Daniel Richter (born 1939 in Darien, Connecticut) is an American mime and actor. He is remembered as playing the leader of a tribe of ape-men in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
At the time of his casting in 2001, Richter was unknown, working mainly as a street mime, heading a troupe in London. Kubrick made him largely responsible for choreographing the "Dawn of Man" sequence, believing Richter could take the film away from Hollywood cliches of men in monkey suits. Richter and his troupe spent hours watching apes in the London zoo, particularly the especially popular Guy the Gorilla, followed by hours or rehearsal mimicing their movements. Following 2001, Richter made an appearance in Paul Williams's film The Revolutionary.[1]
Richter went on to work and live with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, directing the photography of their 1972 Imagine video at Tittenhurst Park. In 2002, Richter published a book about his experiences entitled Moonwatcher's Memoir: A Diary of 2001: A Space Odyssey.[2] He has worked on a memoir of his experiences with Lennon and Ono, but has not yet found a publisher for it.
He is very active in mountaineering, having climbed over 500 peaks in North America,[3] participating in and sometimes serving as an instructor in the Sierra Club.