J. August Richards

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J. August Richards
Born Jaime Augusto Richards III
August 28, 1973 (1973-08-28) (age 38)
Washington, D.C., USA
Occupation Actor
Known for Charles Gunn in Angel
Billy Desmond in Conviction

Jaime Augusto Richards III[1][2] (born August 28, 1973)[1] is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of vampire hunter Charles Gunn on the WB cult television series Angel.

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[edit] Early life and education

Richards' parents emigrated to the United States from Panama.[2][3] He grew up in Bladensburg, Maryland.[3] 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.[3]

[edit] 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 Show 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 with Amy Acker at a 2004 John Kerry fund raiser.

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

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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