McCartney Times

In 1967, Daniel Richter was a virtually unknown mime artist working in London. That year, the Connecticut-born actor was cast as Moonwatcher, the ape who discovers the bone in the “Dawn of Man” sequence from Stanley Kubrick’s pioneering science-fiction movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. But Richter was already far more than just an actor: he was a choreographer, a photographer and a close friend of John Lennon and Yoko Ono.During a conversation with Vulture, Richter explained how he landed the role of Moonwatcher. “Stanley had shot most of the picture already,” he began. “They were trying to figure out how to do the opening scenes. They had done tests on dancers, actors — even comedians. He and Arthur C. Clarke were talking about it, and they said, ‘You know, we haven’t talked to a mime.’ It so happened I was teaching private classes in mime in London at the time. Anyway, I was asked if I would go out and let Stanley pick my brain. I said, ‘If you give me twenty minutes, a stage, leotards, and some towels, I can show you how to do it.’ So he hired me to choreograph it, and eventually talked me into playing the part of Moonwatcher as well. I always thought of myself as a choreographer on that film. But I saw it again the other day, and I realized I starred in the thing!”

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Source: The curious link between Stanley Kubrick and John Lennon