Sam Richardson

Actor Sam Richardson's background in improvisational comedy led to a successful career on television and in film that included series regular work on "Veep" (HBO, 2012-19) and his own series, "Detroiters" (Comedy Central, 2017- ). Born January 12, 1984 in Detroit, Michigan to American and Ghanaian parents, Richardson studied theater at Wayne State University before applying his talents to the famed Second City improvisational troupe at its locations in Detroit and Chicago, Illinois. There, he established himself as a character player, with one role - an exotic dancer, clad only in a Speedo, who transformed into then-President Barack Obama - drawing acclaim from local media. Richardson relocated to Los Angeles in the early 2010s, where his connection to Second City proved useful in landing roles on television comedies - most notably, a spate of episodes in the final season of "The Office" (NBC, 2005-2013) - and minor turns in the features "We're the Millers" (2013) and "Horrible Bosses 2" (2014). A quartet of guest appearances on the third season of "Veep" as Richard T. Splett, a hapless but enthusiastic publicity rep handling Selina Meyer's (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) book tour led to a series regular role in Season 4; Splett was assigned to various characters before serving as assistant to Timothy Simons' much-disliked White House liaison turned congressman Jonah Ryan. The success of "Veep" led to other feature and television opportunities for Richardson, including appearances in "Ghostbusters" (2016) and "Office Christmas Party" (2016), as well as his own series, "Detroiters," a comedy about Midwestern admen which he created with co-star and former "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 1975- ) player/writer Tim Robinson. The series was renewed for a second season in 2018.