Los Angeles County CA Archives Biographies.....Shepherd, R. D.  
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Ila Wakley iwakley@msn.com August 15, 2010, 9:52 pm

Source: California and Californians, Vol. IV, Published 1932, Pages 69 - 70
Author: The Lewis Publishing Company

      R. D. SHEPHERD, professionally known as R. D. MacLean, is one of the 
actors of the legitimate stage who is devoting his great talents to the 
interpretation of Shakespeare, and since 1919 has been a resident of Los 
Angeles. He was born at New Orleans, Louisiana, a son of Henry and Azemia 
Shepherd. His educational training, which was thorough, was received at 
Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia, and in the University of 
Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia.

     As a young man he had charge of some real estate in New Orleans owned by 
his cousins of Boston, Massachusetts, and the care of this property occupied 
him for five or six years. R. D. Shepherd has lived in many places, including 
the national capital, his professional duties taking him all over the country. 
Since 1886 he has been on the stage, and from the start he has used the name 
of R. D. MacLean, adopting as his last name that of his mother. He made his 
first appearance at Kingston, New York, in the character of Pygmalion in the 
play of "Pygmalion and Galatea," and following that has played most 
successfully many parts: 
including; "Shylock," "Othello," "MacBeth," "Romeo," "Richard III," etc. He 
starred with Madame Modjeska in 1901 and 1902; and with William Faversham 
in "Julius Caesar" and "Othello" at the Lyric Theatre, New York City. Since 
coming to Los Angeles he has appeared in a series of Shakespearian recitals 
sponsored by the elect of the city, and is proclaimed one of the finest 
classic actors Los Angeles has ever possessed. Since 1922 he has been 
appearing as Father Junipero Serra in the Mission Play at San Gabriel, in 
which role he is especially convincing. He is a Delta Psi fraternity man and 
in June, 1928, received the degree Doctor of Letters from the University of 
Southern California.

     Mr. Shepherd married Miss Elizabeth Lee Kirkland, a niece of Admiral 
Kirkland, of Savannah, Georgia. They resided a number of years at 
Shepherdstown, West Virginia, Shepherdstown having been named after Mr. 
Shepherd's ancestors.

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