---
name: "Richard C. Sarafian"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/richard-c-sarafian"
fi1m_id: "richard-c-sarafian"
imdb_id: "nm0764781"
tmdb_id: 21544
wikidata_id: "Q743907"
roles: ["Director"]
born: "28 April 1930"
died: "18 September 2013"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_as: "director"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-24T06:39:07.775241+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Richard C. Sarafian

## Identity

Richard C. Sarafian

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/richard-c-sarafian
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** richard-c-sarafian
- **IMDb ID:** nm0764781
- **TMDB ID:** 21544
- **Wikidata ID:** Q743907
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_C._Sarafian, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q743907, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0764781/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/21544

Director. Born 28 April 1930 in New York City, New York, USA. Died 18 September 2013.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Born:** 28 April 1930, New York City, New York, USA
- **Died:** 18 September 2013
- **Active:** 1955–1996
- **Also known as:** Richard Sarafian, Alan Smithee
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 3: 2 acting, 1 directing
- **Frequently works with:** [Christian Nyby](https://film.one/person/christian-nyby.md), [Abner Biberman](https://film.one/person/abner-biberman.md), [Alf Kjellin](https://film.one/person/alf-kjellin.md), [Allen Reisner](https://film.one/person/allen-reisner.md), [Buzz Kulik](https://film.one/person/buzz-kulik.md), [E. Jack Neuman](https://film.one/person/e-jack-neuman.md), [Jacques Tourneur](https://film.one/person/jacques-tourneur.md), [James Sheldon](https://film.one/person/james-sheldon.md)
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1950s 84 (1), 1990s 78 (2)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_C._Sarafian, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q743907, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0764781/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/21544

## Streaming the US now

- **Paramount+:** [*The Twilight Zone*](https://film.one/tv/the-twilight-zone.md) (84)
- **The Criterion Channel:** [*Bound*](https://film.one/film/bound.md) (80)
- **Tubi:** [*Bugsy*](https://film.one/film/bugsy.md) (76)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Richard C. Sarafian (also credited as Richard Sarafian) was an American film and television director, writer and actor. Born in New York City, he studied film at New York University and began his career in documentaries and television, directing episodes of series including *The Twilight Zone*, *Gunsmoke*, *Bonanza*, *Batman* and *The Wild Wild West*.

His feature films as director include *Vanishing Point* (1971), *Man in the Wilderness* (1971), *The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing* (1973) and *Eye of the Tiger* (1986). He was credited as Alan Smithee on *Solar Crisis* (1990). Sarafian also appeared as an actor in films such as *Bugsy* (1991) as Jack Dragna and *Bound* (1996) as Gino Marzzone. He was married to Helen Joan Altman, sister of director Robert Altman, and they had five children.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, theguardian.com, latimes.com, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (3)

### Performed in (2)

- *Bound* (1996), Fi1m 80, as Gino Marzzone — [page](https://film.one/film/bound.md)
- *Bugsy* (1991), Fi1m 76, as Jack Dragna — [page](https://film.one/film/bugsy.md)

### Directed (1) — the average rests on these

- *The Twilight Zone* (1959), Fi1m 84, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-twilight-zone.md)

## Complete filmography (77)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Masked and Anonymous* (2003), as President
- *Hitters* (2002), Actor
- *Dr. Dolittle 2* (2001), as God Beaver (voice)
- *Blue Streak* (1999), as Uncle Lou
- *Blink of an Eye* (1999), as Erlik
- *Bulworth* (1998), as Vinnie
- *Bound* (1996), as Gino Marzzone — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/bound.md)
- *Gotti* (1996), as Paul Castellano
- *Miami Hustle* (1996), as Henry Kronfeld
- *The Crossing Guard* (1995), as Sunny Ventura
- *Don Juan DeMarco* (1994), as Detective Sy Tobias
- *The Road Killers* (1994), as Trucker
- *Gunmen* (1993), as Chief Chavez
- *Solar Crisis* (1992), Director
- *Ruby* (1992), as Proby
- *Bugsy* (1991), as Jack Dragna — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/bugsy.md)
- *Wiseguy* (1987), series, Actor
- *Street Justice* (1987), as Taxi Driver · Director
- *The Falling* (1986), as Capt. J.J. Wells (voice) (uncredited)
- *Eye of the Tiger* (1986), Director
- *Liberty* (1986), as Philbert Evans · Director
- *Long Time Gone* (1986), as Omar
- *Foley Square* (1985), series, as Spiro Papadopolis
- *MacGyver* (1985), series, as Caspar Kasabian
- *Wildside* (1985), series, Director
- *Songwriter* (1984), as Rodeo Rocky
- *The Bear* (1984), Director
- *Splendor in the Grass* (1981), Director
- *Gangster Wars* (1981), Director
- *The Gangster Chronicles* (1981), series, Director
- *The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story* (1980), Director
- *Disaster on the Coastliner* (1979), Director
- *Sunburn* (1979), Director
- *A Killing Affair* (1977), Director
- *The African Queen* (1977), Director
- *The Next Man* (1976), as Gregory Zolnikov (uncredited) · Director, Screenplay
- *One of Our Own* (1975), Director
- *The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing* (1973), Director
- *Lolly-Madonna XXX* (1973), Director
- *Man in the Wilderness* (1971), Director
- *Vanishing Point* (1971), as Man with Fire Hose (uncredited) · Director
- *Fragment of Fear* (1970), Director
- *Run Wild, Run Free* (1969), Director
- *Shadow on the Land* (1968), Director
- *The Danny Thomas Hour* (1967), series, Director
- *The Guns of Will Sonnett* (1967), series, Director
- *Cimarron Strip* (1967), series, Director
- *Jericho* (1966), series, Director
- *The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.* (1966), series, Director
- *Batman* (1966), series, Director
- *The Wild Wild West* (1965), series, Director
- *Convoy* (1965), series, Director
- *The Long, Hot Summer* (1965), series, Director
- *The Big Valley* (1965), series, Director
- *I Spy* (1965), series, Director
- *Andy* (1965), Director, Writer
- *Slattery's People* (1964), series, Director
- *Redigo* (1963), series, Director
- *The Dakotas* (1963), series, Director
- *The Gallant Men* (1962), series, Director
- *Terror At Black Falls* (1962), Writer, Director, Producer, Editor
- *Ben Casey* (1961), series, Director
- *Dr. Kildare* (1961), series, Director
- *The Roaring 20's* (1960), series, Director
- *Surfside 6* (1960), series, Director
- *Hawaiian Eye* (1959), series, Director
- *The Twilight Zone* (1959), series, Director — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-twilight-zone.md)
- *Bonanza* (1959), series, Director
- *77 Sunset Strip* (1958), series, Director
- *Lawman* (1958), series, Director
- *Bronco* (1958), series, Director
- *The Man Who Died Twice* (1958), Writer
- *The Cool and the Crazy* (1958), Writer
- *The Notorious Mr. Monks* (1958), Screenplay
- *Maverick* (1957), series, Director
- *Cheyenne* (1955), series, Director
- *Gunsmoke* (1955), series, Director

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/richard-c-sarafian