Julian Richings

Julian Richings
Born	September 8, 1955 (1955-09-08) Oxford, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1987–present

Julian Richings (born September 8, 1955) is an English-born Canadian actor. He appeared in over 50 Canadian films and 20 separate television series.

Life and career

Richings was born in Oxford. His favourite show as a child was Doctor Who. After training in drama at the University of Exeter and touring North America with a British stage production, Richings moved to Toronto, Canada in 1984. Within five years, he had become a regular on the second season of the War of the Worlds TV series. Other roles followed, and he gained critical acclaim as the bitter, aging punk rock legend Bucky Haight in Bruce McDonald's 1996 release Hard Core Logo. He had a brief appearance in Vincenzo Natali's 1997 Cube. In 1999 he played a secondary character in the science fiction movie Thrill Seekers, alongside Casper Van Dien and Catherine Bell. In 2000, Richings appeared as Bellanger in The Claim, and earned a Genie Award nomination for best supporting actor. Richings was also a member of the repertory cast of the A&E TV original series, A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001–2002). He has played the role of Death in the CW's show Supernatural since Season 5, and will appear again in Season 7.

Richings is familiar to horror fans for appearing as the nearly-blind security guard Otto in Stephen King's 2004 miniseries Kingdom Hospital, and for his manic performance in heavy makeup as Three Finger in Wrong Turn. Dramatic roles include stagehand Mr. Turnbull in the 2004 film Being Julia, where he appeared for a second time with Annette Bening (much of his role was cut from the final release of Open Range in 2003). The picture in this entry is from his appearance as Orr, a casually cruel loan shark who provides most of the menace in the 2004 Canadian film The Last Casino. In 2006, his activities included appearing in a brief speaking role as the Mutant Theatre Organizer in X-Men: The Last Stand, and playing a lethal vampire killer alongside David Carradine in the direct-to-DVD horror film The Last Sect. 2007 has seen him a driver in the Clive Owen film Shoot 'Em Up, in another turn as a dissipated and aging punk rocker in The Third Eye, as transvestite psychologist "Dr. Heker" in The Tracey Fragments, and in a number of small roles in other films, including Skinwalkers and Saw IV. He appeared in Louis Bélanger's film The Timekeeper, which stars Roy Dupuis, released in 2008. Mr. Richings continues to be active in short films and television series, mostly in Canada.

He has a wide range of activities, appearing in movies, television shows, commercials, and plays, as well as doing voiceover work and teaching classes in the acting craft.

He was presented with two Dora Awards in the late 1980s, and continues to perform professionally in the Toronto area with a number of theatre groups. In 2008, he was nominated for another Dora Award for his performance in The Palace of the End.

He confirmed, via an interview, that he has a part in the new Superman movie Man of Steel, directed by Zack Snyder, to be released in 2013. He confirmed that he acted alongside Michael Shannon and Russell Crowe, and that his scenes are on Krypton.

Richings resides in the Toronto area with his wife and two children.

Filmography

• Collaborator (2010) - Maurice LeFont
• Animal Control (2010) - Larry
• Trigger (2010) - Bucky
• Hard Core Logo 2 (2010) - Bucky Haight
• Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) - Charon
• Survival of the Dead (2009) - James O'Flynn
• 7 Diamonds (2009) - Mr. McGunn
• Curious Stories, Crooked Symbols (2009) - Sinister Kneeling Man
• The Timekeeper (2009) - Grease
• You Might as Well Live (2009) - Dr. Pooseby
• Elegy (2008) - Actor in Play #1
• Roxy Hunter and the Horrific Halloween (2008) - Mr. Tibers
• Toronto Stories (2008) - Leather Jacket
• The Facts in the Case of Mister Hollow (2008) - Kneeling Man
• Roxy Hunter and the Secret of the Shaman (2008) - Mr. Tibers
• Jack and Jill vs. the World (2008) - Mr. Smith
• Roxy Hunter and the Myth of the Mermaid (2008) - Mr. Tibers
• The Tracey Fragments (2007) - Dr. Heker
• Roxy Hunter and the Mystery of the Moody Ghost (2007) - Mr. Tibers
• The Third Eye (2007) - Charlie Rabbit
• Saw IV (2007) - Vagrant
• Shoot 'Em Up (2007) - Hertz's Driver
• X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) - Mutant Organizer
• Skinwalkers (2006) - Sad Looking Man
• Black Widow (2005) - Dr. Deadman
• The Last Casino (2004) - The Usurer
• Being Julia (2004) - Mr. Turnbull
• Wrong Turn (2003) - Three Finger
• My Life Without Me (2003) - Dr Thompson
• Open Range (2003) - Wylie
• Eloise at the Plaza (2003) - Patrice
• Between Strangers (2002) - Nigel
• The Pretender: Island of the Haunted (2001) - Brother Clote
• Prince Charming (2001) - Wacktazar
• Treed Murray (2001) - Homeless Man
• Century Hotel (2001) - Waiter
• The Claim (2000) - Bellanger
• The Crossing (2000) - McKenzie
• Thrill Seekers (1999) - Murray Trevor
• Detroit Rock City (1999) - Ticket Taker
• Red Violin (1998) - Nicolas Olsberg
• Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms (1998) - Bix
• Urban Legend (1998) - Weird Janitor
• The Boys Club (1997) - Officer Cole
• Cube (1997) - Alderson
• Mimic (1997) - Workman
• Hard Core Logo (1996) - Bucky Haight
• Moonlight and Valentino (1995) - Hair Stylist
• Squanto: A Warrior's Tale (1994) - Sir George's Servant
• Naked Lunch (1991) - Exterminator #4
• The Top of His Head (1989) - Robert (henchman)
• Love at Stake (1987) - Town Crier

TV

• Supernatural (2010–2011) - Death (3 episodes)
• Todd and the Book of Pure Evil (2010) - Hooded Leader (13 episodes)
• Heartland (2009–2010) - Levon Hanley (2 episodes)
• XIII (2008) - Mr. Cody (2 episodes)
• Puppets Who Kill (2004–2006) - French Painter / Mr. Portnoy (2 episodes)
• Kingdom Hospital (2004) - Otto (13 episodes)
• A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2002) (6 episodes)
• Amazon (1999–2000) - Elder Malakai (9 episodes)
• I Was a Sixth Grade Alien (1999) - Meenom (3 episodes)
• Highlander: The Raven (1998) - Basil Morgan (2 episodes)
• La Femme Nikita (1997–1999) - Errol Sparks (2 episodes)
• Once a Thief (1997–1998) - Camier (11 episodes)
• Ready or Not (1993–1994) - Mr. Boyle (3 episodes)
• Street Legal (1993) - Harold Cooper-Haye / Rolan Atkinson (2 episodes)
• War of the Worlds (1989–1990) - Ardix / Alien Scientist / Man with Hat (15 episodes)

External links

• Julian Richings at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview with Richings from 2005