Sam Richardson

Samuel Richardson (born January 12, 1984) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is best known for playing Richard Splett in the HBO political comedy series Veep (2012–2019), co-creating and co-starring in the Comedy Central comedy series Detroiters (2017–2018) alongside Tim Robinson, playing various characters in the Netflix sketch show I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (2019–present), and co-starring in the Apple TV+ series The Afterparty (2022–present) as Aniq Adjaye and the Max series Velma (2023–present) as Norville "Shaggy" Rogers. 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. 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. Once or twice a 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 Chicago. 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, 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.