Richeson, left, with William Sanderson's E.B. Farnum

Ralph Richeson, the actor who played Richardson, the eccentric cook on Deadwood, has died of heart failure. He was 63.


Richeson was originally just an extra on Deadwood, but his look and eccentric performance earned him the regular role as the antler-obsessed, simple-minded employee of the Grant Central Hotel. He later popped up as a convict in the movie Hancock and as a homeless man in The Revenant. He also appeared in an episode of Parks And Recreation.

Actor Jim Beaver, who played Ellsworth on the show, paid tribute to Richeson on his Facebook page, saying he doesn’t “think there was anyone remotely involved in the show who didn’t love Ralph,” calling him “kind, infinitely sweet, and far, far smarter than his character.” In tribute, he says he’ll “raise antlers in honor of [Richeson’s] passing.”