Richard Stapley, actor in '40s-'50s, dies at 86

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - Richard Stapley, the actor who appeared alongside Elizabeth Taylor in "Little Women" and with Gene Kelly in "The Three Musketeers," has died. He was 86.

His publicist Alan Eichler says Stapley died of kidney failure Friday at a Palm Springs hospital.

Born in England, Stapley moved to Hollywood and appeared in a string of films in the 1940s and 1950s, including "King of the Khyber Rifles" with Tyrone Power and "The Strange Door" with Boris Karloff. He remained active, mostly doing TV roles, through the 1970s.

He took the name Richard Wyler when he moved back to Britain and starred in "Man From Interpol" and other television series.

Stapley was also a writer. His novel "Naked Legacy" was published in 2004. - AP