beymer (nee Goss). The actor has a brother named Richard Terry Beymer and has mentioned in a few interviews that he has three siblings — two brothers and a sister.

Educational background

Beymer attended North Hollywood High School. He did not proceed to college, but instead chose to follow his dream. So, after high school, Beymer moved to New York City to pursue his career in acting and even attended the Actors Studio.

Career history

Richard Beymer's first on-screen role was in Sandy Dreams, a 1948 television series. He would shoot the show in Los Angeles for three years, rehearsing after school during the week and recording it on Saturdays. The show ended when he was 13.

As a child actor, Beymer was under contract with David O. Selznick for a year when he made his feature-film debut in Vittorio De Sica's Stazione Termini (1953).

The young actor was in so much demand on television that he acted in Cavalcade of America (1954) and Johnny Tremain (1957).

He was also a guest actor in 26 Men, Whirlybirds, Make Room for Daddy, Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre, The Gray Ghost, Navy Log, Zane Grey Theatre, Sky King, and Schlitz Playhouse.

How old is Richard Beymer in West Side Story?

At the age of 23, he played his breakthrough role, Tony, in the 1961 film West Side Story, which was a classic musical and film adaptation, based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The film transformed Richard Beymer's career for good.

However, the actor later said he "was miserable in West Side Story" due to self-consciousness about his performance and a lack of acting experience at the time. Richard said:

I didn't know enough at the time because I lacked certain knowledge in acting...I came out ridiculous. I didn't stand up for what I should have and I didn't know enough. The blame should be on me.

Richard hated his performance in West Side Story so much that left the London premiere halfway through the film's screening before he could be presented to Queen Elizabeth II.

According to a Facebook post by Cinema Society, he wanted to play Tony as rougher and tougher, more like an actual street kid who used to run around with a gang starting fun fights, but Robert Wise made him play Tony as the nicest guy around, which Beymer felt didn't mesh with the character's back story.

Did Richard Beymer do his singing in West Side Story?

While he played Tony, his singing voice was dubbed by Jimmy Bryant, an American country singer and guitarist. The actors in the film generally lip-synched to pre-recorded vocals, and Beymer's vocals were entirely provided by Bryant.

Richard Beymer's movies and TV shows

After acting in West Side Story, Richard went on to perform in more movies and TV series. He also worked with numerous notable actors and actresses. Beymer has over 60 acting credits. Below are some of his popular film and TV works:

Filmography

Television

Beymer's filmmaking ventures after retirement

In the early 2000s, Beymer made a documentary titled Whatever Happened to Richard Beymer? It chronicles his obsession with photography throughout his life and was screened at the 2002 Twin Peaks Festival in Seattle.

Beymer's photographs of Twin Peaks cast and crew were featured in the gallery of behind-the-scenes photos on the Definitive Gold Box Edition for Twin Peaks, released on October 30, 2007

. The actor also directed documentaries:

• The Passing of a Saint (2010)
• It's a Beautiful World (2014)
• Richard Beymer's Before...the Big Bang (2016)
• I Had Bad Milk in Dehradun (2017)
• Behind the Red Curtain (2017)

He directed, produced, wrote the screenplay, and edited The Innerview, which won the Josef von Sternberg Award at the Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film festival in 1974.

Beymer's 2010 film, The Passing of a Saint, chronicles the funeral rites of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Additionally, It's a Beautiful World, his film of a trip to India with David Lynch, was released in April 2014.

Richard Beymer's net worth

According to TVovermind and other online sources, his net worth is around $18 million. Beymer's wealth accumulation was not primarily driven by traditional acting roles, though his role in West Side Story did bring him initial fame.

The actor later shifted his focus to filmmaking and other creative pursuits. So, his wealth was likely supplemented by other ventures, including filmmaking, painting, and potentially other investments.

Is Richard Beymer gay?

There have been rumours about Richard Beymer being gay even though he was quite the lady’s man in his prime. The actor had a short-lived romance with Polish actress Alicia Darr, then from October 1960 to January 1961.

His first public relationship was with American actress Tuesday Weld, between 1960 and 1961. In 1962, Richard became close with American actress Dolores Hart, who later became a nun. Just within the same year, the duo dated and broke up.

Richard also had a brief relationship with American actress Sharon Tate after she worked as an extra on his 1961 film, Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man. The duo would later move to California, where they got engaged.

Richard Beymer and Sharon Tate's relationship

Richard and Sharon were romantically involved in the early 1960s. They met in 1961 on the set of Beymer's film Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man in Italy, when Tate was 18.

Beymer encouraged Tate to pursue an acting career and they dated on and off until 1963. A source on Instagram says their relationship ended because Tate was reportedly unhappy with Beymer's frequent absences and his romantic involvement with other women during those times. She eventually moved on to focus on her career.

Who is Richard Beymer's wife?

Beymer chose to remain focused on his career as opposed to involving himself in any serious relationship. At the moment, he remains unmarried.

Is Richard Beymer married?

Some sources claim Beymer married secretly in a private ceremony, but all these are rumours that neither the actor nor his representatives have ever confirmed.

Who are Richard Beymer's children?

Beymer does not have any publicly known children. While he has had a successful acting career, there is no information about him having any children. His focus has been on his acting career and later, filmmaking.

What happened to Richard Beymer?

After his roles in West Side Story and The Diary of Anne Frank, he continued acting in film and television, including reprising his role as Benjamin Horne in the Twin Peaks revival, for a while before shifting to producing and starring in his films.

Where is Richard Beymer now?

Richard is still alive and actively involved in filmmaking and art. The famed actor has continued his career in the entertainment industry, though his focus has shifted. Beymer has pursued filmmaking, directing, writing, producing, and starring in his films and documentaries.

Where does Richard Beymer live?

In 2010, he resided in Fairfield, Iowa. There is a possibility he still lives there up to now.

How tall is Richard Beymer?

He stands at 6'2" (188 cm) tall, which is roughly 188 cm.

Facts about Richard Beymer

• He is a talented sculptor, visual artist, painter, and writer.
• His dad was a printer, while his mother was a dressmaker.
• He hated his performance in West Side Story (1961).
• Beymer is a longtime practitioner of Transcendental Meditation (TM).
• His book, Impostor: Or Whatever Happened to Richard Beymer?, is a semi-autobiographical account of a young actor's struggle to find himself.
• He supports the Civil Rights Movement and participated in Freedom Summer in Valley View, Mississippi.

Actor Richard Beymer's biography explains how he achieved success in his acting career through a combination of talent, early recognition, and a willingness to reinvent himself. He gained prominence for his role as Tony in West Side Story and later took a significant break from acting to pursue filmmaking and social activism, demonstrating a diverse career path.

Legit.ng shared a fascinating biography of Lenny Kravitz’s father, the late Sy Kravitz. He was a former American TV producer and US military officer.

Some knew him as the ex-partner of actress Roxie Albertha Roker. After leaving the military, Kravitz ventured into film production. Sadly, he succumbed to leukemia in October 2005.

Source: Legit.ng