Richard Chaves | |
|---|---|
 Chaves with Frances Fisher and Jane Seymour in 2013 | |
| Born | October 9, 1951 Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1981–present |
Richard Chaves (/ˈtʃɒvɛʒ/ CHAH-vez; born October 9, 1951)[1] is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Poncho in the science fiction film Predator and as Lt. Colonel Ironhorse in the television series War of the Worlds.
Chaves was born in Florida to a career United States Marine officer father who later worked for the Drug Enforcement Administration.[2][3] Chaves studied acting at Occidental College before joining the U.S. Army in May 1970, serving a tour of duty in Vietnam as an infantryman in the 196th Infantry Brigade. He was discharged from the Army in 1973 at the rank of Specialist 4.[4]
Chaves helped write the critically acclaimed stage drama Tracers.[2] In the early 1980s, he began work as an actor taking on various soap opera roles until he gained a role in 1987 as Poncho in the science fiction film Predator.[2] Soon afterward, his career received another boost with the role of Lt. Colonel Ironhorse in the television series War of the Worlds.[2] Chaves once calculated that the volume of fan mail he received outnumbered the rest of the cast members by a four or five to one ratio.[5]
However, his career hit a bump when War of the Worlds was given new creative management for its second season. The new executives did not think that the Ironhorse character worked with the format they wanted for the show, so his character and that of Norton Drake were killed off.[6]
His most recent acting appearances were in the films Lost Warrior: Left Behind, Dark House and Beyond the Game.[7]
