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Creator
Kiley, Richard
Call number
*T-Mss 2005-014
Physical description
19 linear feet (40 boxes and 1 oversized folder)
Preferred Citation

Richard Kiley papers, *T-Mss 2005-014. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Repository
Billy Rose Theatre Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

Collection, mainly of marked scripts, documents the career of theater, film and television actor, Richard Kiley.

Biographical/historical information

American stage, television and film actor, Richard Paul Kiley was best known for creating the Tony Award winning title role in Man of La Manchain the original 1965 Broadway production. He was the first to sing and record the song, The Impossible Dream, and recreated the role in the London production, a Lincoln Center revival and a United States tour. Born in Chicago on March 31, 1922, Kiley began his career as a juvenile on radio and made his Broadway debut in Misalliance(1953) for which he won a Theatre World Award. His first musical role was in Kismet(1953) where he introduced the song Stranger in Paradise; his first Tony Award was for the musical Redhead(1959) with Gwen Verdon. Other musicals were Richard Rodgers' No Strings(1962) with Diahann Carroll for which Kiley received a Tony nomination for best actor, I Had a Ball(1964) and Her First Roman(1968).

Most of Kiley's work did not make use of his strong vocal talent and rich baritone, however. He starred on Broadway in Time Limit(1956), Advise and Consent(1960), The Incomparable Max(1971), Voices(1972), Absurd Person Singular(1974), The Heiress(1976), and All My Sons(1987) for which he received a Tony nomination for best actor in a play. Kiley also won Emmy Awards and Golden Globes for his television work in The Thorn Birds, A Year in the Lifeand Picket Fences. His films included The Blackboard Jungle, The Little Prince, Looking for Mr. Goodbarand Endless Love.

Kiley also had an extensive career doing voiceover work as a narrator for various documentaries including National Geographic, Nova, Planet Earth, Mysteries of the Bible, etc. He also performed in many solo shows and benefit concerts. Richard Kiley was married to Mary Bell Wood with whom he had six children from 1948-1967 and to Patricia Ferrier from 1968 until his death. He died of bone marrow disease on March 5, 1999.

Scope and arrangement

The collection is primarily marked scripts reflecting the work of Richard Kiley on stage and screen and as a narrator of documentaries. Also includes some production materials such as memos, correspondence, schedules, call sheets and cast lists as well as photos, programs, publicity and clippings. There is not much material illustrating his early career and there is very little personal material, but his busy career from the late 1960s to the late 1990s is well covered.

The Richard Kiley papers are arranged in eight series:

  • Series I: Production materials
    1953-1998 and n.d.
    34 boxes

    The bulk of the Richard Kiley Papers, this series is mostly marked scripts for productions in which Kiley appeared, often in a starring role. Also includes a small amount of correspondence, memos, schedules, cast lists, call sheets, publicity, programs, photos and clippings pertaining to the productions.

  • Series II: Scripts/story ideas by Kiley
    1979 and n.d.
    5 folders

    Most are written with John Connell.

  • Series III: Correspondence
    1967-1999 and n.d.
    3 folders

    A small amount of professional correspondence and fan mail.

  • Series IV: Personal material
    1939-1999
    11 folders

    A small amount of miscellaneous biographical material includes interviews and awards.

  • Series V: Programs and printed publicity
    1953-1993
    1 box

    Mostly programs for various productions of Man of La Mancha. Other programs are filed here if they are the collection's only documentation of a Kiley production, otherwise they are interfiled with production materials in Series I.

  • Series VI: Clippings
    1960-1999
    1 box

    Clippings that arrived in folders with the scripts were kept with them in the production files, but loose clippings are filed in this series. If there were many for a single show, they have their own folder. The clippings have been photocopied.

  • Series VII. Photographs
    1949-1990s
    1 box

    Photos document Kiley's professional career. A number are from unidentified productions.

  • Series VIII: Scrapbooks and oversized material
    1939-1968
    3 boxes and 1 oversized folder

    The scrapbooks are the primary documentation of Kiley's early career in this collection. They are almost entirely clippings and programs though there is a scrapbook of opening night telegrams. This series also includes seven theater posters (housed separately in an oversized drawer in the Rose Building.)

Arrangement

Series I: Production materials Sub-series 1 - Live performances Sub-series 2 - Filmed performances Sub-series 3. Voiceovers Series II: Scripts/story ideas by Kiley Series III: Correspondence Series IV: Personal material Series V: Programs and printed publicity Series VI: Clippings Series VII: Photographs Series VIII: Scrapbooks and oversized material

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Gift of his widow, Patricia Kiley in 2005.

Processing information

Processed by Elisabeth Elkind; Machine-readable finding aid created by Elisabeth Elkind.

Using the collection

Location

Billy Rose Theatre Division
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498
Third Floor

Conditions Governing Use

For permission to publish, contact the Curator, Billy Rose Theatre Division.