{{short description|American actor}} {{Use American English|date=December 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2025}} {{about||the British publisher and writer|Grant Richards (publisher)|the British publishing house|Grant Richards (publishing house)}} {{Infobox person | name = Grant Richards | image = Grant Richards in Isle of Destiny.jpg | caption = Richards in ''[[Isle of Destiny]]'' (1940) | birth_name = Irwin Jaffe<ref name="JVGSD"/> | birth_date = {{birth date|1911|12|12}} | birth_place = | death_date = {{death date and age|1963|7|4|1911|12|22}} | death_place = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S. | occupation = Actor | years_active = 1936–1963 | spouse = [[Joan Valerie]] (? – 1943)<ref name="JVGSD"/><br>[[Jean Stevens (actress)|Jean Stevens]] (? – 1945)<ref name="RSP=AWD"/> }} '''Grant Richards''' (born '''Irwin Jaffe''', December 21, 1911 – July 4, 1963) was an American actor, who appeared mainly in movies in the late 1930s through to the late 1950s.

==Early years== When he was known as Irwin Jaffe, Richards was a student at the [[University of Miami]] for three years. He performed in dramatic productions at the university and in the city's Civic Theater.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cohen |first1=Eddie |title=For Your Amusement |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-news/196915303/ |access-date=May 5, 2026 |work=Miami Daily News |date=March 20, 1937 |page=5|via = [[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref>

==Career== In 1937, he became the first actor in the [[Federal Theatre Project]] to gain a film contract, signing with the Major Pictures company.<ref>{{cite news|title=Federal Actor Signed|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/16606739/grant_richards/|work=Lincoln Journal Star|agency=United Press|date=January 20, 1937|location=Nebraska, Lincoln|page=2|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|accessdate = January 16, 2018}} {{Open access}}</ref>

His films include ''[[On Such a Night (1937 film)|On Such a Night]]'' (1937) and ''[[Guns, Girls, and Gangsters]]'' (1959). Richards made three guest appearances on ''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]'': as Jerry Haywood in the 1958 episodes "The Case of the Haunted Husband," and as Captain Kennedy in "The Case of the Sardonic Sargeant"; followed by the role of murder victim George Sherwin in the 1961 episode, "The Case of the Missing Melody". He also appeared in several episodes of [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[The Untouchables (1959 TV series)|The Untouchables]]''.

In 1958, he played the gunfighter and saloon owner [[Luke Short]] in an episode of the [[Western (genre)|western]] series, ''[[The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp]]''. In 1962 he played Keeler, a crooked gambler, in [[The Rifleman]] episode “Tinhorn”.

==Personal life and death== During the 1940s, Richards was briefly married to actresses [[Joan Valerie]]–with whom he had one daughter–and [[Jean Stevens (actress)|Jean Stevens]], both marriages ending in divorce.<ref name="JVGSD">[https://www.newspapers.com/image/11951352/?clipping_id=122721671 "Joan Valerie Gets Second Divorce"]. ''The Rhinelander Daily News''. February 6, 1943. p.&nbsp;2. Retrieved June 4, 2023.</ref><ref name="RSP=AWD">[https://www.newspapers.com/image/533987098/?clipping_id=125851466 "Actress Wins Divorce As Result of Surprise Party"]. ''The Scranton Times''. October 22, 1945. p.&nbsp;9. Retrieved June 4, 2023.</ref>

On July 4, 1963, Richards died of [[leukemia]] in Hollywood.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Obituaries: Grant Richards|author=|date=July 10, 1963|work=Variety|page=79|quote=Grant Richards, 47, radio-tv-film-legit actor, died of leukemia July 4 in Hollywood.|id={{ProQuest|1017103368}}}}</ref>

==Filmography== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- |1936|| ''[[Hopalong Cassidy Returns]]'' || Bob Claiborne || |- |rowspan=3 | 1937|| ''[[Night of Mystery (1937 film)|Night of Mystery]]'' || [[Philo Vance]] || |- | ''[[On Such a Night (1937 film)|On Such a Night]]'' || Nicky Last || |- | ''[[Love on Toast]]'' || Clark 'Sandy' Sanford || |- |rowspan=2 | 1938|| ''[[My Old Kentucky Home (1938 film)|My Old Kentucky Home]]'' || Larry Blair || |- | ''[[Under the Big Top]]'' || Pablo Le Grande || |- |rowspan=2 | 1939|| ''[[Risky Business (1939 film)|Risky Business]]'' || Jack Norman || |- | ''[[Inside Information (1939 film)|Inside Information]]'' || Charles Bixby || |- |1940|| ''[[Isle of Destiny]]'' || Lt. George Allerton || |- |1942|| ''[[Just Off Broadway]]'' || John F. McGonagle - Asst. District Attorney || |- |rowspan=3 | 1959|| ''[[Guns Girls and Gangsters]]'' || Joe Darren || |- | ''[[Inside the Mafia]]'' || Johnny Lucero || |- | ''[[The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake]]'' || Police Lt. Jeff Rowan || |- |rowspan=3 | 1960|| ''[[Oklahoma Territory (film)|Oklahoma Territory]]'' || Bigelow || |- | ''[[Twelve Hours to Kill]]'' || Detective Lt. Jim Carnevan || |- | ''The Music Box Kid'' ||Chesty Miller || |- |rowspan=2 | 1961|| ''[[You Have to Run Fast]]'' || 'Big Jim' Craven || |- | ''[[Secret of Deep Harbor]]'' || Rick Correll || |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category}} {{Portal|Biography|New York City|Film|Television}} *{{IMDb name|0724111}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Grant}} [[Category:American male film actors]] [[Category:1911 births]] [[Category:1963 deaths]] [[Category:American male television actors]] [[Category:Deaths from leukemia in California]] [[Category:Federal Theatre Project people]] [[Category:Male actors from New York City]] [[Category:20th-century American male actors]]

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