J. August Richards
Encyclopedia
Jaime Augusto Richards III (born August 28, 1973) is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of vampire hunter
Charles Gunn
on the WB
cult television series Angel
.
. 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 University of Southern California
on a theater scholarship.
as Vanessa's boyfriend Roy in Season 5 Episode 5 "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.
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 starring role in the first season of Angel
as Charles Gunn
, a street-wise vampire hunter. His character quickly became one of the most popular in the Buffyverse
as he overcame his own reservations of fighting alongside the vampire Angel, the one thing he detested. Upon seeing the heart of the operation, Gunn became a key player in the fight against evil.
Richards has so far been featured in four series as an attorney
: Richards joined the cast of NBC
's Law & Order
spin-off Conviction as Billy Desmond, the undefeated New York City
Assistant District Attorney
. He has been featured in CBS
' CSI: Miami
as the Floridian
attorney Bob Villa, and portrayed attorney Marcus McGrath in the TNT
series Raising the Bar
until its cancellation. In season five of Angel, the character he played, Charles Gunn, became a lawyer as well (gaining legal knowledge via a Wolfram & Hart "brain-boost").
Richards also portrayed a young Richard Webber
in the Grey's Anatomy
season 6 episode "Time Warp." He also appeared in an episode of The Mentalist
.
Richards had also played the part of Damon in the 1995 sci-fi television series Sliders
season 4 episode 7 "Just Say Yes".
Richards also starred in syfy's warehouse 13 on one occasion
Vampire hunter
A vampire hunter or vampire slayer is a character in folklore and fiction who specializes in finding and destroying vampires, and sometimes other supernatural creatures....
Charles Gunn
Charles Gunn
Charles Gunn is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series, Angel. The character is portrayed by J. August Richards, and was named by Whedon after filmmaker James Gunn and actor Sean Gunn, both of whom had worked with Whedon...
on the WB
The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
cult television series Angel
Angel (TV series)
Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999...
.
Early life and education
Richards' parents emigrated to the United States from PanamaPanama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
. He grew up in Bladensburg, Maryland
Bladensburg, Maryland
Bladensburg is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 7,661 at the 2000 census.Bladensburg is from central Washington, DC...
. Richards attended the Visual and Performing Arts program at Suitland High School in Suitland, Maryland and graduated in 1991. He attended the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
on a theater scholarship.
Career
Richards' acting career began when he was spotted by a casting director. This resulted in him getting a guest star role on The Cosby ShowThe Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
as Vanessa's boyfriend Roy in Season 5 Episode 5 "Out of Brooklyn". Other guest appearances would come later on shows such as The Practice
The Practice
The Practice is an American legal drama created by David E. Kelley centering on the partners and associates at a Boston law firm. Running for eight seasons from 1997 to 2004, the show won the Emmy in 1998 and 1999 for Best Drama Series, and spawned the successful and lighter spin-off series Boston...
, Chicago Hope
Chicago Hope
Chicago Hope is an American medical drama series created by David E. Kelley that ran from September 18, 1994, to May 5, 2000. It takes place in a fictional private charity hospital.-Premise:The show stars Mandy Patinkin as Dr...
, Any Day Now, and Nash Bridges
Nash Bridges
Nash Bridges is an American television police drama created by Carlton Cuse. The show starred Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as two Inspectors with the San Francisco Police Department's Special Investigations Unit. The show ran for six seasons on CBS from March 29, 1996 to May 4, 2001 with a total of...
. Playing a rapping bike messenger who believes he is an alien abductee, it was the role of Taj Mahal in the Mark Taper Forum
Mark Taper Forum
The Mark Taper Forum is a 739 seat thrust stage at the Los Angeles Music Center built by Welton Becket and Associates on the Bunker Hill section of downtown Los Angeles...
production of Tina Landau
Tina Landau
Tina Landau is an American playwright and theatre director.Born in New York City to film and television producers Edie and Ely Landau, Landau moved with her family to Beverly Hills, California, where she graduated from Beverly Hills High School before attending Yale University, where she directed...
's play Space that first brought recognition.
Richards has appeared in feature films Why Do Fools Fall in Love
Why Do Fools Fall in Love (film)
Why Do Fools Fall in Love is an American romantic drama, directed by Gregory Nava and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film is a biographical film of the brief but intense life of R&B/Rock & Roll singer Frankie Lymon, lead singer of the pioneering rock and roll group Frankie Lymon & the...
and Good Burger
Good Burger
Good Burger is a 1997 American comedy film by Tollin/Robbins Productions and Nickelodeon Movies, released by Paramount Pictures, directed by Brian Robbins, and starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell...
. He starred in the television movies Critical Assembly and Mutiny, and appeared as singer Richard Street
Richard Street
Richard Allen Street is an American soul and R&B singer, most notable as a member of The Temptations from 1971 to 1993...
in the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
miniseries The Temptations. Richards has also guest-starred on The West Wing
The West Wing (TV series)
The West Wing is an American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999 to May 14, 2006...
and The 4400
The 4400
The 4400 is a science fiction TV series produced by CBS Paramount Network Television in association with Sky Television, Renegade 83, and American Zoetrope for USA Network. The show was created and written by Scott Peters and René Echevarria, and it stars Joel Gretsch and Jacqueline McKenzie...
.
Richards gained a starring role in the first season of Angel
Angel (TV series)
Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999...
as Charles Gunn
Charles Gunn
Charles Gunn is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series, Angel. The character is portrayed by J. August Richards, and was named by Whedon after filmmaker James Gunn and actor Sean Gunn, both of whom had worked with Whedon...
, a street-wise vampire hunter. His character quickly became one of the most popular in the Buffyverse
Buffyverse
The Buffyverse, also known as the Whedonverse or Slayerverse , is the shared fictional universe in which the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel are set. This term, originally coined by fans of the TV series, has since been used in the titles of published works, and adopted by Joss...
as he overcame his own reservations of fighting alongside the vampire Angel, the one thing he detested. Upon seeing the heart of the operation, Gunn became a key player in the fight against evil.
Richards has so far been featured in four series as an attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
: Richards joined the cast of NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
spin-off Conviction as Billy Desmond, the undefeated New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Assistant District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
. He has been featured in CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
' CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
as the Floridian
Floridian
Floridian may refer to:* Floridian, the demonym for a person from the U.S. state of Florida* Floridian , an Amtrak route that ran from Chicago to Miami and St. Petersburg, Florida...
attorney Bob Villa, and portrayed attorney Marcus McGrath in the TNT
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
series Raising the Bar
Raising the Bar (TV series)
Raising the Bar is an American legal drama, which ran on TNT network from September 1, 2008 to December 24, 2009. The series revolves around a group of lawyer friends who find themselves on opposite sides of the criminal law.-Production:...
until its cancellation. In season five of Angel, the character he played, Charles Gunn, became a lawyer as well (gaining legal knowledge via a Wolfram & Hart "brain-boost").
Richards also portrayed a young Richard Webber
Richard Webber
Richard Webber is a fictional surgeon from the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy. The character is portrayed by actor James Pickens, Jr., and was created by Shonda Rhimes...
in the Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
season 6 episode "Time Warp." He also appeared in an episode of The Mentalist
The Mentalist
The Mentalist is an American police procedural television series which debuted on September 23, 2008, on CBS. The show was created by Bruno Heller, who is also the show's executive producer...
.
Richards had also played the part of Damon in the 1995 sci-fi television series Sliders
Sliders
Sliders is an American science fiction television series. It was broadcast for five seasons, beginning in 1995 and ending in 2000. The series follows a group of travelers as they use a wormhole to "slide" between different parallel universes. The show was created by Robert K. Weiss and Tracy Tormé...
season 4 episode 7 "Just Say Yes".
Richards also starred in syfy's warehouse 13 on one occasion