Richard Beale was born in 1920. His early career encompassed being in the Royal Navy during the Second World War and then working in his father's print business before the lure of being an actor called.

Early film work included A Night to Remember and Sink the Bismarck! As well as Doctor Who, but he went on to be more familiar for television work, including Compact, Dr Finlay's Casebook, Z-Cars, Dixon of Dock Green, War and Peace, The Life and Times of David Lloyd George, The Tripods, plus a year in Eastenders during the early 1990s and later shows like Casualty, The Bill,  Afterlife and Teachers. He also appeared in three different versions of the Treasure Island tale (BBC 1987, ITV 1986 and a TV Movie in 1990).