60 Seconds with Randy Powell

Exclusive Interview by Karen Beishuizen

Randy Powell is best known for his roles as Francis in Logan’s Run and Alan Beam in Dallas. He is no longer active in the movie business. He and his wife of 41 years hope to travel to New Zealand this year to see her family.

KB: Did you always want to become an actor?

Well maybe I haven’t always wanted to be an actor, but I always had a lot to say. (My mother, bless her heart in heaven, would definitely agree!) I caught the bug in junior high when I played the lead in “Everyman” and then did plays in high school and then summer stock in Illinois and on Cape Cod during college summers.

KB: What was your very first role when you came to Hollywood?

My first part was playing a doctor in “Streets of San Francisco” in a scene with Michael Douglas. I had about 5 lines and it was actually shot in San Francisco. At the time it cost $25 to fly from L.A. to San Francisco.

KB: You played Francis in the TV show “Logan’s Run”: How did you get this part?

MGM (now Sony) Studios had recently released the movie “Logan’s Run” and still had all the sets, so they decided to make a TV show version. We went through the usual audition/call-back/Network call back process to get the parts. Leonard Katzman was the producer, and the Sci-Fi writer D.C. Fontana was the story editor and also wrote one episode. As the show progressed and we shot the 14 episodes I spent more time with Ms. Fontana, and I was writing a script for the show when we got cancelled.

KB: People know you as Alan Beam, JR’s sleazy sidekick, in Dallas: How did you get this part?

Leonard Katzman also produced Dallas so when the Alan Beam character appeared in a script, he called me in to read and I got the part. I just naturally know how to play a bad guy, I guess!

KB: What kind of person was Larry Hagman? How was working with him?

It’s so funny–Larry Hagman was about as different from his “Dallas” character J.R. as could be. He was kind, funny, generous and lots of fun. He had us all out to his Malibu beach house and we met his wife of 25 years. Just a great guy. From watching “Dallas” you’d never imagine he (and Patrick Duffy) were hilarious on the set. We laughed our asses off.

KB: If you were to put together a movie and you could pick the director and a 4-piece cast: Who would you pick and why?

How about this: Ridley Scott directs a Sci-Fi movie with Ewan McGregor, Patrick Stewart, Sigourney Weaver, and Millie Bobbie Brown. Ridley Scott directed my favorite movie “Blade Runner” and I also met him on an audition years ago. Ewan has a lot of range and can play characters very different to him. Patrick has a wonderful stage background – I got to see him in “Waiting for Godot” a while back. I still believe Sigourney can make us believe anything she does. Mille Bobbie Brown is spectacular in “Stranger Things” – maybe she could play a comedic character in our movie…
KB: Are you still active in the TV and Movie industry? What are you doing now?

I’ve not been active in the business since our kids were born some 30 years ago. My wife worked and I had a job in export working for a ham radio friend of mine (that I could take off if I got acting work). It was my job to pick up the kids after school or camp and I kind of got into being a dad and the acting faded away. Just before the pandemic hit, we both retired from these jobs, I read a lot of books now and help my wife with projects she is doing around the yard & the house. Hopefully we can travel to see her family this year in New Zealand.