Richard Timothy Smith, known professionally as Richard O'Brien, is a British-New Zealander actor, writer, musician, and television presenter. He wrote the musical stage show The Rocky Horror Show in 1973, which has since remained in continuous production. He also co-wrote the screenplay along with director Jim Sharman for the film adaptation, The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), and appeared on-screen as Riff Raff. The film became an international success and has received a large cult following. O'Brien co-wrote the musical Shock Treatment (1981) and appeared in the film as Dr. Cosmo McKinley.
Richard O'Brien
O'Brien in 2006
The Rocky Horror Show is a musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to various B movies associated with the science fiction and horror genres from the 1930s to the early 1960s, the musical tells the story of a newly engaged couple getting caught in a storm and coming to the home of a mad transvestite scientist, Dr Frank-N-Furter, unveiling his new creation, Rocky, a sort of Frankenstein-style monster in the form of an artificially made, fully grown, physically perfect muscle man complete "with blond hair and a tan".
Original programme of the musical from the Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court Theatre in London
David Nehls (left) as Riff Raff and William E. Lester as Frank-N-Furter in the 1996 European tour of The Rocky Horror Show
Stuart Matthew Price as Riff Raff in the European tour of The Rocky Horror Show