Rich Swingle is an American film actor, screenwriter and stage actor. He also is a Freedom Finder for Graceworks Inc. and teaches at the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmaking Camp. After growing up on a farm in Medford, Oregon, he went on to study at George Fox University, Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary and Hunter College, ultimately receiving a master's degree from the latter. He has appeared in numerous films, including A Christmas Snow, Indescribable, Alone yet Not Alone and Beyond the Mask, and he is well known for his one-man theatre acts.
Biography Rich Swingle was born in Medford, Oregon. His mother is a medical transcriptionist, and his father is a pilot, inventor, and retired farmer. Rich was raised on a farm that had been in the family since the 1920s. Swingle graduated from George Fox University, where "he spent many of his weekends visiting elementary schools and churches as part of the student touring drama group George Fox Players." He was named their alumnus of the year in 1999. He is an evangelical Christian and, "After years of feeling called to ministry, Rich Swingle entered Massachusetts’ Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary, one of the country's top five evangelical seminaries," which he attended from 1991 to 1992. He received his master's degree in theatre from Hunter College, where he studied under Eric Bentley--who was a student of C. S. Lewis--Tina Howe playwriting, Patricia Sternberg (sociodrama)--a student of sociodrama's inventor, Jacob L. Moreno--and Jerome Coopersmith (screenwriting)--screenwriter An American Christmas Carol and for many episodes of the original Hawaii Five-O. He has been married to Joyce Swingle since 1998. She is currently a counselor, actor, and pastor at Westchester Chapel Church of the Nazarene in White Plains, New York.
Playwright and stage actor Swingle has lived in New York City since 1993, where he has acted in a number of productions of both stage and film. He has performed and/or taught on six continents, in 39 nations and in hundreds of venues, mostly with a dozen one-man plays he has written or helped develop. His one man play "Beyond the Chariots" about the later life of Eric Liddell has been featured around the world and at various Olympic events. He also performed it at the Edinburgh Festival. Regarding the production and life of Eric Liddell, Swingle said, "Chariots of Fire deeply inspired me as a young man. I ran a cross-country race in China 20 years ago so that aspect of Eric's life is embedded in mine even more. I admire his deep convictions and willingness to stand behind them..." "Despite all the fame and adulation he was showered with after the Olympics and all the career opportunities that were presenting themselves at the time, Liddell chose to return to China and teach."
Swingle has performed several other one-man acts, such as "5 Bells for 9/11", a play tells the stories of three people, including firefighter Bruce Van Hine from Squad 41. "Soon after 9/11, an Indiana church asked Mr. Swingle to find a New Yorker willing to speak about his or her experiences during the tragedy. "And I realized, wait a minute, why just have one person tell their story of that day?"
Presentations trainer and coach Since 2001 Swingle has been a Freedom Finder for Graceworks, helping presenters in a variety of fields overcome stage fright and connect with their audiences through seminars and project coaching. Swingle said, "I have seen fear visibly melt away as clients learn to connect with their listeners. It's exhilarating to see people go beyond what they thought possible!"
Director He worked with John Kirby (acting coach on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Déjà Vu, The Count of Monte Cristo) to co-direct Tartuffe and Our Town, during which he performed the role of the Stage Manager, and The Miracle Worker. He also directed Cyrano de Bergerac, The Jeweler's Shop, Twelve Angry Jurors, and Much Ado About Nothing, all with assistance from Patricia Mauceri and Susan Somerville Brown.
Teacher He has performed and/or taught workshops in more 50 colleges and universities, including his alma mater, George Fox University, University of Memphis, Namseoul University in Korea, Singapore Bible College, and Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary in the Philippines. Each spring he teaches a workshop at Princeton University. Swingle also spoke at the Ivy League Congress on Faith and Action, hosted by the Harvard University chapter of Christian Union. He has taught acting seminars and performed on the main stage at the Christian Worldview Film Festival in San Antonio, Texas.
Film actor Since 2010 Swingle has been performed in over 30 films. He plays the lead role of Mitchell Little, which was distributed through AMC Independent starting February 12, 2016. His wife Joyce has played his fictional wife in five of those projects: Indescribable, The Unexpected Bar Mitzvah, Rather to Be Chosen, and Mayflower II, "A Matter of Perspective".
Awards and nominations Year Title Notes 1999 George Fox University Distinguished Alumnus of the Year AwardYoungest recipient at the time 2013 The HARK Award for Best Actor For the role of Claud in A Christmas Snow. 2015 Aletheia Fellowship of the Arts Feature Film Awards Nominated for Best Lead Actor For the role of Micah Maslow in The Unexpected Bar Mitzvah 2016 The Christian Film Festival Award for Best Actor For the role of Mitchell Little in Providence 2016 The ICVM Gold Crown Winner Best Drama Under $250,000 Played the lead role of Mitchell Little in Providence 2016 The ICVM Silver Crown Winner Best Evangelistic Film Played the lead role of Mitchell Little in Providence 2016 The ICVM Bronze Crown Winner Best Film Played the lead role of Mitchell Little in Providence 2016 The ICVM Bronze Best Youth Film Played the lead role of Mitchell Little in Providence 2016 The Christian Film Festival Award for Fan Favorite Best Actor For the role of Mitchell Little in Providence 2016 The Christian Film Festival Award for Best Cast For the role of Mitchell Little in Providence 2016 The Bare Bones International Film & Music Festival nominated for Best Ensemble Cast in a Feature Film For the role of Mitchell Little in Providence 2016 The Bare Bones International Film & Music Festival Winner (tie) of the Bonehead Award for Best Feature Faith-Based Played the lead role of Mitchell Little in Providence 2016 International Christian Film Festival Nominated for the Festival Award Played the lead role of Mitchell Little in Providence 2017 International Christian Film Festival Best Lead Actor in a Short Film For the role of Garreth in "A Matter of Perspective" 2017 International Christian Film Festival Honorable Mention for Best Short Film Served as acting coach and played a truck driver in "One Day" 2017 Best Shorts Competition Award of Merit for a Short Film Served as acting coach and played a truck driver in "One Day" 2017 Best Shorts Competition Award of Recognition for a Christian Short Film Served as acting coach and played a truck driver in "One Day" 2018 International Christian Film Festival Nominated for Best Lead Actor in a Short Film For "All God's Children" 2018 Christian Worldview Film Festival First Place for Honor Your Father Film Contest Played lead inventor and voice of RoboDad for "RoboDad" 2018 Hollywood Divine International Film Festival Nominated for Best Comedic Performance Played God in "All God's Children" 2018 Hollywood Divine International Film Festival Official Selection Producer and Narrator for "Colonel Papa Cubano" 2019 International Christian Film Festival Film Festival Official Selection Producer and Narrator for "Colonel Papa Cubano" 2019 Hollywood Divine International Film Festival Official Selection Producer and Narrator for "Cuba Para Cristo" 2019 International Christian Film Festival Nominated for Best Lead Actor in a Short Film For "You Should Be There" 2020 The Way of the Storyteller. Won the one week film competition Script and casting consultant, acting coach and protagonist for "The Ledger" 2020 People's Choice: Actor of the Year nomination International Christian Film and Music Festival 2021 People's Choice: Actor of the Year International Christian Film and Music Festival 2021 International Christian Film Festival Nominated for Best Lead Actor in a Short Film For "The Ledger" 2021 The Seneca Awards Nominated for Best Supporting Actor For Camsis in The Adventum, Volume 3, by Wise King Media 2021 The Seneca Awards Nominated for Best Lead Actor For Robert Redfern in The Unlikely Wise Man by Lamplighter Theatre 2021 The Seneca Awards Best Audio Drama The Adventum, Volume 3 (played Camsis) 2021 Christian Family Film Festival Silver Award: Full Gospel Feature It's a Life Worth Living (played Charles) 2022 The Seneca Awards Nominated for Best Supporting Actor The Adventum, Volume 4 (played Camsis) 2022 The Seneca Awards Best New Show The Titanic Waif (played two minor roles) 2022 The Seneca Awards Best Long Form Drama Freedom: William Bradford and the American Pilgrims, Part 2 (played two minor roles) 2022 Content2022 Nominated for Best Justice - Sanctity of Life Pray with Others Live (Joyce and Rich are on nominated program) 2022 Content2022 Nominated for Best Justice - Prayer Pray with Others Live (Joyce and Rich are on nominated program) 2022 Content2022 Won Best Justice - Prayer Pray with America's Leaders (Rich is on nominated program) 2022 Content2022 Nominated for Best Justice - Persecution The Diary of Perpetua (Rich played Pudens) 2022 Content2022 Won Special Award - Martyrdom The Diary of Perpetua (Rich played Pudens) 2022 Won Honorary Actor 2022 Great Lakes Christian Film Festival
Bibliography Year Title Notes 1991 The Fall 1-act based on "Les Misérables". 1992 I Come and Go at His Command A play based on the martyrdom of Mary Dyer. 1993 A Clear Leading The story of John Woolman, turned into a 1-man play in 1995. 1995 Big Fish Little Worm 1-man play. Monologue "Lazarus" by Sean Gaffney. 1997 Views of the Manger A 1-man Christmas play including the monologue "Harvey Silverstein" by Mac Nelson. 1998 The Revelation A 1-man play based on the Book of Revelation. 1999 The Acts A 1-man play based on the Acts of the Apostles. 2001 The Fall An adaptation of Swingle's 1-act play based on "Les Misérables" as a radio drama for Stage Shadows starring Rob Evan, reprising his Broadway role as Jean Valjean and George Merritt—of Broadway's Jekyll & Hyde (musical)—as the Bishop Welcome. 2002 Alien Immigration Training A 1-man play. 2002 Five Bells for 9/11 A 1-man play based on interviews with those that experienced the September 11 attacks first hand. 2003 Journey to the Garden A 1-man play based on Jesus Christ's Passion (Christianity). 2004 Beyond the Chariots A 1-man play based on Eric Liddell. 2011 Shepherds Reflect on the 23rd Psalm Conceived by Pastor Linda Warren, developed by Rich and Joyce Swingle for Morrison Academy in Taichung, Taiwan, and based on Psalm 23.
Filmography