Born Richard T. O'Brien in Portlaw, County Waterford, Ireland, Richard Garrick started his career as a stage actor. He went on to become a film director for the Gaumont Company, making films in England, France and the United States, as well as for the U.S. Military during World War I.

Garrick continued his stage career, appearing in dozens of plays - most notably, the original 1947 Broadway production of "Streetcar Named Desire". He reprised his role in the 1951 film version of Streetcar, and has appeared in over two dozen other films throughout his long career.