J. August Richards

Infobox actor
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name = J. August Richards

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birthname = Jaime Augusto Richards III
birthdate = birth date and age|1973|8|28
location = Washington, D.C. USA
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notable role = Charles Gunn in "Angel"
Billy Desmond in "Conviction"
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Jaime Augusto Richards III [Note: Richards has said in interviews that he uses "J" as his stage name because his first name has double accents, so that it is actually pronounced "Hai-mai" instead of "Hai-me."] (born August 28, 1973 in Washington, D.C.) is an American actor. He played the street-wise Charles Gunn on the TV series "Angel" and was seen on NBC's short-lived courtroom drama, "Conviction".

Background

Richards attended the Visual and Performing Arts program at Suitland High School in Suitland, Maryland and graduated in 1991. Determined to move to Los Angeles to pursue his acting aspirations, he applied to only one college. Not only was he accepted into the University of Southern California, Richards also won numerous scholarships and grants to study theater.

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". 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.

On the big screen, Richards has appeared in the feature films such as "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" and "Good Burger". He starred in the television movies "Critical Assembly", "The Temptations", and "Mutiny". 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 portrayed an attorney in his three most notable roles: "Gunn" Attorney at Wolfram & Hart, "Bob" Miami-Dade Assistant District Attorney, "Billy" New York City Assistant District Attorney. In the final season of "Angel", Gunn, who had evolved from a street fighter against evil to a lawyer in an office, had to come to terms with a part he played in the death of a friend. He is now playing attorney Marcus McGrath in the TNT series "Raising the Bar".

In his free time, Richards enjoys painting, and has developed an interest in astronomy since working on "Space". He traveled throughout the United States while on tour with the production, and enjoys visiting his parents' native country of Panama as well as other regions of Central America. Richards also supports the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0724124|name=J. August Richards

Persondata
NAME= Richards, J. August
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= III, Jaime Augusto Richards
SHORT DESCRIPTION=
DATE OF BIRTH= 1973-8-28
PLACE OF BIRTH= Washington, D.C.,
USA
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=