Richard O'Brien's soft-spoken oddness is most useful when a film gives it something to do. We like him in the uneasy company of Dark City; familiar celebrity comedy, as in Spice World, offers fewer rewards.
Fi1m perspective
Richard O'Brien often sounds as though he has no need to raise his voice. His soft-spoken, sardonic delivery suits the outsiders he is frequently asked to play, and Alex Proyas's Dark City (1998) gives him an appropriate place as Mr. Hand, one of the Strangers. We like this use of him because the eccentricity belongs in the story. The danger with such a recognisable performer is that a film can expect his arrival to be entertaining enough.
He played Riff Raff in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), contributing screenplay and music after writing and starring in The Rocky Horror Show (1973). Director Jim Sharman and composer-arranger Richard Hartley are among his collaborators. O'Brien's association with cult musicals comes from making them as well as appearing in them. Shock Treatment (1981) continued that work, but Rocky Horror remains the difficult association to escape.
Presenting The Crystal Maze (1990–1993) gave his sardonic eccentricity a different use, with no fictional character required. Supporting film parts depend more heavily on what surrounds him, as Spice World (1997), in which he plays Damien, demonstrates. The songs and the five women together make that film enjoyable enough for an evening of pop silliness. Its celebrity jokes do not reward much attention, and its comedy is untidy. We would not choose it to make the case for O'Brien, even if we are happy to make some allowance for the film.
We were unsettled by Dark City, specifically by the invented city that holds our attention even when the writing struggles to give its people depth. That is the stronger setting for O'Brien: his Mr. Hand belongs among its Strangers, and the mystery gives us a reason to keep watching beyond recognising the actor. The film has limitations, but it does not depend on our affection for him. Start there for the supporting performer; keep Spice World for the songs.
Biography
Richard O'Brien (born Richard Timothy Smith, 25 March 1942) is a British and New Zealand actor, writer and singer. He was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. His family emigrated to Tauranga, New Zealand, in 1951; he returned to England in 1964 and later changed his professional name to O'Brien.
O'Brien wrote the stage musical The Rocky Horror Show (1973), which he adapted into the film The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), in which he also appeared as Riff Raff. His other film roles include Fico in Flash Gordon (1980), Damien in Spice World (1997), Pierre Le Pieu in Ever After (1998), Mr. Hand in Dark City (1998), and Xilus in Dungeons & Dragons (2000). He presented the Channel 4 game show The Crystal Maze (1990–1993) and voiced Lawrence Fletcher in the animated series Phineas and Ferb (2007–2015; 2025–present) and its films.
O'Brien identifies himself as third gender and uses he/him pronouns.
