Sam Richardson

Sam Richardson was born on January 12, 1984, in Detroit, Michigan. As the son of a Ghanaian mother and an African American father, he attended St. Ignatius College Preparatory School before studying theater at Wayne State University. He launched his comedy career with the renowned "Second City" improv group in Detroit, honing his improvisational skills, and later performed with the Chicago branch of the troupe. After moving to Los Angeles, Richardson entered the television world, appearing in a minor role in the final season of "The Office" (2012–2013) and as a guest star in shows such as "Arrested Development" (2013). However, the turning point in his career came with his portrayal of the naive and optimistic staff member Richard Splett in HBO's acclaimed political comedy "Veep" (2014–2019). His initial guest appearance on the show was so well-received that he was promoted to a main cast role starting from the fourth season, bringing him widespread recognition. Richardson also expressed his love for his hometown of Detroit through "Detroiters" (2017–2018), a series he created and starred in alongside his friend Tim Robinson from "Second City."

The series centered on two friends' efforts to run a local advertising agency. This collaboration continued with Robinson's various roles in his Netflix sketch comedy show "I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson" (since 2019). In 2022, he starred as Aniq Adjaye, the lead character, in Apple TV+'s murder mystery comedy "The Afterparty," where each episode was told in a different cinematic style (2022–2023). During the same period, he appeared as a guest star in the series "Ted Lasso" (2021–2023) playing the eccentric Ghanaian billionaire Edwin Akufo, a performance that earned him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. In film, he appeared in titles such as "We're the Millers" (2013), "Horrible Bosses 2" (2014), "Spy" (2015), "Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates" (2016), "The Tomorrow War" (2021), "Werewolves Within" (2021), and "Hocus Pocus 2" (2022). Additionally, he provides voice work in animated series such as "Velma" (2023) and "Harley Quinn" (2022).