Richard Speight, Jr.

Richard Speight, Jr. (born September 4, 1970) is an American actor, director, screenwriter and producer who is known for his recurring role as Deputy Bill Koehler on the CBS cult hit Jericho. He starred in the CBS Network series, The Agency, and the award-winning HBO mini-series, Band of Brothers. Speight played a recurring role, that of the archangel Gabriel, also known as 'The Trickster' or Loki, in the multi-network series, Supernatural.

Personal life

Born September 4, 1970, Speight was raised in Nashville, Tennessee, the son of Barbara and Richard Speight. He has two older sisters, Barby and Lindy. Speight attended Montgomery Bell Academy and the University of Southern California's School of Theater, graduating cum laude. While at USC, he met and befriended writer and director Stephen Chbosky. Speight appeared in Chbosky’s senior showcase piece.

On June 28, 2003, Speight married Jaci Kathryn Hays, a dot-com executive in California. They have three sons.

Career

Speight plays the guitar and bass, and is a published novelist and short-story writer.

Speight is a close friend of actor Rob Benedict. The two of them often appear at conventions in tandem.

TV

Speight has starred in commercials for such brands as Got Milk?; IBM; Pepsi; and Disney.

Speight played Sgt. Warren "Skip" Muck in the Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning World War II miniseries Band of Brothers, produced for HBO by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. Speight appeared in several television series, such as The Agency; ER; Jericho; Party of Five and JAG. He had a recurring role on the drama Supernatural from 2007 to 2014, where he played 'The Trickster'/Loki (later revealed to be the Archangel Gabriel).

Speight has signed on to participate in the TV-Miniseries "To Appomattox" which is scheduled for production in 2015.

Film

Speight's earlier work included a role in the film, Ernest Goes to Camp; and a regular role on the NBC Saturday morning sitcom, Running the Halls. He had a brief appearance in the film, Thank You for Smoking. Speight appeared in Speed 2: Cruise Control and The Last Big Attraction. He had a starring role in Jason Reitman's short film, In God We Trust. His newer productions include "La Musica Provata", "The Week","Mucho Dinero", "Brick Madness", "The Evil Gene",and "Bad, Bad Men".

Directing and writing

Speight co-directed and co-starred in the independent feature, North Beach. Speight is credited for writing additional dialogue during the filming of Open Water 2: Adrift, in which he co-starred.

Speight wrote and co-directed a comedy, America 101. The 11-minute short stars "Band of Brothers" veteran, Rick Gomez; and co-stars Amy Gumenick and Jayden Lund (both veterans of "Supernatural"). The short feature involves “one man’s life as the lesson of the day, as he takes [the viewer] on a frenetic ride through his personal vision of the American experience.”^[1]

Conventions

While he only appeared in five episodes of "Supernatural", Speight stays in close contact with the current cast and crew through his steady attendance at numerous fan conventions (including San Diego Comic-Con, New York Comic-Con and the "Salute To Supernatural" conventions which are held annually in Chicago, Dallas, Vancouver, and Toronto). His character was very well received and loved by fans of the show.

In a 2012 interview for "The Examiner", he said he often has to remind himself that he’s not on the show anymore; and declares that Gabriel has been his favorite role, “bar none;” due to the duality and depth that the character offered. He says that he would return to Supernatural “in a heartbeat.”

As of May 2014, Speight's character has returned to Supernatural for one episode.

Filmography

Film

Direction

Television

References

External links

• Richard Speight, Jr. at the Internet Movie Database