Robert Longden was 24, when he auditioned for the role of Riff-Raff, for Jim Sharman, as the first replacement for Richard O'Brien. Longden had just graduated from the Royal School of Speech and Drama where he'd studied acting, winning the John Gielgud Award in 1973, starting out at the Mermaid Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, then went straight into the original Jim Sharman production of THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW in the Kings Road as Riff Raff.

 

 

On the stage, Robert joined the Young Vic (ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD) , The American Repertory (IN THE BOOM BOOM ROOM, SUNDANCE), Chichester Festival Theatre (MAJOR BARBARA) and Berkoff's original London Theatre Group where he created the role of "Mum" in EAST.

Robert appeared in various movies: SELLING HITLER, AGATHA, ADOLPH HITLER, MY PART IN HIS DOWNFALL, DECADENCE, and SPY-MASTER.

Robert Longden has appeared in some classics of British TV drama, including "DICKENS OF LONDON" (as Phiz the illustrator,) Plater's THE BEIDERBECKE TRILOGY (Mr. Pitt), DANGER UXB. (Sapper Copping), COST OF LOVING, (in the B.F.I,) THE GENTLE TOUCH as a manic depressive.  His whimsical annunciation and boyish manner meant he tended to appear in eccentric pieces. He appeared in THE BRETTS, KIDS, AGATHA CHRISTIE TV movies, (WHY DIDN'T THEY ASK EVANS? SEVEN DIAL'S MYSTERY,) a regular in the first WOOD AND WALTERS, sketch show, a gynecologist in FOOTBALLERS WIVES TV, eccentric antiques dealer in DOWN TO EARTH, asylum boss in BLUE MURDER, obese man being slowly poisoned by wife, (Maureen Lipman,) in CASUALTY, and an odd ball obsessed with UFOs in DOCTORS.

Sang and tapped through THE SUN HAS GOT HIS HAT ON in Mike Ockrent's production of ME AND MY GIRL.

Robert wrote and presented two documentaries THE GRAND for Southern Television about Brighton's famous hotel, (before the bomb,) and “THE SMALL AVAILABLE JOYS” for Granada. He took part in two Royal Variety Performances, three OLIVIERS, as well as being a guest on the BBC chat show WOGAN which devoted a full hour to his cult school girl musical; Moby Dick. The show focuses on the anarchic and nubile girls of St. Godley’s Academy for Young Ladies who, determined to save the institution from bankruptcy, decide to stage Herman Melville's classic novel in the school's swimming pool.