# Rick Hill (actor)
**Rick Hill** (birth name Richard Hill) is an American actor, director, and writer born in 1953 in [Harlan, Kentucky](https://www.edgepedia.org/harlan-kentucky), best known for starring as the title character in the sword-and-sorcery film *[Deathstalker](https://www.edgepedia.org/deathstalker-1983-film)* (1983) and as Agent Al Gordean on the ABC series *Today's F.B.I.* (1981–1982), and later known as the co-author of the New York Times #1 best-seller *Pete Rose: My Prison Without Bars*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0384605/bio/) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/rick_hill_4)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1953, Harlan, Kentucky, USA; birth name Richard Hill[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0384605/bio/) |
| Signature TV role | Al Gordean on *Today's F.B.I.* (1981–1982), a series-regular part[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0384605/) |
| Signature film role | Deathstalker in *Deathstalker* (1983), his biggest box-office hit at $11.9 million worldwide[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/rick_hill_4) • [4](https://www.whatsafterthemovie.com/person/rick-hill) |
| Television volume | Appeared in more than 50 episodes of network television[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0384605/bio/) |
| Writing | Co-author of *Pete Rose: My Prison Without Bars*, a New York Times #1 best-seller; published another biography in 2023[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0384605/bio/) |
| Education and sport | Georgia Tech, class of 1975, business major; college running back who later played in the Canadian Football League[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0384605/bio/) |
| Directing | Directed multiple episodes of *Born Free* (1998) and *Hollywood Safari* (1998)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0384605/bio/) |
## Early life and athletics
Hill attended [Georgia Tech](https://www.edgepedia.org/georgia-tech), where he was a running back on the football team, and graduated in 1975 with a major in business.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0384605/bio/) He went on to play in the [Canadian Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/canadian-football-league) before turning to acting.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0384605/bio/) A later profile adds that at Georgia Tech he earned a nomination for a [Rhodes Scholarship](https://www.edgepedia.org/rhodes-scholarship).[5](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/rick-hill)
## Acting career
**Discovery.** Hill got his first acting opportunity after being spotted on a beach in Los Angeles, where he was asked to take the minor role of a lifeguard in a production titled *One of a Kind*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0384605/bio/)
**Television.** Through the late 1970s and 1980s he accumulated guest and recurring parts on network series, including *Charlie's Angels* (as [Steve Fitzpatrick](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-fitzpatrick), 1979), *Flo* (as Red Ryder, 1981), *Magnum, P.I.* (as Lee Chambers, 1982), *Cheers* (as Tibor Svetkovic, 1983), *Matlock* (as Vince Campbell, 1988), and *[Hunter](https://www.edgepedia.org/hunter-1984-american-tv-series)* (1989).[6](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/52141/rick-hill) His most substantial television part was series-regular status as Agent Al Gordean on *Today's F.B.I.*; IMDb lists 19 episodes across the 1981–1982 run, while TVmaze lists 18.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0384605/) • [6](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/52141/rick-hill) While starring in that series, Hill was invited on a tour of the White House during the Reagan Administration.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0384605/bio/) He also appeared in the soap opera *Days of Our Lives* as Kyle McCullough.[6](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/52141/rick-hill)
**Film.** Hill worked steadily in genre cinema, often in action and science-fiction productions. He played the title role in *Deathstalker* (1983), returned as [Deathstalker](https://www.edgepedia.org/deathstalker) in *Deathstalker IV: Match of Titans* (1991), and appeared in *The Devastator* (1986) as Deacon Porter, *Warrior Queen* (1987) as Marcus, *Dune Warriors* (1991) as John, *Cyborg 2* (1993) as Team Leader, *Class of 1999 II: The Substitute* (1994) as G.D. Ash, and *Storm Trooper* (1998) as Denton.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/rick_hill_4) • [7](https://www.thetvdb.com/people/354149-rick-hill) His most widely seen studio appearance is a small part as a Jail Guard in the [Jim Carrey](https://www.edgepedia.org/jim-carrey) comedy *Liar Liar* (1997).[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0384605/) Aggregated box-office figures put *Deathstalker* at $11.9 million worldwide as his biggest hit, out of roughly $19.1 million across his credited films.[4](https://www.whatsafterthemovie.com/person/rick-hill)
## Writing and directing
Hill directed multiple episodes of the series *Born Free* (1998) and *Hollywood Safari* (1998), and worked as a "script doctor" or ghost-writer on several film and book projects.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0384605/bio/) He is the credited author of *Pete Rose: My Prison Without Bars*, the 2004 book in which the baseball player [Pete Rose](https://www.edgepedia.org/pete-rose) admitted betting on baseball; Hill spent more than three years writing it with Rose, and discussed the collaboration at a 2004 library appearance in Perrysburg, Ohio, his hometown.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0384605/bio/) • [8](https://waylibrary.info/images/PDFs/may04.pdf) In 2023 he published another biography, dedicated to the humanitarian doctor and fellow Georgia Tech graduate G.B. Espy.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0384605/bio/)
## Distinction from namesakes
Several other people share the name. A different Richard Hill (VIII) is an Australian actor known for *Patrol Boat* (1979) and *Heartbreak High* (1994);[9](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1713526/) a Richard W. Hill Sr. (born 1950) is a Tuscarora photographer and museum curator;[10](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/hill-richard-w-sr-1950-rick-hill) and a Rick Hill born in Hutchinson, Kansas is a country and folk singer-songwriter.[11](https://rickhillmusic.com/biography)
## References
1. [Rick Hill – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0384605/bio/)
2. [Richard Hill Movies & TV Shows List | Rotten Tomatoes | Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/rick_hill_4)
3. [Rick Hill (I), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0384605/)
4. [Rick Hill: Movies & Box Office, What's After the Movie](https://www.whatsafterthemovie.com/person/rick-hill)
5. [Rick Hill Movies on Netflix, NetflixMovies.com](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/rick-hill)
6. [Rick Hill, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/52141/rick-hill)
7. [Rick Hill, TheTVDB.com](https://www.thetvdb.com/people/354149-rick-hill)
8. [Way Public Library newsletter, May 2004](https://waylibrary.info/images/PDFs/may04.pdf)
9. [Richard Hill (VIII), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1713526/)
10. [Hill, Richard W., Sr. 1950- (Rick Hill), Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/hill-richard-w-sr-1950-rick-hill)
11. [Rick Hill Biography, rickhillmusic.com](https://rickhillmusic.com/biography)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames He to H*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license