Born Margaret Dawn Richard in Los Angeles in 1936, she made her screen debut in 1956, in Grace Kelly's final film, The Swan, in an uncredited role. She was similarly uncredited in her next movie, The Ten Commandments (1956); for that movie, however, producer/director Cecil B. DeMille moved her out of complete anonymity to portray the young woman -- the daughter of the pharaoh -- who finds the baby Moses in the bullrushes. Episodes of Father Knows Best and Cheyenne followed. In 1957, Richard got the role for which she -- or, at least, her image -- would be remembered for 50 years and counting. She was cast in the role of Theresa, the young gymnast who is stalked and killed by the title monster (portrayed by Michael Landon) in I Was a Teenage Werewolf. Ironically, even though she was only on screen a few minutes and her role wasn't remotely the female lead in the film, Richard's scenes were so memorable and visually striking -- as was her own physical beauty -- that she ended up in the poster art for the movie as well as in one of the most widely used publicity stills from the picture, a close-up of her reacting in fear as the fully made-up and monstrous title creature grabs her from behind. The American International Pictures release didn't gain Richard better movies, but it did accelerate her acting career, and in the next couple of years she was in episodes of Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Bachelor Father, and Perry Mason. She was also Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for May of 1957. In films, however, she was limited to low-budget releases such as Unwed Mother (1958), her last feature. Alas, Richard never had a chance to grow as an actress -- in 1959, she met and married producer David L. Wolper, and the two agreed that she would give up her career to raise a family; they were divorced in 1969, but Richard never resumed acting. Thanks to I Was a Teenage Werewolf, however, and its perennial popularity, Richard's face and image remain one of the best known in 1950s horror films, even a half-century later. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide.

TOP OF PAGE