Richard Lee Newton, 79; Actor-Producer Known for Role on ‘Matlock’

Richard Lee Newton, 79, an actor and producer best remembered as Judge Richard Cooksey on the long-running television series “Matlock,” died Friday in DeSoto, Texas, near his native Dallas, of unstated causes.

Although he had a few small roles in 1950s motion pictures, television was Newton’s medium both as actor and director. He appeared in several 1950s theater series including “Hallmark Hall of Fame” and “Zane Grey Theater” and on western series such as “Frontier Justice.” He portrayed Cooksey, a recurring role, on Andy Griffith’s “Matlock” from 1986 to 1990.

In the 1960s and ‘70s, Newton devoted himself primarily to producing, working with Aaron Spelling. He produced such series as “Burke’s Law,” starring Gene Barry; “Honey West,” starring Anne Francis; and “Hawaii Five-O,” with Jack Lord.

Newton also produced memorable movies for TV such as “If Tomorrow Comes,” about a Japanese American youth and his fiancee, the daughter of a bigot, set in the period of Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbor. It was aired on the 30th anniversary of the attack.