Richard Romain is an American actor known for his roles in Cane River, Swept from the Sea, and Great, My Parents Are Divorcing.
His roles in Swept from the Sea and Genial were bit parts or extras, but his role in Cane River was poised to make him a star. Unfortunately, the movie was lost a year after its premiere in 1982.
Romain gradually faded from public life following the loss of Cane River, and little is known about his current whereabouts.
Did Richard Romain Pass Away?
As far as the press and social media go, there has been no news of Richard Romain’s death.
Romain was last seen in 2020 when he was interviewed about his role in the long-lost film Cane River. Since the film’s rediscovery, he has been lauded for his role along with Tommye Myrick.
He has also retroactively become a sex symbol for his role in Cane River, and people have become enamored with how he appeared and the charisma he exuded.
Pictures and Gifs of Romain still find their way out of the ether of obscurity and appear here and there on social media.
Richard Romain’s Acting Career
Much of Richard Romain’s cult fame comes from the 1982 movie Cane River.
Cane River is an American romantic drama film featuring the lives of African Americans living in Louisiana. It tells the story of Peter Metoyer, played by Richard Romain, who returns home to fight for his land, and headstrong Maria Mathis, played by Tommye Myrick, who is reluctant to succumb to Metoyer’s charm just because he is from a famous family.
The movie tackles issues of class and color that threaten to keep them apart. Cane River premiered in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1982.
The New York Times wrote that the film was a rarity at the time as it was a drama by an independent black filmmaker, financed by wealthy black patrons and dealing with race issues not touched by mainstream cinema. Sadly, before the film could be distributed nationally, the filmmaker, Horace B. Jenkins, passed away.
The film was supposed to be screened in New York City in 1983, but due to Jenkins’ death, the film went unreleased.
Cane River’s Rediscovery
It wasn’t until 2013 that Cane River would come to the public’s attention.
The film preservation organization IndieCollect found a negative copy of the movie from the vaults of DuArt Film and Video, and the Academy Film Archive accepted it sight unseen. Two years after the negative resurfaced, it caused quite a stir due to its mythic quality.
The movie was re-released in 2018 after it was digitally remastered. The remastered version was screened at the New Orleans Film Festival. The following year, distributor Oscilloscope acquired the rights to Cane River and released the film for commercial release.