Richard Suart (born 5 September 1951) is an English opera singer and actor, who has specialised in the comic roles of Gilbert and Sullivan operas and in operetta, as well as in avant-garde modern operas. He is probably best known for his numerous portrayals of Ko-Ko in The Mikado. Suart has often performed with English National Opera, as well as other opera companies throughout the UK, Europe and North America. He has also recorded extensively and performed on the concert platform. Biography Suart was born on 5 September 1951 in Blackpool, Lancashire. He was educated at Sedbergh School (1965–69) and later studied at St John's College, Cambridge (1971–74) and the Royal Academy of Music (1974–77). He is chiefly known as a stage performer, but his concert work has included baritone leads in Benjamin Britten's Saint Nicolas, and Monteverdi's Vespers, and a song recital of works by Ravel, Ibert and Mussorgsky at the Wigmore Hall in 1979 as well as some concert performances of his operatic roles. In 2004 Suart was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music. Opera Suart's early operatic roles were with the English Music Theatre Company and the Opera Factory. The Guardian found his Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte in 1980 "memorably characterised". Since then, Suart has divided his stage appearances among operas in the regular repertoire, avant-garde modern operas, and the "patter" roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas. His mainstream roles have included, for English National Opera (ENO), Baron Zeta in The Merry Widow (most recently in 2008), Colonel Frank in Die Fledermaus and Benoit and Alcindoro in La bohème; and for Diva Opera, where he directed as well as performing in Britain‚ the Channel Islands‚ Switzerland and France, he sang Dr. Bartolo in The Barber of Seville, the title role in Gianni Schicchi, Dulcamara in The Elixir of Love, and Frank. At the Royal Albert Hall, he sang the Sacristan in Tosca; at Garsington he played Antonio in The Marriage of Figaro (2000) and Caspar in Genoveva, among others; for Reisopera he sang Swallow in Peter Grimes. For Opera North he played Schaunard in La bohème, Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola, the French Ambassador in Of Thee I Sing (1998 and 2008), Barabashkin in Paradise Moscow (2009), and General Adam Snookfield in Let 'Em Eat Cake (2009). For Holland Park Opera he played two roles in Umberto Giordano's Andrea Chénier in 2005.