Biography
Richard A. Colla (also credited as Richard Colla or Dick Colla) was an American film and television director and actor. He began his career as an actor, appearing as Tony Merritt on the soap opera Days of Our Lives (1965–66), before transitioning to directing. His first directing credit was the 1962 short The Soldier. He studied acting at Marquette University.
Colla directed episodes of numerous series including McCloud (1970), the Battlestar Galactica pilot (1978), Miami Vice (1984), Murder, She Wrote (1984), MacGyver (1985), Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and Hunter (1984). His feature film credits include Zig Zag (1970), Fuzz (1972) and Olly Olly Oxen Free (1978). He also directed many television films, with his final credit being Growing Up Brady (2000).
Colla was married to actress Denise Alexander. He died in Beverly Hills, California, on 24 December 2021, aged 85.
