He made his film debut in Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 adaptation of "Romeo and Juliet" and went on to star in such films as Lindsay Anderson's "If..."; "Nicholas and Alexandra" and "Sebastiane". On television, he played prominent roles in the sitcom "Please Sir!" and "A Fine Romance", opposite Dame Judi Dench.

In his obituary for The Daily Telegraph, director Lindsay Anderson was quoted as remarking, "I never met a young actor like Richard! Without a touch of vanity, completely natural yet always concentrated, he illumines every frame of the film in which he appears."