Richard James Biggs II (March 18, 1960 – May 22, 2004) was an American television and stage actor, known for his roles on the television series Days of Our Lives and Babylon 5.
Early life Born in Columbus, Ohio, Biggs graduated from Minot High School (Minot, ND). He attended the University of Southern California on scholarship, studying theatre. He briefly taught at a Los Angeles high school before landing his first major television role, that of Dr. Marcus Hunter on the soap opera Days of Our Lives.
Biggs was diagnosed with hearing problems when he was 13, and was partially deaf in one ear, completely deaf in the other. He frequently used his celebrity status to raise money for the Aliso Academy, a private school in Rancho Santa Margarita, California that serves deaf children.
Career From 1987 until 1994, Biggs played the role of Dr. Marcus Hunter on the soap opera Days of Our Lives.
He appeared as Dr. Stephen Franklin on the well-regarded science fiction series Babylon 5 (1994–1998), reprising the role in the final aired episode of the spin-off show, Crusade ("Each Night I Dream of Home").
After Babylon 5, he played roles on Any Day Now and Strong Medicine, as well as the recurring role of Clayton Boudreaux on the soap opera Guiding Light.
Biggs' stage credits include The Tempest, Cymbeline and The Taming of the Shrew.
At the time of his death, he was a regular on the television series Strong Medicine; following his death, his character was killed in an off-screen traffic accident. He also guest starred as a visiting scientist on Tremors: The Series. Biggs' final film appearance was in Special Report: Zombie Invasion, a short film also featuring Biggs' Babylon 5 co-star, Bruce Boxleitner, released as a companion piece to the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead on DVD. His final television appearance was as a guest star on a 2004 episode of the Nickelodeon series Drake & Josh, entitled "The Gary Grill" portraying an FBI agent, which was dedicated to his memory. He won one award in his career, for the Soap Opera Digest Award for Supporting Actor.
Personal life He grew up on Air Force bases across the United States because his father Colonel Richard Biggs was in the Air Force.
He married Lori Kay Gebers Biggs on August 1, 1998. They have two sons Richard James III and Hunter Lee.
Death Biggs collapsed at his home in Los Angeles, and died at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center of complications stemming from aortic dissection on May 22, 2004. He was 44 years old.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes1986Unnatural CausesUnknown1987Walk Like a ManSalesman1988Miracle MileBrian Jones1992One Stormy NightMarcus Hunter1995 The Alien WithinHawkes1998Babylon 5: In the BeginningDr. Stephen Franklin1998Babylon 5: ThirdspaceDr. Stephen Franklin1998Forever LoveDr. Berris 1998Babylon 5: The River of SoulsDr. Stephen Franklin2001AblazeGarrison
Television Year Title Role Notes1985Three's a CrowdBailiffEpisode: "September Song"1985T. J. HookerFrawleyEpisode: "The Chicago Connection"1986StingrayCabin GuardEpisode: "As Far as the Eye Can See"1986 The Twilight ZoneDr. TomsonEpisode: "The Toys of Caliban"1987–1992Days of Our Lives Marcus Hunter Regular role1994–1998Babylon 5Stephen FranklinSeries regular1998-2000Any Day NowDetective Bill Moody 20 episodes 2001–2002Guiding LightClayton Boudreux2 episodes2003TremorsRoger Garrett2 episodes2004Drake & JoshFBI agentEpisode: "The Gary Grill"; dedicated in memory2000–2004Strong MedicineMilo MortonRecurring
References
External links
Death Announcement by J. Michael Straczynski, creator of Babylon 5 Richard Biggs Memorial Video by John E. Hudgens