Not David Selby.

[Richard Denault]

When David played Quentin Collins, an iconic character in the United States in the sixties.
He met one of the founders of Lorimar in a parking lot Merv Anderson or Lee Rich
Lee Rich, president of Lorimar, HE says that when it was decided to create Gary Edwing. And turn Knots Ladding into a spin off
from Dallas. The role was written for David and was offered to him.He was doing theater and I rejected him.
To try to save Flamingo Road Lorimar went to look for David who was doing theater. Mychael Tyrone appeared in the fourth episode
After many doubts, Flamingo was canceled and both Lee Rich and Merv Andelson asked Richard Channing to do Falcon Crest
David says
Merv Adelson was a you know a BIG WAS A FRIEND AND A SUPPORTER AND HE'S THE ONE THAT INSISTED THAT I DO FALCON CREST
Merv put up the money to start company and gave the name to Lorimar. The one who directed the merger with Wabner. The three hundred million dollar man. What the press called him
David did not talk about these in interviews at the time.

 

[Richard Denault]

David says in the pocard
I got a visit one day from a couple of writers and my dear friend Earl Hamner and years before I done an episode of a Walton and the Earl came to see me on the sound stage at Warner Brothers and so couple of writers came over on the day I was leaving we were shutting down Flamingo Road I was going back to New York and a couple of writers Stephen Black y Henry Stern came over and said David we're gonna see you real soon so I got back to New York
I wasn't there a week when I got a call from Earl and uh Earl said hey why don't you read this book uh it was about uh oh it was about a tycoon what's the famous Tycoon name William Randolph I read Ted Turner's father without Ted Turner and I read all of that and this is the character of Richard Channig and Earl said just read about these hard you know these business people so I did the first scene when I came to Californi flew right to Napa and my first team was with Jan Jane Wyman

Stephen Black and Henry Sterndied in an interview with TJP
But they didn't tell David about this visit at Flamingo's plate.
We had written for his character on Flamingo Road, and then David came over and he was actually staying at our house in the Hollywood hills when we started working on the show,” Stephen referred to the time when David’s family was still in New York and when he looked for a place of his own in
Los Angeles
.“He’d lay around the pool all day reading the scripts, and then we’d come home, and he had read the scripts that we wrote or somebody wrote, and then we were talking, so we hung out. He brought his family out from New York and laid his foundation down there. We’d been really close on Flamingo Road and we were thrilled that we were all going to be working together
Richard's character changed a lot from what was told in the bible of the second season In my opinion, a large part of Richard's character was David's creation. That explains why he stayed at the two writers' house.
The photo is from the German club

 

[Richard Denault]

I can see either of those actors playing Richard Channing although John Beck was a far better actor than Michael Nadar in my opinion.

I think when an actor takes on a role they need to put their own stamp and interpretation on it to make it real, so although I couldn't see anyone else playing Richard in the way that David Selby did, I can see someone else doing it in a totally original way. I think John Beck might have emphasised Richard's need to be loved and accepted by his family more and maybe made him a more sympathetic character which I think would have been an interpretation that would have worked well.

David's iconic roles were rich, sophisticated, charming, handsome and elegant Richard Channing and Quentin Collins.
Although Richard was very vulnerable that's why he plays the family scenes with Susan Emma, Kevin Michael and Jane, very well.
Berk seems like the wholesome, uncomplicated American guy. I wouldn't believe it as a European-educated millionaire.
David flew directly to Napa to film.
If Flamimgo Road had not been canceled who would have played Richard Nader or Berk
Berk and Selby in Flamimgo Road