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Rick Hill (actor)

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Richard Hill (born January 26, 1953) is an American actor, author, and former gridiron football player. He is perhaps best known for his appearances in several films from veteran producer Roger Corman, including playing the title role in two installments of his Deathstalker series. He is also a published writer of non-fiction, having collaborated with controversial baseball figure Pete Rose on a 2004 tell-all book.

Rick Hill
No. 24[1]
PositionFullback,[1] tailback[2]
Personal information
Born:January 26, 1953 (1953-01-26) (age 71)[3]
Harlan, Kentucky[3]
Height6 ft 1[1] in (1.85 m)
Weight206[1] lb (93 kg)
Career history
College
High schoolPerrysburg (OH)

Football career

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Hill was a three-sport letterman for Perrysburg High in Perrysburg, Ohio. In football, he twice won MVP honors in the Northern Lakes League, and was also a league all-star in basketball.[4][5] He was recruited by the Georgia Tech football program,[4] but his career was plagued by injuries.[6]

Before 1972, NCAA players were required to spend a year on a freshman team before graduating to the varsity team.[7] Despite a slow start which he attributed to an ankle sprain,[8] Hill led the so-called "Baby Jackets" in ground gains,[9] in part because future College Hall of Famer Randy Rhino was moved to defense.[10] Hill's second year started slow again on a weak team, and he was redshirted partway into the season, although head coach Bill Fulcher called him "probably as good a back as we have at Tech".[11]

Hill came out strong in the 1973–74 campaign and led the team with six touchdowns by early November, when he suffered a ligament tear that took him out of action for the rest of the schedule.[12] Unsure if he would even be able to play until late into the pre-season, Hill took the field for the 1974–75 campaign[13] but was quickly sidelined with a hamstring injury.[14] He recovered and helped a rejuvenated Tech offense to several school records in the final stretch.[15][16]

Hill was a Rhodes Scholarship nominee at Georgia Tech, from where he graduated in 1975 with a major in business.[6][17] Thereafter, he briefly enrolled at Emory University to study law, before attempting to turn pro. Hill trained with the Detroit Lions of the NFL, but did not make the team.[6] He signed a contract with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL in the spring of 1976,[18] but suffered a dislocated shoulder during the preseason and left training camp[19] with no appearance on record in the regular season.[20]

Film career

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Hill's acting break came when he was scouted at a Los Angeles beach and offered the small part of a lifeguard in a production called One of a Kind.[6] The same setting begat a leading role in Beach Patrol, the 1979 pilot for a proposed Aaron Spelling series, although the show was not picked up.[21] Hill was able to capitalize on his athletic background to keep his career going: he played a college football star (albeit from Michigan) in Detour to Terror, an NBC telefilm starring and produced by O.J. Simpson,[6][22] and had a recurring role as another football player on the daytime drama Days of Our Lives.[23] He also guest-starred as a varsity football player on an episode of Charlie's Angels, another Spelling production.[24] In 1981, he was cast in Today's FBI, a re-imagining of classic show The FBI, which ran for a single season on ABC.[17] In the later stages of his career, Hill has occasionally worked as a director of episodic television.[25]

In 1983, Hill made his theatrical debut in Deathstalker, which was part of a wave of heroic fantasy films that followed Conan The Barbarian in its wake.[26] The film was profitable for Roger Corman's New World Pictures, and Hill subsequently starred in several action films for Corman (including the third Deathstalker sequel) and his associate Cirio Santiago.[27] Hill also appeared in Warrior Queen, a film aping the Deathstalker template but made by another exploitation producer, Harry Alan Towers. In 1994, he played a secondary protagonist in the final installment of the Class of... series, Class of 1999 II. Around the same time, the actor made another push for a leading role with Immortal Soldier, an android film which he co-wrote and was to feature genre veterans Maria Conchita Alonso, Jeff Wincott, Robert Davi, Michael Ironside and Louise Fletcher. However the project, promoted by upstart Hatch Entertainment, did not materialize.[28]

In the 1980s, Hill was a member of the Hollywood All-Stars, a touring celebrity softball team raising money for various charitable causes.[29]

Writing career

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Early in his entertainment career, Hill expressed an interest in writing, and was working on a spec script based on his college recruiting experience.[6] A baseball fan, he wrote another about the life of Jim Eisenreich, who battled through Tourette syndrome to become a Major League player. After that one was optioned, his agent tried to pitch him as a writer for a planned biopic of Pete Rose,[30] a fellow Ohioan with whom Hill had become acquainted at a 1986 celebrity softball game.[31] While neither film projects panned out, Rose read the Eisenreich script and chose Hill to write a book about his life. In the resulting opus, My Prison Without Bars, Rose admitted to betting on MLB games for the first time, an accusation he had steadfastly denied before.[32]

In 2023, Hill published another biography, dedicated to humanitarian doctor and fellow Georgia Tech graduate G.B. Espy.[33] Hill met Espy during a public speaking engagement, and the idea of the book was suggested to him by former Tech basketball player Roger Kaiser, an admirer of the doctor's career.[34]

Selected filmography

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Note: This Rick Hill is not to be confused with several homonyms, including an Australian actor and a kickboxer who appeared in Bloodfist II for his frequent employer Roger Corman.

Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1983 Deathstalker Deathstalker
1986 The Devastator Deacon Porter Also known as The Destroyers
1987 Warrior Queen Marcus
1988 Fast Gun Jack Steiger
1990 Mark of the Beast Dan Allen
1991 Dune Warriors John
Deathstalker IV: Match of Titans Deathstalker
Eye of the Widow Chris Jones
1994 Class of 1999 II: The Substitute G.D. Ash
1997 Inferno Trevor Also known as Operation Cobra
1998 Storm Trooper Denton

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1978 ABC Afterschool Specials Lifeguard Episode: "One of a Kind"[6]
1979 Beach Patrol Earl "Hack" Hackman TV movie
Charlie's Angels Steve Fitzpatrick Episode: "Angels on Campus"
Steeletown Coach Barnes TV movie
1980 Eight is Enough Scoutmaster Harvey 2 episodes
Days of Our Lives Kyle McCullough 24 episodes
Detour to Terror Kurt TV movie
Where the Ladies Go Steve TV movie
1981 Today's F.B.I. Al Gordean 19 episodes
1982 Magnum, P.I. Lee Chambers Episode: "The Eighth Part of the Village"
1981

1983

The Dukes of Hazzard Matt Mallory / Phil Ackley 2 episodes
1983 Cheers Tibor Svetkovic Episode: "Now Pitching, Sam Malone"
1984 The Master Ron Gordon Episode: "Kunoichi"
1988 Matlock Vince Campbell Episode: "The Body"
1991 The New Adam-12 Bomb Squad Officer Episode: "Playing with Fire"
1993 Raven Al Striker Episode: "Poisoned Harvest"
1998 Mowgli: The New Adventures of the Jungle Book Russell Episode: "What Goes Around..."
Born Free — Director
5 episodes
Hollywood Safari — Director
Episode: "War Games"
2002 TVography — Director and producer
Episode: "Lee Majors, Hollywood's Bionic Hero"

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "The Georgia Tech Game". Official Program. Clemson: Clemson University Athletic Department. September 28, 1974. p. 43.
  2. ^ Hyatt, Richard (September 29, 1971). "Frosh Open Grid Slates". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 2-D  – via newspapers.com (subscription required) .
  3. ^ a b "Rick Hill". imdb.com. Amazon. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Hyatt, Richard (November 24, 1971). "King, Hill to duel at flats". The Atlanta Journal. p. 40  – via newspapers.com (subscription required) .
  5. ^ "Sidelines: Perrysburg, Lake set to induct hall-of-fame members". toledoblade.com. January 26, 2006. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Greppi, Michelle (December 7, 1981). "Ex-Tech player scoring on 'FBI'". The Atlanta Journal. p. 6-C  – via newspapers.com (subscription required) .
  7. ^ "Freshmen Given Varsity Status in Major Sport". New York Times. January 9, 1972.
  8. ^ Arey, Norman (November 23, 1971). "Baby Jackets' Hill Finally 'Showed Up'". The Atlanta Journal. p. 6-C  – via newspapers.com (subscription required) .
  9. ^ Hunter, Jim (April 2, 1972). "Horne is Healed... Ready". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. p. 7-D.
  10. ^ Krueger, John (November 25, 1971). "Frosh Teams Look Alike". The Macon Telegraph. p. 2C  – via newspapers.com (subscription required) .
  11. ^ Bowers, Harley (November 7, 1972). "Fulcher: Duke Proved We're Over our Head". The Macon Telegraph. p. BA  – via newspapers.com (subscription required) .
  12. ^ "Tech's Hill Lost for Season". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. November 13, 1973. p. 57.
  13. ^ "Notre Dame Favored to Whip Georgia Tech". The Times Recorder. Zanesville. United Press International. September 9, 1974. pp. 3-B – via newspapers.com (subscription required) .
  14. ^ "Georgia Tech Loses Rick Hill". The Macon Telegraph. United Press International. September 19, 1974. p. 4B  – via newspapers.com (subscription required) .
  15. ^ Roberts, Charlie (April 2, 1975). "Pepper Starts Filling Shoes". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 5-D  – via newspapers.com (subscription required) .
  16. ^ Roberts, Charlie (October 10, 1974). "Head Prefers to Wear White". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. 86.
  17. ^ a b Cain, Scott (June 29, 1983). "Ex-Yellow Jacket fights dark forces". The Atlanta Journal. p. 12-B  – via newspapers.com (subscription required) .
  18. ^ "Bombers Find Saddle for 'Rider". Winnipeg Free Press. May 29, 1976. p. 65.
  19. ^ "Veteran, rookie 'take a flyer'". Winnipeg Free Press. June 16, 1976. p. 74.
  20. ^ "1976 Winnipeg Blue Bombers Roster". statscrew.com. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  21. ^ "Tanned Androids and Bikini Beauties on 'Beach Patrol'". The Washington Post. April 30, 1979. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  22. ^ Detour to Terror (television). Los Angeles: Orenthal Productions. February 22, 1980.
  23. ^ Reed, Jon-Michael (August 23, 1980). "What happened on the soaps". Chicago Tribune. United Feature Syndicate. p. 15. Football player Kyle McCullough got a kick out of Maggie at the casino.
  24. ^ Contant, Éric; Gourdeau, Philippe (1995). "Quatrième saison : 1979–80". Drôles de dames: Entre féminisme et sexisme. Guide du téléfan (in French). Pézilla-la-Rivière: DLM Éditions. ISBN 2877950670.
  25. ^ "Biography". rickhillspeaker.com. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  26. ^ Shaffer, R.L. (January 19, 2012). "Sword and Sorcery Collection DVD Review". ign.com. News Corporation. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  27. ^ "Feature Films, with Rick Hill, Roger Corman". imdb.com. Amazon. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  28. ^ Helving, San (January 1993). "Notules Lunaires". Mad Movies (in French). No. 81. Paris: Jean-Pierre Putters. p. 7. ISSN 0338-6791.
  29. ^ "Tucson Sportwatch". The Arizona Daily Star. Tucson. May 10, 1985. p. 6–F  – via newspapers.com (subscription required) .
  30. ^ Graser, Marc (September 15, 1999). "Baseball biopic finds home". variety.com. Reed Business Information. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  31. ^ Saevig, Dan (October 10, 2004). "Perrysburg native co-authored Rose's book". toledoblade.com. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  32. ^ Curry, Jack (January 6, 2004). "Baseball; Rose, in New Book, Admits Betting on His Team". The New York Times. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  33. ^ Hill, Rick (2023). The Apostle: The Miraculous Journey of Dr. G.B. Espy, a Doctor who Defied Borders. Rapid City: Gantrett Media. ISBN 979-8218114060.
  34. ^ Lough, Mary-Elizabeth. "A Tale Well Told: 'The Apostle' relates Tulane alum's remarkable journey". tulane.edu. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
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