Sam Richardson (born January 12, 1984) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Richard Splett in the HBO political comedy series '' Veep'' (2012–19), co-creating and co-starring in the Comedy Central comedy series '' Detroiters'' (2017–18) alongside Tim Robinson, and for playing various characters in the Netflix sketch show '' I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson'' (2019–present), Aniq Adjaye in the Apple TV+ series '' The Afterparty'' (2022–23), and Norville Rogers in the Max series '' Velma'' (2023–24). In 2022 and 2023, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance as Edwin Akufo in '' Ted Lasso'', winning the 2023 award in this category.

Early life

Richardson was born in Detroit, Michigan, on January 12, 1984, the son of a Ghanaian mother and an African-American father. His aunt was Barbara-Rose Collins (née Richardson), who in 1990 became the first black woman from Michigan to be elected to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

. Every year Richardson would travel with his parents to Ghana, where his grandfather was a chief and local political leader. He graduated from the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy in 2002, and studied theater at Wayne State University.

Career

Early in his career, Richardson performed at the Second City in Detroit and then in

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. At Second City, he was known for a wide range of characters, from sight gags to impressions of public figures. Following a move to

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, ...

, Richardson appeared in six episodes (including the series finale) of '' The Office'' and a season 4 episode of '' Arrested Development''. He has also appeared on episodes of '' Drunk History'', '' New Girl'', '' Teachers'', and six episodes of ''Harder Than It Looks''. He played Richard Splett on the HBO political comedy series '' Veep'', first appearing in four episodes during season 3 as the handler for Selina Meyer during her Iowa book tour. During season 4, Richardson was made a regular cast member of the show, after his character received a job offer in President Meyer's administration as an assistant to the character Jonah. He has also appeared in films including '' We're the Millers'', '' Horrible Bosses 2'', '' Spy'', '' Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising'', '' Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates'', and '' Ghostbusters''. In 2015, Comedy Central ordered a pilot for the series '' Detroiters'', created by Richardson and Tim Robinson. The show stars Richardson and Robinson, who also co-wrote and co-executive produced the series with others. Comedy Central then ordered ten episodes of the series, which began shooting in the Detroit area in 2016. According to '' Detroit Free Press'', "In the series, Richardson and Robinson play struggling advertising men in Detroit who make local TV commercials. The plot was inspired partly by the classic Detroit ads they grew up watching, including the Mel Farr Superstar and Gordy from ABC Warehouse campaigns." ''Detroiters'' ran for two seasons before its cancellation by Comedy Central in 2018. In 2016, Richardson was nominated for the Best Performance in a Variety or Sketch Comedy Program or Series (Individual or Ensemble) award at the Canadian Screen Awards for his work on '' The Second City Project''. He was also nominated for the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series at the 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards for his work on ''Veep'', winning the last one. In 2018, he began playing Alf in the YouTube Premium series '' Champaign ILL''. Since 2019, he has played various characters in the Netflix sketch show '' I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson''. In 2021, Richardson appeared in '' Ted Lasso'' as Edwin Akufo, a part for which he was nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 2022 and 2023. In 2022, Richardson was in the main cast of the Apple TV+ mystery comedy series '' The Afterparty''. That same year he appeared as Gilbert, the owner of the Olde Salem Magic Shoppe, in '' Hocus Pocus 2'', a sequel to the 1993 film, '' Hocus Pocus''.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Sam 1984 births 20th-century African-American male actors 20th-century American male actors 21st-century African-American male actors 21st-century American comedians 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American male writers African-American male comedians African-American comedians American male comedians American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors American male voice actors American people of Ghanaian descent Comedians from Detroit Living people Male actors from Detroit Primetime Emmy Award winners Screenwriters from Michigan Writers from Detroit Wayne State University alumni