Biography

Richard Kinard Sanders was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the son of Henry Irvine Sanders (1907-2003), a retired US Army lieutenant-colonel and maths teacher, and his wife Thelma Elizabeth, née Williamson (1913-1989). After graduating from high school in Kansas, he studied drama at Carnegie Mellon University, later honing his skills in Britain on the Shakespearean stage. His screen career took off in 1971, when he was cast as Union Army surgeon Charles Augustus Leale in the telemovie They've Killed President Lincoln! (1971).

His short stature, meek demeanour and geeky looks decreed that Sanders would be consigned to play nebbish, ineffectual characters, stuffed shirts and eggheads. He became best known to television audiences as the inept, fastidious, ultra-conservative radio anchorman Les Nessman in the CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati (1978) (for which he also penned several episodes). In addition to reprising his character in a sequel (1991-1993), Sanders also had a recurring role as overzealous high school guidance counselor Benjamin Beanley in the sitcom Spencer (1984). He featured in numerous guest spots on prime time TV shows of the 70s and 80s, including McCloud (1970), Lou Grant (1977), Kojak (1973), The Rockford Files (1974) and Simon & Simon (1981). For the animated superhero series InHumanoids (1986), Sanders provided the voice of engineer Dr. Derek Ericson Bright.

Sanders retired from acting in 2006. Said to be residing in Woodinville, Washington, he is married to script supervisor Marilynn Marko-Sanders.
- IMDb mini biography by: I.S.Mowis