Biography
In the second grade (c. 1970), Rick was cast by his homeroom teacher, Mrs. Vicini, to play the King Pumpkin in a musical she wrote about a vegetable garden and how all the vegetables were negatively impacted by the insecticide DDT. And it was this original school musical that started Rick's lifelong journey as an actor...
The summer prior to Rick's senior year in High School he was hired by a Pittsburgh-area Dinner Theatre to play Mercutio in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. He was 17 years old, playing Mercutio who was 17 years old, and being paid as an actor! Unfortunately, Rick had to tell his High School football coach that he would be unable to make the first scrimmage of the season under the lights at home because he was acting in a Play. The coach was not very happy and Rick sat the bench his senior year; except for the fact that he was the only one who was able to snap the football back to the punter and that year they punted quite a bit! Rick still lettered in footbal