Richard Kind Papers

Collection consists of the papers of American actor and Class of 1978 Northwestern University alumnus Richard Bruce Kind (1956-), dating from 1956 to 2019. The collection has been arranged into 5 series by topic and format: Personal Life and Family (1956-2010), Education (1965-2005), Correspondence (1964-2010), Portrait and Photographs (1956-2010), Audiovisual Media (1989, 1999 and undated), Performance Records and Memorabilia (1970-2011), Publication and Newspaper Coverage (2000-2019).

Personal Life and Family (1956-2010) includes Kind's birth announcement, invitations to his Bar Mitzvah and a program to his Confirmation Service at Har Sinai Temple, an invitation to a surprise anniversary party he and his sister Joanne hosted for their parents, records of charitable donations made to honor family births and deaths, and of his fundraising for research into neurodegenerative disorders, a calendar and book of photos featuring his daughter Skyler, annotated business cards from contacts, monogrammed memorabilia, and publications from community organizations his parents were involved in.

Education (1965-2005) includes writings by Richard Kind, materials from his alma mater Pennsbury High School (Class of 1974) such as a Commencement program, a document from Speech League, a program from an Awards Theater event honoring Kind, and records of his visit as guest speaker for the Class of 1999's Commencement, as well as photos and a program from his 1978 graduation from Northwestern University.

Correspondence (1964-2010) includes letters and cards written by Kind to his grandparents as a child and young adult, a file of correspondence received by his parents regarding his career and achievements, a letter sent by Kind to the "Folks at Portobello Theatre" (one of the theatres Kind performed with during his years living in New York City immediately following his college graduation), a file of mail received by Kind from fellow entertainment industry colleagues, fans, and friends, and letters from friend George Clooney regarding the casting of the movie Fail Safe.

Portrait and Photographs (1956-2010) includes copies of a portrait of Kind by Dave Rudnick, baby and early childhood photos of Kind, photos from his high school and college graduations, photos of Kind with family and friends, headshot photos of Kind, and a file of photos of the cast and crew of Spin City.

Audiovisual Media (1989, 1999 and undated) includes 3 audiocassette tapes, two of which are recordings made by Kind for his grandmother, and one of the speech Kind gave as guest Commencement speaker at his alma mater Pennsbury High School in 1999. Series also includes 2 CDs and 1 DVD, pending imaging.

Performance Records and Memorabilia (1970-2011) includes records of Kind's performances as a member of The Second City comedy troupe in Chicago, off-Broadway theater performances in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New York, and Broadway performances including "Sly Fox," "The Producers," and "The Tale of the Allergist's Wife" amongst others. Materials include scripts, event programs, ticket stubs, a contact sheet, cut-out advertisements, flyers, reviews, a postcard of the Williams Inn presumably from his time performing at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, and a set of cue cards for his performance in "The Producers." Series also includes a keepsake clock in a leather case from his time on the cast of TV sitcom Spin City.

Publication and Newspaper Coverage (2000-2019) includes 2 sub-series, Magazines and Newspaper clippings. Magazines include 3 copies of TV Guide, coverage of his wedding to Dana Stanley in InStyle, coverage of his friendship with George Clooney in Readers Digest, 3 copies of The New Yorker, People Magazine coverage of film "A Serious Man" in which Kind co-starred, and a profile of Kind in Suburban Life Magazine, Life in Newtown. The 6 files of newspaper clippings spanning 1978-2019 predominantly include news coverage of his performances.