Richard Cummings Jr. is an American actor and film director most recognized for his acting roles in the dramas ''

thirtysomething ''Thirtysomething'' is an American drama television series created by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz for United Artists Television (under MGM/UA Television) and aired on ABC from September 29, 1987, to May 28, 1991."The 'don't trust a ...

'' and ''

Northern Exposure ''Northern Exposure'' is an American comedy-drama television series about the eccentric residents in the fictitious town of Cicely, Alaska, that originally aired on CBS from July 12, 1990, to July 26, 1995, with a total of 110 episodes. It rec ...

''. He is currently working as a film and television director. Recent projects include partnering with

Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios, operating under the name Warner Bros. Television (abbreviated as WBTV; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division), is an American television production and distribution studio and the flagship studio o ...

and

Don Cornelius Donald Cortez Cornelius (September 27, 1936 – February 1, 2012) was an American television show host and producer widely known as the creator of the nationally syndicated dance and music show '' Soul Train'', which he hosted from 1970 until 199 ...

to produce a new series and planned film at

Dimension Films Dimension Films was an American independent film and television production and distribution label founded in 1992, and currently owned by independent studio Lantern Entertainment. Formally one of the American " mini-majors" (i.e., small to m ...

Early career

Cummings Jr. was born and raised in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, where he played

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

in high school and thought he would continue in college. However, he soon landed his first acting gig, a

Wheaties Wheaties is an American brand of breakfast cereal that is made by General Mills. It is well known for featuring list of athletes on Wheaties boxes, prominent athletes on its packages and has become a cultural icon in the United States. Originall ...

commercial Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

. While attending college at Stony Brook, he commuted to the city for auditions. After two years, he left to pursue his acting career in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Television commercials led to series work. He guest-starred on ''

Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American Action film, action Crime film, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theophilus "Theo" Kojak. Tak ...

'', '' The White Shadow'' and ''

Hill Street Blues ''Hill Street Blues'' is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes. The show chronicles the lives of the Metropolitan Police Department staff ...

'' before landing the role of account executive Mark Harriton on ''thirtysomething''. Then he was cast in ''Northern Exposure'' with

John Corbett John Joseph Corbett Jr. (born May 9, 1961) is an American actor and country music singer. On television, he is best known for his roles as Chris Stevens on ''Northern Exposure'' (1990–1995), Aidan Shaw on ''Sex and the City'' (2000–2003), ...

and did voice-over work for the Korean automaker

Hyundai Hyundai is a former South Korean industrial conglomerate ("''chaebol''"), which was restructured into the following groups: * Hyundai Group, parts of the former conglomerate which have not been divested ** Hyundai Asan, a real estate construction ...

Producing and directing

While continuing to pursue his acting career, Cummings Jr. teamed up with Robert Townsend to act in and produce the surprise hit feature, ''

Hollywood Shuffle ''Hollywood Shuffle'' is a 1987 American satirical comedy film about the racial stereotypes of African Americans in film and television. The film tracks the attempts of Bobby Taylor to become a successful actor and the mental and external roadb ...

''. At the same time, he partnered with fellow "Shuffle" producer Carl Craig to form Underdog Films to produce

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

s showcasing emerging urban/r&b artists. Underdog Films worked with directors such as

Hype Williams Harold "Hype" Williams (born August 1, 1970) is an American music video and film director, film producer, and screenwriter. Early life Williams was born in Queens. He is of mixed African-American and Honduran descent. He attended Adelphi Univ ...

and

The Hughes Brothers In professional wrestling, TNT is a tag team consisting of twin brothers Terrell Hughes and Terrence Hughes (born February 25, 1995), the sons of TNA and WWE Hall of Famer Devon "D-Von Dudley" Hughes. Early lives Terrell and Terrence competed ...

and produced videos for platinum artists such as

N.W.A. N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip-hop group formed in Compton, California in 1987. Among the earliest and most significant figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, the group is widely considered one of the great ...

Dr. Dre Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...

Ice Cube O'Shea Jackson Sr. (born June 15, 1969), known professionally as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and film producer. His lyrics on N.W.A's 1989 album '' Straight Outta Compton'' contributed to gangsta rap's widespread popu ...

Red Hot Chili Peppers The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982, consisting of Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (musician), Flea (bass), John Frusciante (guitar), and Chad Smith (drums). Their music incorporates elements of a ...

and Snoop Dogg. The company won the MTV Video Music Awards for Best Rap Video in 1996 and also produced videos for the soundtracks to ''Boyz n the Hood'' and ''House Party 3''. In addition, Underdog produced a number of commercial spots for Rock the Vote during the Clinton presidential campaign. In addition, Cummings Jr. had directed multiple videos for platinum recording artist Candyman (rapper), Candyman and Jazz artist George Howard (jazz), George Howard, among others. He produced and directed the independent film ''Thicker Than Water'' with Ice Cube, Fat Joe and Mack 10 and most recently produced another independent film, "Playas Ball," financed by NBA player Dale Davis (basketball), Dale Davis of the Golden State Warriors.

Current projects

Cummings Jr. was producing the Usher (entertainer), Usher project with Jonathan Prince for Dimension Films. The movie would have been an updated version of ''Jailhouse Rock (1957 film), Jailhouse Rock'' in which Usher would have both acted and sung. He was also developing a one-hour drama with Prince (musician), Prince, Warner Bros and Don Cornelius Productions for Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Television, which did not materialize before the musician’s death in 2016.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cummings, Richard, Jr. Living people African-American male actors African-American film directors American male film actors American male television actors Year of birth missing (living people)