30 Surprising Facts About Sam Richardson You Probably Didn’t Know Before

Sam Richardson, one of the most popular TV actors, has been in the Hollywood for more than a decade, making bringing laughter to audiences across the globe. His performances have helped him in making a mark in the world of comedy. Still, there are a lot more things about the actor that even fans are not aware of. Here are some really interesting facts about him that will make you love him more:

Greg2600, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
1.  In the year 2016, he was honored with the Career Achievement Award in the Field of Theatre, at Wayne State University’s 37th Arts Achievement Awards.
2.  He was nominated for a 2010 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Revue for "Spoiler Alert: Everybody Dies" at the Second City Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.
3.  He was nominated for the Best Performance in a Variety or Sketch Comedy Program or Series (Individual or Ensemble) award at the Canadian Screen Awards for his work on “The Second City Project.”
4.  Richardson was also nominated for the 2011 Equity Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor or Actress in a Nomination in a Revue for "South Side of Heaven" at the Second City Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.
5.  For the role of Charlie in the movie “The Tomorrow War,” it was reported that Sam had always been the first and only choice of director Chris McKay.
6.  Sam Richardson was born on January 12, 1984 to Lamar N. Richardson Jr. and Lydia Richardson in Detroit. He has two siblings.
7.  His father is an African American, while his mother is Ghanaian. His maternal grandfather, Wiafe,W.A. was a chief and local political leader in Ghana.
8.  He is the youngest of three siblings in the house. He has an older brother – Jason Richardson, and an older sister – Laura Richardson.
9.  Since his childhood, he, along with his family, would travel to Ghana, once or twice a year to stay with his maternal grandparents.
10.  He attended the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy, before enrolling at the Wayne State University, where he studied theatre.
11.  In the initial days of his career, he performed in several roles at the Second City in Detroit and then in Chicago.
12.  In fact, he was famous for a wide range of characters from sight gags to impressions of public figures at Second City.
13.  In an effort to develop his career further, he moved to Los Angeles, where he first landed a minor role in “The Office,” which appeared for six episodes including the series finale.
14.  Following this role, he had small roles in episodes of “Arrested Development” Season 4, “Drunk History,” “New Girl,” and “Teachers.
15.  Richardson got his breakthrough when he landed the role of Richard Splett on the HBO political comedy series “Veep.”
16.  Initially, he was set to appear as the handler for Selina Meyer, during her Iowa book tour, only in four episodes of the Season Three.
17.  However, his performance was well received among the audiences, following which his character was made a regular cast member of the show in Season Four.
18.  His character was offered a job in President Meyer’s administration, as an assistant to the character Jonah.
19.  With this role, he received the much needed attention, following which he was cast in various movies including “We're the Millers,” “Horrible Bosses 2,” “Spy,” “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising,” “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates,” and “Ghostbusters.”
20.  In the year 2015, Comedy Central ordered a pilot for the series “Detroiters,” which was created by Richardson and Tim Robinson.
21.  With the pilot receiving positive reviews, Comedy Central ordered 10 episodes of the series, while also renewing it for the second season. Shooting began in the Detroit area in 2016.
22.  Richardson and Robinson co-wrote and co-executive produced the series, while also starring in major roles of struggling advertising men in Detroit who make local TV commercials.
23.  The duo was inspired partly by the classic Detroit ads they grew up watching, including the Mel Farr Superstar and Gordy from ABC Warehouse campaigns.
24.  However, the main inspiration for the show was that they wanted to portray a totally different side of Detroit in the show, as everyone is used to seeing the place as a destination for zombie apocalypse.
25.  The show “Detroiters” ran for two seasons, before it was cancelled due to poor reviews, by Comedy Central in the year 2018.
26.  The same year, he was cast as Alf in the YouTube Premium series “Champaign ILL,” which aired for a total of 10 episodes.
27.  He has played a wide range of characters in the Netflix sketch show “I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson” since the year 2019.
28.  He starred as Eric in two movies – “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates,” as well as “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising,” both of which were co-written by Andrew Jay Cohen and Brendan O’Brien.
29.  Richardson lent his voice to the character of Gary Garoldson/ Gary in the 2021 animation series “Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K.”
30.  He was also nominated for the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series at the 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards for his work on “Veep,” winning the last one.
31.  Sam Richardson Net Worth: $17 Million