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Richard Deacon
Richard Deacon
	Deacon as Mel Cooley on The Dick Van Dyke Show
Born	Richard Lewis Deacon; May 14, 1922; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	August 8, 1984 (aged 62); Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Ithaca College; Bennington College
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1953–1984
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Parents	Joseph Gill Deacon (father); Ethel Laughlin Deacon (mother);

Richard Lewis Deacon (May 14, 1922^[2]^[3] – August 8, 1984) was an American television and motion picture actor,^[4] best known for playing supporting roles in television shows such as The Dick Van Dyke Show,^[5] Leave It to Beaver,^[6] and The Jack Benny Program,^[7] along with minor roles in films such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)^[8] and Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963).^[9]

Career

Deacon often portrayed pompous, prissy, and/or imperious figures in film and television. He made appearances on The Jack Benny Program as a salesman and a barber, and on NBC's Happy as a hotel manager. He made a brief appearance in Alfred Hitchcock's film The Birds (1963). He played a larger role in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) as a physician in the "book-end" sequences added to the beginning and end of the film after its original previews.

In Billy Wilder's 1957 film adaptation of Charles Lindbergh’s The Spirit of St. Louis, Deacon portrayed the chairman of the Columbia Aircraft Corporation, Charles A. Levine.^[10]

His best-known roles are milksop Mel Cooley (producer of The Alan Brady Show) on CBS's The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–1966) and Fred Rutherford on Leave It to Beaver (1957–1963), although Deacon played Mr. Baxter in the 1957 Beaver pilot episode "It's a Small World".^{[citation needed]} He co-starred as Tallulah Bankhead's butler in an episode of The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour called "The Celebrity Next Door". Deacon played Roger Buell on the second season of TV's The Mothers-in-Law (1967–1969), replacing Roger C. Carmel in the role. He played Principal "Jazzbo" Conroy in The Danny Thomas Show (1958). He also appeared in the 1960 Perry Mason episode The Case of the Red Riding Boots as Wilmer Beaslee.

In Carousel (1956), the film adaptation of the Rodgers & Hammerstein stage musical, Deacon had a bit role as the policeman who admonishes Julie and Mr. Bascombe about Billy Bigelow in the "bench scene". It was one of the few films in which he did not wear glasses, as were his roles in Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955), and the 1954 costumer Désirée, where he played Jean Simmons' elder brother, an 18th-century Marseilles silk merchant. Philadelphia native Deacon played the role of Morton Stearnes' butler, George Archibald, whose courtroom testimony is a turning point in The Young Philadelphians (1959), starring Paul Newman. He played an imbibing justice of the peace, Reverend Zaron, in the 1957 Budd Boetticher western Decision at Sundown.

Deacon appeared in some Westerns and many sitcoms, including It's a Great Life, The People's Choice, How to Marry a Millionaire, Guestward, Ho!, Pete and Gladys, The Donna Reed Show, Gunsmoke (he was the original actor to portray town banker, Mr. Botkin), The Real McCoys (in the episode "The Tax Man Cometh", he clashes with series star Walter Brennan over property tax assessments in the San Fernando Valley), Get Smart, Bonanza (a deceitful character who cheats the Cartwrights during their visit to San Francisco in the episode "San Francisco"), and The Rifleman (episode "The Hangman", in an uncredited role). In episode 5 of the first season of The Munsters, "Pike's Pique", he plays water district commissioner Mr. Pike, buying the underground rights to lay pipe. In The Addams Family, he administers Cousin Itt a battery of psychological tests in the episode "Cousin Itt and the Vocational Counselor". In 1966, he appeared on Phyllis Diller's short-lived television sitcom, The Pruitts of Southampton.^[11] He also guest starred in the NBC family drama National Velvet, and in the ABC/Warner Bros. crime drama Bourbon Street Beat, and played Mr. Whipple on The Twilight Zone in the 1964 episode "The Brain Center at Whipple's". In 1967, Deacon played Ralph Yarby, director of security for lumber baron D.J. Mulrooney, in Disney's The Gnome-Mobile. In 1968, he played Dean Wheaton in the Walt Disney film Blackbeard's Ghost. He was also an occasional panelist in the 1970s/early 1980s versions of Match Game. In 1970, he appeared in four episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies as a psychiatrist treating Granny.

In 1971, Deacon co-starred, along with Elaine Joyce, in the final episode of Green Acres, which was a backdoor pilot for a proposed sitcom titled "The Blonde" or "Carol". Joyce played Oliver's former "dizzy blonde" secretary, Carol Rush, who now lives in Los Angeles with her sister and brother-in-law. Deacon played her no-nonsense boss, Mr. Oglethorpe, whom Carol manages to save from a real estate scam. The pilot was not picked up.

In 1969, he co-starred on Broadway as Horace Vandergelder in the long-running musical Hello, Dolly!, reuniting him onstage with Diller, who played the title character.^[11]

Deacon appeared on the Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour in 1983 as a game show participant / celebrity guest star.

In 1983, Deacon reprised his role of Fred Rutherford in the television movie Still the Beaver, a sequel to the original TV series. When the television movie spawned a series of the same name on The Disney Channel, he was to reprise the role but died weeks before the series began production.

In 1984, Deacon had a cameo role in the teen comedy film Bad Manners.

Personal life

Although he was born in Philadelphia, he and his family later moved to Binghamton, New York, living on the west side of that city. He attended West Junior High and Binghamton Central High School, where fellow Binghamton resident Rod Serling was a classmate.^[12]^[13] After high school, he worked as an orderly at Binghamton General Hospital.^[14]

During World War II, Deacon served in the United States Army medical corps. In 1946, upon completion of his service, he returned to Binghamton. He attended Ithaca College, first as a medical student, but later developed an interest in acting.^[14] In 1949, Deacon, along with several other male actors, was admitted to Bennington College as a student/assistant in the drama department.^[15]

Deacon was a gourmet chef in addition to working as an actor. In the 1970s and 1980s, he wrote a series of cookbooks and hosted a Canadian television series on microwave oven cooking.^[1]

While not widely known during Deacon's lifetime, he was a charitable man. At his memorial service, a number of people previously unknown to Deacon's friends and colleagues spoke of how Deacon had provided for needy people and charitable organizations during his life.^[16]

According to academic writers David L. Smith and Sean Griffin, Deacon was gay, and was among "a number of actors and actresses who were closeted homosexuals" working in Hollywood and often employed in Disney films.^[17]^[18]

Death

Deacon died of cardiovascular disease on August 8, 1984, at age 62. His remains were cremated and the ashes scattered at sea.^[19]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1953	Invaders from Mars	MP	Uncredited
1954	Them!	Bald Reporter	Uncredited
	Shield for Murder	The Professor	Uncredited
	Private Hell 36	Mr. Mace	Uncredited
	Rogue Cop	Stacey	Uncredited
	Désirée	Etienne Clary	Uncredited
	Cry Vengeance	Shiny Sam	Uncredited
1955	Prince of Players	Theater Manager	Uncredited
	Blackboard Jungle	Mr. Stanley	Uncredited
	This Island Earth	Pilot	Uncredited
	Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy	Semu
	Lay That Rifle Down	Glover Speckleton
	My Sister Eileen	Baker's Receptionist	Uncredited
	Good Morning, Miss Dove	Mr. Spivvy	Uncredited
1956	Invasion of the Body Snatchers	Dr. Harvey Bassett	Uncredited
	Carousel	First Policeman	Uncredited
	Hot Blood	Mr. Swift	Uncredited
	The Kettles in the Ozarks	Big Trout	Uncredited
	When Gangland Strikes	Dixon Brackett	Uncredited
	The Scarlet Hour	Mr. Elman	Uncredited
	The Proud Ones	Barber	Uncredited
	Francis in the Haunted House	Jason
	The Solid Gold Cadillac	Williams	Uncredited
	The Power and the Prize	Howard Carruthers
	Spring Reunion	Sidney	Uncredited
1957	Affair in Reno	H.L. Denham
	The Spirit of St. Louis	Charles Levine	Uncredited
	Designing Woman	Larry Musso	Uncredited
	My Man Godfrey	Farnsworth
	Decision at Sundown	Rev. Zaron
	Kiss Them for Me	Bill Hotchkiss	Uncredited
1958	The High Cost of Loving	Obstetrician	Uncredited
	A Nice Little Bank That Should Be Robbed	Milburn Schroeder
	The Last Hurrah	Graves	Uncredited
1959	The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker	Sheriff
	The Young Philadelphians	George Archibald
	It Started with a Kiss	Capt. Porter	Uncredited
	The Man Who Understood Women	Rossi	Uncredited
	A Summer Place	Pawnbroker	Uncredited
	-30-	Chapman
1960	North to Alaska	Angus	Uncredited
1961	All in a Night's Work	Fur Salesman	Uncredited
	Everything's Ducky	Dr. Deckham
	Lover Come Back	Dr. Melnick	Uncredited
1962	That Touch of Mink	Mr. Miller	Uncredited
1963	Critic's Choice	Harvey Rittenhouse
	The Birds	Mitch's Neighbor
	Who's Minding the Store?	Tie Salesman
	The Raiders	Commissioner Mailer
1964	The Patsy	Sy Devore
1965	John Goldfarb, Please Come Home!	Sec. of Defense Charles Maginot
	Billie	Principal Wilson
	That Darn Cat!	Drive-in Manager
1966	Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title	Mr. Travis
1966	Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.	Narrator	Uncredited; voice only
1967	Enter Laughing	Pike
	The Gnome-Mobile	Ralph Yarby
	The King's Pirate	Swaine
1968	Blackbeard's Ghost	Dean Roland Wheaton
	The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band	Charlie Wrenn
	Lady in Cement	Arnie Sherwin
1974	The Man from Clover Grove	Charlie Strange
1978	Rabbit Test	Newscaster
1978	Piranha	Earl Lyon
1980	The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood	Joseph Rottman
1984	Bad Manners	Ticket Salesman

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1954	Four Star Playhouse	Dr. Constanti	Episode: "The Long Count"
	The Public Defender	Truant Officer	Episode: "Step Child"
	It's a Great Life	Clerk #1	Episode: "The Boys Redecorate the Attic"
	Topper	Judge	Episode: "Preparations for Europe"
	The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show	The First Man	Episode: "Gracie Gives a Baby Shower for Virginia Beasley"
1955	The Man Behind the Badge	Rev. Edgefield	Episode: "The Case of the Tattooed Man"
	It's a Great Life (TV series)	Dr. Randall	Episode: "The Hospital"
	Stage 7		Episode: "The Legacy"
	Damon Runyon Theater		Episode: "Lonely Heart"
	Screen Directors Playhouse	Hotel Clerk	Uncredited Episode: "Life of Vernon Hathaway"
	The Ford Television Theatre	Peter O'Toole	Episode: "Hanrahan"
	The Ford Television Theatre	Slim Bailey	Episode: "A Smattering of Bliss"
	The Millionaire	Jeweler	Episode: "The Luke Fortune Story"
	The Great Gildersleeve	Matthew Walker	Episode: "Gildy Goes Diving"
	Schlitz Playhouse	Dr. Thomas Gregory	Episode: "On the Nose"
1955–56	The People's Choice	Dr. Sidney Baxter	Episode: "How Sock Met Mandy" Episode: "Sock, the Marriage Broker"
1956	Telephone Time		Episode: "Captain from Kopenick"
	Schlitz Playhouse		Episode: "Web of Circumstance"
	It's a Great Life	Dr. Irwin	Episode: "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"
	It's a Great Life	Dr. Brannigan	Episode: "Operation for Earl"
	Private Secretary	Waiter	Uncredited Episode: "Old Dogs, New Tricks"
	December Bride	James	Episode: "Sunken Den"
	December Bride	Bud Hodges	Episode: "Lily the Matchmaker"
	Crossroads		Episode: "The Rabbi Davis Story"
	Private Secretary	Doorman	Episode: "Elusive"
	The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show	Mr. Dayton	Episode: "The Triple Surprise Party"
	The Charles Farrell Show	Sherman Hall	Main cast; 12 episodes
	The Danny Thomas Show	John Savich	Episode: "Liz's Boyfriend"
1957	Gunsmoke	Botkin	Episode: "Pucket's New Year"
	The Bob Cummings Show	District Attorney	Episode: "Eleven Angry Women"
	The Millionaire	Gibson	Episode: "The Professor Amberson Adams Story"
	Studio 57	Mr. Baxter	Episode: "It's a Small World"
	The Gale Storm Show	Artist	Uncredited Episode: "The Partisan Touch"
	Navy Log	Al Carder	Episode: "Goal... Match Two"
	The 20th Century Fox Hour	Paul Erickson	Episode: "The Great American Hoax"
	The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour	Winslow	Episode: "The Celebrity Next Door"
	Navy Log	Capt. Twohig	Episode: "The Big White Albatross"
1957–58	Date with the Angels	Roger Finley	Recurring role; 6 episodes
1957–63	Leave It to Beaver	Fred Rutherford	Recurring role; 23 episodes
1958	The Danny Thomas Show	Principal Conroy	Episode: "Good Old Days"
	The People's Choice	Homer	Episode: "Missing Moolah"
	Annette	Dr. Archie McCloud	Main role; 13 episodes
	Tales of Wells Fargo	Sam Potter	Episode: "The Gambler"
	The Silent Service	Wheeler B. Lipes	Episode: "Operation Seadragon"
	The Ed Wynn Show	Conway	Episode: "Lover's Lone"
	How to Marry a Millionaire	Kranz	Episode: "Loco Goes to Night School"
1959	Bachelor Father	Mr. Haris	Episode: "Bentley's Economy Wave"
	The Donna Reed Show	Mr. Johnson	Episode: "It's the Principle of the Thing"
	The Thin Man	Mr. Peabody	Episode: "Black Wind and Lightning"
	Colonel Flack	Professor Brookhouse	Episode: "The Treasure Hunt"
	Colonel Flack	Evans	Episode: "West of the Weirdos"
	The Real McCoys	Mr. Wells	Episode: "The Tax Man Cometh"
	Zorro	Father Ignacio	Uncredited Episode: "Senor China Boy"
	Maverick (TV series)	Floyd Gimbel	Episode: "The Cats of Paradise"
	The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet	Mr. Crawford	Episode: "Happy Anniversary"
	The Gale Storm Show	Zonko	Episode: "Come Back Little Beatnik"
	Shotgun Slade		Episode: "The Safe Crackers"
1960	Alcoa Theatre	Michael Gilmore	Episode: "The Silent Kill"
	The Untouchables	Bill Skidmore	Episode: "The Unhired Assassin: Part 1"
	Bourbon Street Beat	Philipe Duvere	Episode: "Neon Nightmare"
	Bonanza	Captain Shark	Episode: "San Francisco"
	The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis	Cecil Ellingboe	Episode: "That's Show Biz"
	The Rifleman	Col. Jebediah Sims	Uncredited Episode: "The Hangman"
	M Squad	Raleigh King	Episode: "Fire in the Sky"
	Happy	Hotel Manager	Episode: "Help Wanted"
	My Three Sons	Elderly Man	Episode: "Adjust or Bust"
	The Donna Reed Show	Mr. Conroy	Episode: "Higher Learning"
	The Danny Thomas Show	Dr. Stanley Patman	Episode: "Danny and the Dentist"
	77 Sunset Strip	Wallace Friend	Episode: "The Duncan Shrine"
	Perry Mason	Wilmer Beaslee	Episode: "The Case of the Red Riding Boots"
1961	The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet	Desk Clerk	Episode: "The Chaperones"
	Guestward, Ho!	Mr. Andrews	Episode: "Too Many Cooks"
	The Danny Thomas Show	Assistant Manager	Episode: "Everything Happens to Me"
	National Velvet	Forsythe	Episode: "The Riding Mistress"
	The Real McCoys	Mr. Laidlaw	Episode: "Money in the Bank"
	Pete and Gladys	Foster	Episode: "Ring-a-Ding-Ding"
	Mister Ed	Dr. Gordon	Episode: "Psychoanalyst Show"
	Hawaiian Eye	Funeral Director	Episode: "Two for the Money"
	The Donna Reed Show	Mr. Heflin	Episode: "The Electrical Storm"
1961–66	The Dick Van Dyke Show	Mel Cooley	Regular role; 82 episodes
1962	87th Precinct	Martin	Episode: "The Pigeon"
	Pete and Gladys	Busby	Episode: "The Prize"
	Follow the Sun	Lester Markel	Episode: "The Inhuman Equation"
	The Real McCoys	Mr. Milton	Episode: "In Grampa We Trust"
	The Dick Powell Theatre	John Fiske	Episode: "The Boston Terrier"
	Wagon Train	Mayor Hadden	Episode: "The Madame Sagittarius Story"
	McKeever and the Colonel	Capt. Stadish	Episode: "The Bugle Sounds"
	The Donna Reed Show	Mr. Moorhead	Episode: "The Baby Buggy"
1963	Mister Ed	Dr. Griffith	Episode: "The Price of Apples" Episode: "The Blessed Event"
1963	My Favorite Martian	James J. Jackson	Episode: "Russians R in Season"
1964	My Favorite Martian	Mr. Bentley	Episode: "My Nephew the Artist"
	The Twilight Zone	Wallace V. Whipple	Episode: "The Brain Center at Whipple's"
	Mister Ed	Dr. Stekel	Episode: "Ed the Musician"
	The Munsters	Borden T. Pike	Episode: "Pike's Pique"
1965	The Addams Family	Mortimer Phelps	Episode: "Cousin Itt and the Vocational Counselor"
1966	The Farmer's Daughter	John Pilgrim	Episode: "Have You Ever Thought of Building"
1966	The Carol Channing Show	Leon Thatcher	Unsold pilot
1966–67	The Pruitts of Southampton	Mr. Baldwin	Recurring role; 6 episodes
1967	Rango	Pennypacker	Episode: "What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing Holding Up a Place Like This?"
	The Danny Thomas Hour	Witherspoon	Episode: "Instant Money"
	The Beverly Hillbillies	Mr. Brubaker	Episode: "A Plot for Granny"
	I Dream of Jeannie	Harley Z. Pool	Episode: "Who Are You Calling a Genie?"
1968	The Jackie Gleason Show	Dr. Henry Rankin	Episode: "The Honeymooners: Sleepy Time Gal"
1968–69	The Mothers-In-Law	Roger Buell	Main role; 26 episodes
1969	The Good Guys	Fogarty	Episode: "The Eyes Have It"
	Get Smart	Doctor	Uncredited Episode: "And Baby Makes Four: Part 2"
	Arsenic and Old Lace	Mr. Benner	Television film
	Love, American Style	Boyd Daniels	Episode: "Love and the Phonies"
1970	The Beverly Hillbillies	Dr. George Klinger	Recurring role; 4 episodes
1971	Green Acres	Mr. Oglethorpe	Episode: "The Ex-Secretary"
	Here's Lucy	Harvey Hoople	Episode: "Lucy and Carol Burnett"
	Love, American Style	Charlie	Episode: "Love and the Fountain of Youth"
1972	Love, American Style	Charles Furman	Episode: "Love and the Oldly Weds"
	Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law	Resort Manager	Episode: "The Color of Respect"
	McMillan & Wife	Peter Childs	Episode: "The Face of Murder"
	Here's Lucy	Elmer Zellerbach	Episode: "Lucy Sublets the Office"
1973	Night Gallery	Man with Mallet	Episode: "How to Cure the Common Vampire"
1975	McMillan & Wife	Luther Dorfman	Episode: "Love, Honor, and Swindle"
1975	The Lost Saucer	Mr. Kroog	Episode: "My Fair Robot"
1976	Maude	Col. Reikert	Episode: "Tuckahoe Bicentennial"
1977	CHiPs	Singleton	Episode: "Career Day"
1978	Getting Married	Wedding Director	Television film
1979	What's Happening!!	Mr. Bradford	Episode: "A Present for Dee"
	The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo	Sheriff Masters	Episode: "Run for the Money: Part 3"
	B.J. and the Bear	Sheriff Masters	Recurring role; 4 episodes
1980	Murder Can Hurt You	Mr. Burnice	Television film
1981	Trapper John, M.D.	Rev. Perkins	Episode: "A Family Affair"
No Man's Valley	Panda	Television film
1982	The Love Boat	Dr. Yates	Episode: "The Groupies/The Audition/Doc's Nephew"
1983	Alice	R.J. Meyerson	Episode: "The Grass Is Always Greener"
	Trapper John, M.D.	Fred Zisk	Episode: "I Only Have Ice for You"
	Still the Beaver	Fred Rutherford	Television film
1984	The Hoboken Chicken Emergency	City Council Member	Television film

References

^ ^a ^b "Richard Deacon Dead at 62; A Comic Film and TV Actor". The New York Times. August 11, 1984. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
^ Presbyterian Historical Society; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; U.s., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1907; Accession Number: Vault Bx 9211 .p49104 T32 V.4
^ National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for New York State, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147
^ Major, Jack. "Name dropping - RICHARD DEACON". Retrieved 2 July 2018.
^ Kulzick, Kate (June 19, 2013). "Greatest TV Pilots: The Dick Van Dyke Show's "The Sick Boy and the Sitter" remains an effective, entertaining opener". PopOptiq. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
^ Kimball, Trevor (July 6, 2010). "Leave It to Beaver: The Cast Reunites to Remember the Classic TV Show". TV Series Finale. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
^ Gitlin, Martin. "The Greatest Sitcoms of All Time". Scarecrow Press; 7 November 2013. ISBN 978-0-8108-8725-1. p. 125–.
^ "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers Cast List: Full Cast of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers Actors/Actresses". Ranker. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
^ Powers, James (March 28, 2017). "'The Birds': THR's 1963 Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
^ Lindbergh, Charles (December 9, 2003). The Spirit of St. Louis. New York: Simon and Schuster. pp. 72–76. ISBN 978-0743237055. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
^ ^a ^b Diller, Phyllis; Buskin, Richard (2005). Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse: My Life in Comedy. New York: The Penguin Group. p. 211. ISBN 978-1585423965.
^ "High School Friend on Serling's 'Twilight'". Los Angeles Times. April 14, 1964. p. C11. ProQuest 168543480. Two high school friends meet in their first professional association when Richard Deacon appears in his first non-comic portrayal and his first starring role in Rod Serling's drama, 'The Brain at Whipple's' on 'Twilight Zone' in May. Deacon and Serling attended the same school in Binghamton, N.Y.
^ Handte, Jerry (August 10, 1984). "Deacon's teacher recalls 'stage-struck' boy". The Binghamton Evening Press. p. 9. ProQuest 2044421150. The 62-year-old Philadelphia native, who came to Binghamton as a boy, died of apparently natural causes, possibly after a heart attack, at his West Los Angeles home, a coroner's spokesman said. [...] He had visited his hometown last year, for the world premiere of the movie Twilight Zone, based on the hit television series created by the late Rod Serling, the TV writer from Binghamton. Deacon and Serling were classmates and friends at West Junior and the old Binghamton Central High School.
^ ^a ^b Smith, Gerald R. (June 4, 2016). "Binghamton's link to the Petries". Press & Sun Bulletin. p. 2A. ProQuest 2059699400. He was born in Philadelphia in 1921, but at the age of 10, his father, Joseph Deacon, obtained a job as a salesman for the Franklin Research Co. and moved the family to Binghamton. Richard and his brother Frederick Bruce Deacon grew up on the west side of the city of Binghamton at 121 Crary Ave. His home was only a few blocks from another famous Binghamtonian, Rod Serling, who lived on Bennett Avenue. Both boys would attend Binghamton High School. Richard was a few years ahead of Rod and would graduate in 1938. After high school, Richard wandered a bit looking for a new life. He got a job at Binghamton General Hospital working as an orderly because he thought he wanted to be a doctor. [...] World War II broke out, and because so many young working men joined the armed services, Richard tried to join the Navy. But they turned him down; instead, the recruiter sent him across the street to the Army because, as Richard said later, the Army would take anyone. [...] Richard served in the medical corps during the war. At one time, he was in charge of the laboratory services for a 5,000-bed hospital. After the war, Richard came back and attended Ithaca College to study medicine. It was at this time that he realized medicine was not his calling, and he tried acting.
^ "The Valuable Time of Maturity "Bennington College Seeking Site for Summer Theatre in Area; 10 or 12 Would Seek Triple Cities' Actors' Assistance; Directed at Ithaca; Five Are Assistants; Straw Hat for Triple Cities". Binghamton Press and Sun-Bulletin. April 12, 1949. p. 5. Retrieved August 15, 2023. "Mr. Deacon and the other four actors are assistants in the drama department and enrolled students at Bennington. [...] Robert Alvin, left, and Richard Deacon of Binghamton, a student at Bennington, discuss plans for establishing a summer theatre in Triple Cities area this year."
^ DVD Commentary with Dick Van Dyke and Carl Reiner on The Dick Van Dyke Show Season 1 episode "The Sleeping Brother", DVD.
^ Webb, Clifton; Smith, David L. (May 17, 2011). Sitting Pretty: The Life and Times of Clifton Webb. Jackson: Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 219. ISBN 978-1604739961. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
^ Griffin, Sean (2000). Tinker Belles and Evil Queens: The Walt Disney Company from the Inside Out. New York: NYU Press. p. 99. ISBN 978-0814731239. Retrieved 3 April 2017. richard deacon gay.
^ "The manager and friends of Richard Deacon, the character..." United Press International. August 10, 1984. Retrieved July 12, 2019.