J. August Richards
{{short description|American actor}}
{{BLP sources|date=March 2008}}
{{Infobox person
| name = J. August Richards
| image = J._August_Richards_2012.jpg
| imagesize = 240px
| caption = J. August Richards at the August 31, 2012 DragonCon
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1973|8|28}}
| birth_place = Washington, D.C., U.S.
| birth_name = Jaime Augusto Richards III
| death_date =
| death_place =
| other_names =
| years_active =1988–present
| occupation = Actor
| spouse =
| website =
}}
Jaime Augusto Richards III{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/71/J-August-Richards.html|title=J. August Richards Biography (1973-)|publisher=filmreference.com|access-date=August 18, 2009}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ew.com/article/2000/09/26/angels-new-actor-discusses-life-set|title=Angel's new actor discusses life on the set
|publisher=Entertainment Weekly|author=Bonin, Liane|author-link=Liane Bonin|date=2000-09-26|access-date=August 18, 2009}} (born August 28, 1973), commonly known as J. August Richards, is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Charles Gunn on The WB television series Angel and Mike Peterson / Deathlok on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Early life
Richards is of Afro-Panamanian descent.{{cite web|url=http://www.tnt.tv/series/raisingthebar/display/?contentId=40867 |title=Raising the Bar: J. August Richards |publisher=TNT |access-date=August 18, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219104536/http://www.tnt.tv/series/raisingthebar/display/?contentId=40867 |archive-date=February 19, 2009 }} He grew up in Bladensburg, Maryland. Richards attended the Visual and Performing Arts program at Suitland High School in Suitland, Maryland and graduated in 1991. He attended the USC School of Dramatic Arts on a scholarship.
Career
{{expand section|date=May 2022|2014-present unaccounted for}}
Richards's acting career began when he was spotted by a casting director. This resulted in him getting a guest star role on The Cosby Show as Vanessa's boyfriend Roy in the season 5 episode "Out of Brooklyn". Other guest appearances would come later on shows such as The Practice, Chicago Hope, Any Day Now, and Nash Bridges. Playing a rapping bike messenger who believes he is an alien abductee, it was the role of Taj Mahal in the Mark Taper Forum production of Tina Landau's play Space that first brought recognition.
File:J August Richards Amy Acker Kerry fundraiser 1.jpg at a 2004 John Kerry fund raiser.]]
Richards has appeared in feature films Why Do Fools Fall in Love and Good Burger. He starred in the television movies Critical Assembly and Mutiny, and appeared as singer Richard Street in the NBC miniseries The Temptations. Richards has also guest-starred on The West Wing and The 4400.
Richards gained a recurring role beginning in the first season of Angel as Charles Gunn, a street-wise vampire hunter. He was promoted to a regular at the start of the second season, and remained a member of the cast throughout the rest of the show's run.{{cite web|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-cast-of-angel-10-years-later/|title=The cast of Angel: 10 Years Later|website=Den of Geek|last=Dobbs|first=Sarah|date=March 5, 2014|access-date=May 13, 2022}}
Richards has so far been featured in four series as an attorney: Beginning in the first episode of season five of Angel, "Conviction," Gunn becomes a lawyer after having his brain upgraded with a comprehensive knowledge of the law (both human and dæmonic) by the international and interdimensional law firm Wolfram & Hart. In 2006, Richards joined the cast of NBC's Law & Order spin-off Conviction as Billy Desmond, an undefeated New York City Assistant District Attorney with political aspirations. He has also been featured in CBS's CSI: Miami as the Floridian attorney Bob Villa, and portrayed attorney Marcus McGrath in the TNT series Raising the Bar until its cancellation.{{cite web|url=https://www.creators.com/read/hollywood-exclusive/10/16/a-more-confident-relaxed-j-august-richards-in-notorious|title=A More Confident, Relaxed J. August Richards in 'Notorious'|website=Creators|last=Smith|first=Stacy Jenel|date=October 4, 2016|access-date=April 23, 2018}}
Richards portrayed a young Richard Webber in two Grey's Anatomy episodes: "The Time Warp" in season six, and "Only Mama Knows" in season eleven.{{cite web|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/582708/major-grey-s-anatomy-role-recast-find-out-who-s-in-and-who-s-out-this-season|title=Major Grey's Anatomy Role Recast! Find Out Who's In and Who's Out This Season|website=E Online|last=Bucksbaum|first=Sydney|date=September 25, 2014|access-date=April 23, 2018}} He also appeared in an episode of The Mentalist. Richards had played the part of Damon in "Just Say Yes", a 1998 episode of the science fiction television series Sliders. Richards also guest-starred in an episode of Syfy's Warehouse 13.{{cite web|url=https://www.tvequals.com/2011/08/18/warehouse-13-past-imperfect-season-3-episode-7-photos-with-j-august-richards/|title=WAREHOUSE 13 "Past Imperfect" Season 3 Episode 7 Photos With J. August Richards|website=TV Equals|last=Ngwije|first=Americ|date=August 18, 2011|access-date=April 22, 2018|archive-date=October 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028154440/https://www.tvequals.com/2011/08/18/warehouse-13-past-imperfect-season-3-episode-7-photos-with-j-august-richards/|url-status=dead}}
On April 5, 2013, TVLine confirmed that Richards had been given an unspecified role in ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.{{Cite web |url=http://tvline.com/2013/04/05/shield-tv-show-cast-j-august-richards/ |title=New S.H.I.E.L.D. mystery: Joss Whedon casts Angel alum in pilot — but as who?! |last=Ausiello |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Ausiello |work=TVLine |date=April 5, 2013 |access-date=April 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130408004211/http://tvline.com/2013/04/05/shield-tv-show-cast-j-august-richards/ |archive-date=April 8, 2013 |url-status=live }} The character was later revealed to be a character named Mike Peterson, a human being with implants for injections of super-serum (similar to those of Captain America) known as Deathlok.{{cite web|url=https://nerdist.com/interview-j-august-richards-talks-agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-and-becoming-deathlok/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423172216/https://nerdist.com/interview-j-august-richards-talks-agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-and-becoming-deathlok/|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 23, 2018|title=Interview: J. August Richards Talks Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Becoming Deathlok|website=Nerdist|last=Ratcliffe|first=Amy|date=April 4, 2014|access-date=April 23, 2018}}
Also in 2013, Richards created his own sci-fi web series called The Hypnotist.{{Cite web|url=https://shadowandact.com/j-august-richards-launches-new-sci-fi-web-series-the-hypnotist-starring-lisagay-hamilton |title=J. August Richards Launches New Sci-Fi Web Series 'The Hypnotist' Starring LisaGay Hamilton|last=Obenson|first=Tambay A.|work=Indiewire|date=4 June 2013|access-date=13 May 2022}}
Personal life
Richards publicly came out as gay in April 2020.{{cite web|url=https://www.pride.com/comingout/2020/4/20/angel-star-j-august-richards-just-came-out-gay|title=Angel Star J. August Richards Just Came Out As Gay|website=Pride|last=Henderson|first=Taylor|date=April 20, 2020|access-date=April 20, 2020}} On September 1, 2023, Richards married his partner, model Joshua Gbor. {{cite web|url=https://www.etonline.com/agents-of-shield-star-j-august-richards-marries-joshua-gbor-the-most-magical-night-of-our-lives|title='Agents of SHIELD' Star J. August Richards Marries Joshua Gbor: 'The Most Magical Night of Our Lives'}}
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable" |
| style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;"
! Year ! Film ! Role ! Notes |
| 1995
| Partygoer | |
| 1997
| Griffen | |
| 1998
| Sherman | |
| 2006
| Paved with Good Intentions | Travis Balden | |
| 2016
| If Congress Was Your Co-Worker | Steve | Short |
| 2020
| Pearl | Isaac Robbins | |
=Television=
| class="wikitable" |
| style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;"
! Year ! Show ! Role ! Notes |
| 1988
| Roy | Episode: "Out of Brooklyn" |
| 1993
| Guy at Mall #2 | Episode: "Scenes From a Mall" |
| rowspan="2"| 1995
| FBI Van Tech | Miniseries |
| Space: Above and Beyond
| Lt. Thomas | Episode: "The River of Stars" |
| 1996
| Troy Sommers | Episode: "The Pressure to Murder" |
| rowspan=3| 1997
| JAG | Seaman Bernard | Episode: "Rendezvous" |
| Good News
| John Braxton | Episode: "Try a Little Tenderness" |
| Players
| Sam Bodie | Episode: "Contact Sport" |
| rowspan=5| 1998
| Himself/host | Documentary series |
| Chicago Hope
| Eric Lane | Episode: "Bridge over Troubled Waters" |
| Clueless
| Stewey | Episode: "Friends" |
| Sliders
| Damon | Episode: "Just Say Yes" |
| The Temptations
| Richard Street | 2 episodes |
| rowspan=4| 1999
| Mutiny | Reece Johnson | TV movie |
| The Practice
| Michael Anderson | Episode: "Do Unto Others" |
| The West Wing
| Bill | Episode: "Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc" |
| Nash Bridges
| Ernie Vesper | Episode: "Rip Off" |
| rowspan=4| 2000
| Moesha | Sean | Episode: "Family Affair" |
| Undressed
| Bryce | Recurring cast (season 2) |
| Any Day Now
| Billy | Episode: "It's a Good Thing I'm Not Black" |
| Running Mates
| Randall's Aide | TV movie |
| 2000–04
| Angel | Recurring cast (season 1), main cast (season 2-5) |
| 2002
| Allan Marshall | TV movie |
| 2004
| S.A. Bob Villa | Episode: "Hell Night" |
| rowspan="2" | 2006
| A.D.A. Billy Desmond | Main cast |
| The 4400
| John Shaffner | Episode: "The Starzl Mutation" |
| 2008–09
| Marcus McGrath | Main cast |
| rowspan="2" | 2010
| Young Richard Webber | Episode: "The Time Warp" |
| The Defenders
| ADA Bracken | Episode: "Nevada v. Carter" & "Nevada v. Killa Diz" |
| rowspan="2" | 2011
| Dr. Vernon Watson | Episode: "Bloodstream" |
| Warehouse 13
| Zach Adanto | Episode: "Past Imperfect" |
| rowspan="2" | 2013
| George Morgan | Episode: "Emily... and the Leap" |
| Arrow
| Mr. Blank | Episode: "Home Invasion" |
| 2013–18
| Recurring cast (season 1-2), guest (season 5) |
| rowspan="2" | 2014
| Deputy Secretary of State Nathan Mitchell | Recurring cast |
| Grey's Anatomy
| Young Richard Webber | Episode: "Only Mama Knows" |
| 2014–16
| Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce | Ford | Recurring cast (season 1-2) |
| 2016
| Bradley Gregorian | Main cast |
| 2017–18
| Kevin (Probably) Saves the World | Deputy Nathan Purcell | Main cast |
| 2018
| Giants | Andrew | Episode: "What Kind of Man Are You?" |
| 2020
| Dr. Oliver Post | Main cast |
| 2021
| Joe | Recurring cast |
| 2022
| Recurring cast |
| 2022
|Lind |Episode: "The Reckoning" |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons}}
- {{IMDb name|id=0724124|name=J. August Richards}}
- {{YouTube|u=jaugustrichards|J. August Richards}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, J. August}}
Category:Male actors from Washington, D.C.
Category:American male film actors
Category:American people of Panamanian descent
Category:Hispanic and Latino American actors
Category:People from Bladensburg, Maryland
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:USC School of Dramatic Arts alumni
Category:LGBTQ people from Washington, D.C.
Category:LGBTQ people from Maryland
Category:LGBTQ Hispanic and Latino American people
Category:African-American LGBTQ people