Richard O'Brien

The Profile

Richard O’Brien is a British–New Zealander actor, writer, and composer best known for creating The Rocky Horror Show and co-writing The Rocky Horror Picture Show, in which he played Riff Raff. He also co-created Shock Treatment and hosted the TV game show The Crystal Maze.

Created the book, music, and lyrics for The Rocky Horror Show; co-wrote the screenplay for The Rocky Horror Picture Show and appeared as Riff Raff; hosted The Crystal Maze; birth name Richard Timothy Smith.

Reviews hail O’Brien’s Rocky Horror as a cheeky, genre-blending cult landmark with rock’n’roll pulse, glam sheen, and audacious themes. Performances (Curry, Sarandon, Meat Loaf, O’Brien) and songs like Time Warp and Sweet Transvestite dominate the praise. Shock Treatment is noted as TV-satire with flashes of prescience, though less impactful. Overall tone: celebratory, transgressive, and exuberant.