Doyle Richmond was born in Fulton, Missouri. His career began when he was posted with the US Armed Forces to Germany where he directed and played in several shows. On leaving the Forces, he joined the Playhouse Theatre, San Francisco, first as a costume designer and then actor. According to the August 12, 1971 edition of the African-American magazine Jet, Doyle Richmond was a sophomore at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, USA when he was accepted by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art after "auditioning for administrator-registrar Richard O'Donoghue." The magazine reported also that Richmond was "the first Black and one of the youngest student-actors to be accepted into the internationally famous academy." (p. 49). He graduated from RADA in 1973.

Richmond died on 12 August 1993 and the production of The Taming of the Shrew at the Northcott Theatre, Exeter is dedicated to him as the text in the programme notes: "This Production is respectfully dedicated to the memory of Doyle Richmond Who sadly died on 12th August 1993 after a courageous battle against illness. Doyle will be affectionately remembered by both staff and audiences at the Northcott for his performance as Reverend Sykes in To Kill A Mockingbird last year."