Andy Richter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Andy Richter
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Richter in 2024
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Paul Andrew Richter
October 28, 1966 Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Columbia College Chicago |
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| Years active | 1988–present |
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Notable work
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| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Victor Swanson (brother) |
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Paul Andrew Richter (born October 28, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is famous for being the sidekick to Conan O'Brien on his TV talk shows. These include Late Night and The Tonight Show on NBC. He also worked on Conan on TBS.
Andy Richter was the main star of the TV show Andy Richter Controls the Universe. He also lent his voice to characters like Mort in the Madagascar movies. You might also know his voice as Ben Higgenbottom from the cartoon series The Mighty B! on Nickelodeon.
Contents
Andy Richter's Early Life and Education
Andy Richter was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is the second of four children. His mom, Glenda Swanson, designed kitchen cabinets. His dad, Laurence R. Richter, taught Russian at Indiana University.
Andy grew up in Yorkville, Illinois. He finished Yorkville High School in 1984. He was even elected Prom King! His parents divorced when he was four years old. Andy has Swedish and German family roots.
Starting Out in Comedy
In the late 1980s, Andy studied film at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and Columbia College Chicago. At Columbia, he learned about comedy acting and writing. He acted in many student films and videos.
After college in 1988, Andy worked as a helper on TV commercials in Chicago. In 1989, he started taking classes at Improv Olympic. This is a famous comedy school in Chicago. He quickly became a "House Performer" there. Andy also worked with "The Comedy Underground" and the Annoyance Theatre.
In the early 1990s, the Annoyance Theatre had a big hit. They put on a show called The Real Live Brady Bunch. It was a live, word-for-word performance of the 1970s TV show. The show became very popular and moved to New York City. Andy joined the cast in New York. He played the character "Mike Brady".
Andy Richter's TV Career Highlights
Joining Late Night with Conan O'Brien
While The Real Live Brady Bunch was in New York, Andy met Robert Smigel. Smigel was a writer for Saturday Night Live. Two years later, Smigel hired Andy to write for a new show. This show was Late Night with Conan O'Brien.
During a practice run, Smigel asked Andy to join Conan O'Brien on stage. They needed to test the lights and sound. Smigel noticed that Andy and Conan worked very well together. Just weeks before the show started in 1993, Andy became Conan's sidekick.
Andy left Late Night on May 26, 2000. He said he felt it was time for a change. He wanted to try new things in his career.
After Late Night and New Shows
After leaving Late Night, Andy tried acting in movies and other TV shows. His first big show was Andy Richter Controls the Universe on Fox. It was canceled after two short seasons. His next Fox show, Quintuplets, lasted only one season.
In 2007, he starred in Andy Barker P.I.. Conan O'Brien helped write and produce this show. Andy played an accountant who became a private detective. The show aired on NBC but didn't get many viewers. Even so, Entertainment Weekly magazine called it one of the Top Ten Shows of 2007.
Returning to Conan for The Tonight Show
On February 24, 2009, it was announced that Andy would rejoin Conan O'Brien. He became the announcer for The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien in Los Angeles. Andy often appeared in funny skits on the show. He also talked and joked with Conan during the opening. He was part of the show's writing team too.
In late 2009, Andy started joining Conan on the couch during celebrity interviews. This was like his old sidekick role on Late Night. Andy said he was happy to have a steady job again. He liked making TV every night without waiting for approvals.
Working on Conan at TBS
When Conan O'Brien moved to TBS in 2010, Andy went with him. He continued his roles as announcer, writer, and sidekick on the show Conan.
Andy Richter's Podcast
Since June 2019, Andy Richter has his own podcast. It's called The Three Questions with Andy Richter and is on the Earwolf network.
Andy Richter's Game Show Appearances
Andy Richter has also been involved with game shows.
- In 2010, he was considered to host a new version of the classic Pyramid game show.
- In July 2013, he signed on to host a game show for Fox called Step Up.
- Andy holds a record on Celebrity Jeopardy!. He won $68,000 in one game in 2009–10. He gave his winnings to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
- In January 2017, he started hosting the ABC game show Big Fan.
- In September 2022, he appeared on Celebrity Jeopardy! again. He finished second and won $30,000 for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.
- In 2024, Andy competed on The Masked Singer as "Dust Bunny".
Other TV and Film Roles
Andy Richter has appeared in many other TV shows and movies.
- He was in Malcolm in the Middle as a psychiatrist.
- He played an annoying blind date in Will & Grace.
- In Monk, he played a murderer pretending to be Monk's friend.
- He had a recurring role in Arrested Development. He played five identical brothers!
- From 2006 to 2008, he was "Sad Dad" Stan in The New Adventures of Old Christine.
- He voiced Ben in The Mighty B! and Mort in The Penguins of Madagascar and All Hail King Julien.
- He voiced himself in the 2021 Netflix show Chicago Party Aunt.
- In 2024, he was on The Masked Singer as "Dust Bunny".
Andy has also been in many movies, including:
- Aliens in the Attic
- Elf
- The Madagascar movies (as the voice of Mort)
- Scary Movie 2
- Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
- Blades of Glory
- 80 for Brady
Andy Richter's Personal Life
Andy Richter was married to actress and author Sarah Thyre from 1994 to 2019. They have two children, a son born in 2000 and a daughter born in 2005. They appeared together in some comedy shows. In April 2019, Andy announced they were getting divorced. In June 2023, he married Jennifer Herrera. Conan O'Brien was the one who officiated their wedding!
Andy is a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. After leaving Late Night, he moved to Los Angeles.
Images for kids
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Andy Richter as "Pope" of the "Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus" 2015 New Orleans Mardi Gras parade
See also
In Spanish: Andy Richter para niños
