# Sam Richardson (actor)
**Sam Richardson** (also known as [Samuel Richardson](https://www.edgepedia.org/samuel-richardson)) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer, born in 1984 in Detroit, Michigan. He is best known for playing Richard Splett on the HBO political comedy *Veep* (2014–2019), co-creating and co-starring in the [Comedy Central](https://www.edgepedia.org/comedy-central) series *Detroiters* (2017–2018) with Tim Robinson, and winning the 2023 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his role as Edwin Akufo on *Ted Lasso*.[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/27711/sam-richardson) • [2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/sam-richardson)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1984, Detroit, Michigan[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/27711/sam-richardson) |
| Signature TV roles | Richard Splett on *Veep* (2014–2019, 40 episodes); Sam Duvet on *Detroiters* (2017–2018, 20 episodes)[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3931538/) |
| Emmy | Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, 2023, as Edwin Akufo in *Ted Lasso* ("International Break"); nominated in the same category in 2022[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/sam-richardson) |
| Training | University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy (2002); theater at Wayne State University; Second City Detroit and Second City Chicago Main Stage[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/27711/sam-richardson) • [4](https://press.hulu.com/bios/sam-richardson/) |
| Other honors | 2011 Joseph Jefferson Award nomination for *South Side of Heaven* at Second City; 2018 ensemble comedy award shared with the *Veep* cast[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3931538/) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3931538/awards/) |
| Notable films | *We're the Millers* (2013), *Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates* (2016), *The Tomorrow War* (2021), *Werewolves Within* (2021), *Hocus Pocus 2* (2022), *Star Trek: Section 31* (2025)[6](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621213992) • [7](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-656605/filmographie/) |
## Early life and training
Richardson was born in Detroit and raised in both Ghana and Michigan.[8](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/tell-me-to-be-bette-midler-i-would-find-a-way-an-interview-with-sam-richardson) In 2002 he finished his studies at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy, then pursued theater at [Wayne State University](https://www.edgepedia.org/wayne-state-university).[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/27711/sam-richardson) His interest in acting took hold during his teen years through Second City Detroit, a now-closed northern outpost of Chicago's improv comedy institution.[8](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/tell-me-to-be-bette-midler-i-would-find-a-way-an-interview-with-sam-richardson)
**Second City.** At Second City Detroit he met Tim Robinson, another Detroit native who would become his frequent collaborator.[8](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/tell-me-to-be-bette-midler-i-would-find-a-way-an-interview-with-sam-richardson) Richardson went on to perform with the touring company and joined the Second City Chicago Main Stage.[4](https://press.hulu.com/bios/sam-richardson/) • [9](https://www.secondcity.com/people/sam-richardson) He stayed on for the revue *Southside of Heaven*, and both shows he appeared in earned him a Joseph Jefferson Award nomination for Best Actor in a Revue; IMDb dates the nomination to 2011 for *South Side of Heaven* at the Second City Theatre in Chicago.[9](https://www.secondcity.com/people/sam-richardson) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3931538/) In 2012 he performed in the Just For Laughs Montreal Fresh Faces of Characters showcase, and began landing television roles on *The Office* and *Arrested Development*.[9](https://www.secondcity.com/people/sam-richardson)
## Veep and Detroiters
In 2014 Richardson was cast as Richard Splett on HBO's *Veep*, a low-level aide in the administration of President Selina Meyer whose cheerful awkwardness became a running feature of the show; he appeared in 40 episodes through 2019.[9](https://www.secondcity.com/people/sam-richardson) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3931538/) The role gave him his first mainstream recognition, and the *Veep* cast shared a 2018 award for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3931538/awards/) Richardson has described the character's appeal as "a guy who can shake off anything," while noting he himself is not as ignorantly optimistic as Splett.[10](https://time.com/4665001/sam-richardson-quick-talk-detroiters/)
**Detroiters.** With Tim Robinson he co-created, wrote for, and starred in *Detroiters*, a Comedy Central series about two small-time advertising men in their hometown that premiered in February 2017 and ran for two seasons through 2018.[9](https://www.secondcity.com/people/sam-richardson) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3931538/) The show was produced by Broadway Video and [Jason Sudeikis](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-sudeikis).[4](https://press.hulu.com/bios/sam-richardson/) Richardson told *Time* that the pair deliberately wanted to show a different side of Detroit than the bleak crime-drama stereotype, and that the process of making the characters' local commercials paralleled sketch writing: pitch, all-nighter, film.[10](https://time.com/4665001/sam-richardson-quick-talk-detroiters/) He later said the show did not get as fair a shake as it should have on Comedy Central, which was holding back from streaming, and that audiences found it after it moved to Paramount+.[8](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/tell-me-to-be-bette-midler-i-would-find-a-way-an-interview-with-sam-richardson)
## Film and later television
Richardson relocated to Los Angeles in the early 2010s to pursue television and film work.[6](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621213992) His film credits include *We're the Millers* (2013), *Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates* (2016), *Good Boys*, *[Game Over, Man!](https://www.edgepedia.org/game-over-man)*, *Neighbors 2*, and *Office Christmas Party*.[6](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621213992) • [4](https://press.hulu.com/bios/sam-richardson/) In 2021 he appeared in two lead or co-lead film roles released the same week: *The Tomorrow War*, an Amazon science-fiction action film in which he supplied comic relief beside [Chris Pratt](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-pratt), and *Werewolves Within*, a supernatural mystery comedy in which he played an earnest forest ranger.[11](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2021/07/sam-richardson-tomorrow-war-interview) He also appeared in *Promising Young Woman* and the *Hocus Pocus* sequel.[8](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/tell-me-to-be-bette-midler-i-would-find-a-way-an-interview-with-sam-richardson) In 2025 he played Quasi in *Star Trek: Section 31* alongside [Michelle Yeoh](https://www.edgepedia.org/michelle-yeoh).[6](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621213992) • [7](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-656605/filmographie/)
On television, Richardson has been a recurring guest in Tim Robinson's Netflix sketch show *I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson* (2019–present), including a season 2 turn as the host of a children's bodybuilding contest.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3931538/) • [8](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/tell-me-to-be-bette-midler-i-would-find-a-way-an-interview-with-sam-richardson) He played Aniq Adjaye in the Apple TV+ murder-mystery comedy *[The Afterparty](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-afterparty-tv-series)* (2022–2023) and voiced Norville Rogers in the Max animated series *Velma* (2023–2024).[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/27711/sam-richardson) His voice work also includes Doctor Champ in *BoJack Horseman*, the third season of *Harley Quinn*, and Gary in Marvel's *M.O.D.O.K.*[11](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2021/07/sam-richardson-tomorrow-war-interview) • [4](https://press.hulu.com/bios/sam-richardson/)
## Emmy recognition
Richardson played Edwin Akufo, a Ghanaian billionaire soccer enthusiast, in two episodes of Apple TV+'s *Ted Lasso*. He was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 2022 for "Midnight Train to Royston" and won the award in 2023 for "International Break" at the 75th Creative Arts Emmy Awards.[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/sam-richardson) The Associated Press reported that Richardson, then 39, won his first Emmy for the role, for which he had been nominated once previously.[12](https://apnews.com/article/0453719974b32c12ec84ee7bd0d52f96)
## Style and reception
[The New Yorker](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-new-yorker) described Richardson's comic signature as "a mien of indefatigable bafflement," an extra-beatific quality visible across roles as different as *Champaign ILL* and *The Tomorrow War*, and noted that later parts in *Promising Young Woman* and *Ted Lasso* showed him turning his established congeniality on its head.[8](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/tell-me-to-be-bette-midler-i-would-find-a-way-an-interview-with-sam-richardson) He has said that many of his characters expand facets of himself, with Sam on *Detroiters* being "essentially me but hyperbolized."[10](https://time.com/4665001/sam-richardson-quick-talk-detroiters/) His upcoming credits listed by IMDb include *Matchbox the Movie*, *The Angry Birds Movie 3*, and *Into the Sky*.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3931538/)
## References
1. [Sam Richardson, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/27711/sam-richardson)
2. [Sam Richardson, Emmy Awards and Nominations, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/sam-richardson)
3. [Sam Richardson, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3931538/)
4. [Sam Richardson, Hulu Press talent bio](https://press.hulu.com/bios/sam-richardson/)
5. [Sam Richardson, Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3931538/awards/)
6. [Sam Richardson, Apple Snapshot](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621213992)
7. [Sam Richardson, Filmographie, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-656605/filmographie/)
8. ["Tell Me to Be Bette Midler, I Would Find a Way": An Interview with Sam Richardson, The New Yorker (May 29, 2022)](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/tell-me-to-be-bette-midler-i-would-find-a-way-an-interview-with-sam-richardson)
9. [Sam Richardson, The Second City](https://www.secondcity.com/people/sam-richardson)
10. [Quick Talk With Sam Richardson, Time (February 9, 2017)](https://time.com/4665001/sam-richardson-quick-talk-detroiters/)
11. [Sam Richardson's Big Break, Vanity Fair (July 1, 2021)](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2021/07/sam-richardson-tomorrow-war-interview)
12. [Judith Light and 'Last of Us' actors are first-time winners at Creative Arts Emmy Awards, AP News (January 2024)](https://apnews.com/article/0453719974b32c12ec84ee7bd0d52f96)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames R to Ri*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license