Julian Richings

Julian M. Richings (born 8 September 1956)^[1] is an English-born Canadian actor.^[2] He has appeared in over 50 films and 20 television series.

Early life

Richings was born in Oxford, Oxfordshire. He trained in drama at the University of Exeter.

Career

After touring the United States 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 the 1996 film 'Hard Core Logo. He had a brief appearance in the 1997 film Cube.^[2] In 1999, he appeared in the science fiction film Thrill Seekers.

In 2000, he appeared as Bellanger in The Claim, and earned a Genie Award nomination for best supporting actor. He was 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 appeared again in Seasons 7 and 9. He played a very similar version of Death in the short film Dave v. Death (2011).^[3]

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.^[2] He appeared as Orr, a cruel loan shark in the 2004 Canadian film The Last Casino. In 2006, he appeared in a brief speaking role as the Mutant Theatre Organiser in X-Men: The Last Stand, and played a vampire killer alongside in the direct-to-DVD horror film The Last Sect.

2007 saw Richings play a driver in the film Shoot 'Em Up,^[2] a dissipated and aging punk rocker in The Third Eye, transvestite psychologist Dr. Heker in The Tracey Fragments, and a number of small roles in other films, including Skinwalkers and Saw IV.^[2] He appeared in the 2008 film The Timekeeper. Richings continues to be active in short films and television series, mostly in Canada. 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, Richings was nominated for another Dora Award for his performance in The Palace of the End. He confirmed, via an interview on the Canadian TV show InnerSPACE,^[4] that he had a part in the 2013 new Superman film Man of Steel.^[2] He was also asked about the campaign to see him become the next Doctor in Doctor Who, and admitted to being flattered by the idea.^[5]

Personal life

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

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

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