Richard Roma
| Richard Roma | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | Glengarry Glen Ross |
| Last appearance | Glengarry Glen Ross (film) |
| Created by | David Mamet |
| Portrayed by |
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| Information | |
| Occupation | Real estate agent |
Richard Roma is a fictional character from David Mamet's 1982 play Glengarry Glen Ross and its 1992 film adaptation. Roma has been portrayed by a range of actors, including Joe Mantegna, Al Pacino and Liev Schreiber, although the role was originated by Jack Shepherd.
Actors portraying Roma have seen multiple stage award wins and nominations—both Mantegna and Schreiber received a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for their depictions, while Shepherd earned a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his portrayal. In film, Pacino received nominations for both the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture.
When I walked on that stage, my feeling was: I am that matador. And I’m gonna kill every bull that comes into the arena.
Roma, along with the rest of the salesmen in Glengarry Glen Ross, was written based on playwright David Mamet's previous experiences selling "worthless" Arizona real estate from an office in Chicago. Mamet described the colorful dialogue used by the character—which has also been described as "following in the steps of" Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman—as having been influenced by overheard conversations and street slang.
Richard Roma is a cut-throat and successful real estate salesman, who derives his success from eloquent and convincing pitches, preying on insecure clients with illusions of power and machismo. During the events of Glengarry Glen Ross, Roma is in contention for a prize to be awarded to the top "closer" at his firm, having just closed a large sale with a man called Lingk. Overnight, the firm's office is burgled, and lucrative leads for top real estate are stolen. Lingk arrives at the office during the investigation, eager to cancel his purchase during his cooling-off period. Roma attempts to distract Lingk from doing so in the hope that this period will pass, trapping Lingk in the sale, but well-intentioned comments by the firm's manager, trying to play along, catch Roma in a lie, and Lingk demands a refund on his purchase.
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