Richard John Chaves is an American character actor. Biography Career Chaves helped write the critically acclaimed stage drama Tracers. In the early 1980s, he began work as an actor taking on various soap opera roles until he gained a role in 1987 as Poncho in the science fiction film Predator. Soon afterward, his career received another boost with the role of Lt. Colonel Ironhorse in the television series War of the Worlds. Chaves once calculated that the volume of fan mail he received outnumbered the rest of the cast members by a four or five to one ratio. However, his career hit a bump when War of the Worlds was given new creative management for its second season. The new executives did not think that the Ironhorse character worked with the format they wanted for the show, so his character and that of Norton Drake were killed off. His most recent acting appearances were in the films Lost Warrior: Left Behind, Dark House and Beyond the Game. Personal life Chaves served in the Vietnam War with the US Army’s 196th Infantry Brigade. In the late 1990s, Chaves became the target of a stalker. To protect himself, his family and friends, he followed the advice of police by refraining from attending conventions and closing his official website. Chaves has made few public appearances over the years since being stalked. He appeared at the Las Vegas Comic-Con in October 2003; in late 2006 he was photographed with Frances Fisher at the premiere of Flags of our Fathers; he was a guest at the Chicagoland Entertainment Collectors Expo in October 2007; he appeared at the Gallifrey One convention in February 2007, and was scheduled to attend again in February 2008. In June 2009 he was present as a guest star at Collectormania, a film and comic convention which was hosted at the Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, UK. Works Stage 19?? Pendleton Blankst 19?? Vietnam Trilogy 19?? Labyrinth 19?? Macbeth 19?? Romeo & Juliet 1980/85 Tracers (co-author) ... Dinky Dau 1995 Santos & Santos ... Miguel Santos 1997 Police Officer's Wives (P.O.W.) ... Franko 2001 Pvt. Wars ... Silvio Movies 1981 Fire on the Mountain ... Army lieutenant 1985 Witness ... Detective 1985 Cease Fire ... Badman 1986 Penalty Phase ... Nolan Esherman 1987 Kenny Rogers as The Gambler, Part III: The Legend Continues ... Irondog (Sioux Indian) 1987 Predator ... Jorge "Poncho"