Salli Richardson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Salli Richardson
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Richardson in 2012
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Salli Elise Richardson
November 23, 1967 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
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| Other names | Salli Richardson-Whitfield |
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| Years active | 1991–present |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2 |
Salli Elise Richardson-Whitfield (born November 23, 1967) is an American actress and director. She is famous for playing Angela in the movie A Low Down Dirty Shame (1994). Many people also know her as Dr. Allison Blake from the TV show Eureka, which aired from 2006 to 2012.
Salli Richardson-Whitfield also lent her voice to Elisa Maza in the Disney cartoon Gargoyles (1994–1996). She played Viveca Foster in the CBS series Family Law (1999–2002). You might have seen her in other movies like Antwone Fisher (2002) and I Am Legend (2007). In the 2010s, Salli started working as a television director, too!
Contents
Early Life and Education
Salli Richardson was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her mother is African American, and her father was of English and Italian background. She loved playing tennis when she was in high school. Salli started her acting journey at the Kuumba Workshop theater in high school. She finished school in 1985.
Acting Career Highlights
Salli Richardson began her acting career in theater plays. Soon after, she moved on to act in television shows and movies.
Early Roles in Film and TV
She had small parts in movies like Prelude to a Kiss and Mo' Money. Later, she got bigger roles in films such as Sioux City and A Low Down Dirty Shame. From 1994 to 1996, she voiced the character Elisa Maza in the popular animated series Gargoyles.
Salli also appeared as a guest star in many TV shows. These include Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, NYPD Blue, House, and NCIS.
Main Roles and Popular Shows
From 1999 to 2002, Salli starred in the CBS legal drama Family Law. She also had recurring roles in Rude Awakening and CSI: Miami. In movies, she acted alongside Denzel Washington in Antwone Fisher (2002). She also appeared in the horror film Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004). In 2007, she starred with Will Smith in the movie I Am Legend.
From 2006 to 2012, Salli Richardson played Allison Blake in the Syfy comedy-drama series Eureka. Her character was an agent for the United States Department of Defense. Later, she became the head of Global Dynamics in the show. Her real-life second pregnancy was even included in the show's story! After Eureka ended, she joined the cast of the ABC Family series Stitchers in 2015. This show ran for three seasons until 2017.
Directing Career
Salli Richardson-Whitfield has also become a successful director for television shows. She first directed two episodes of her own show, Eureka.
Directing Popular TV Series
In 2016, she directed episodes of Ava DuVernay's drama series Queen Sugar. Her husband, Dondre Whitfield, is a regular actor on that show. She also directed an episode of the historical drama Underground in 2016. In 2017, she directed episodes for Rebel and Shonda Rhimes's hit show Scandal.
Salli has directed many comedy shows, including Survivor's Remorse, Black-ish, and Dear White People. Her directing work also includes episodes of superhero shows like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Luke Cage, and Black Lightning. She has also directed for The Punisher, American Gods, and See.
Awards and Recent Projects
In 2019, Salli Richardson-Whitfield was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for her directing work on Luke Cage. The same year, she won a Black Reel Award for directing the comedy series Black-ish. In 2020, she signed a deal with HBO to develop new projects. She has produced and directed episodes of the HBO drama The Gilded Age. She also directed a special Friends reboot called The One with the Diverse Cast.
Personal Life
On September 8, 2002, Salli Richardson married fellow actor Dondre Whitfield. They have two children, a daughter and a son.
Filmography
Film Roles
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Up Against the Wall | Denise |
| 1992 | Prelude to a Kiss | Bridesmaid No. 2 |
| Mo' Money | Pretty Customer | |
| How U Like Me Now | Valerie | |
| 1993 | Posse | Lana |
| 1994 | I Spy Returns (Television film) | Nicole Scott |
| Sioux City | Jolene Buckley | |
| A Low Down Dirty Shame | Angela | |
| Lily in Winter (Television film) | Ada Covington | |
| 1995 | Gargoyles the Movie: The Heroes Awaken | Elisa Maza (voice) |
| Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored | Miss Alice | |
| 1996 | Soul of the Game (Television film) | Lahoma |
| The Great White Hype | Bambi | |
| 1997 | True Women (Television film) | Martha |
| 1998 | Butter | Blusette Ford |
| 1999 | Lillie | Lillie |
| 2002 | Book of Love: The Definitive Reason Why Men Are Dogs | Karen |
| Antwone Fisher | Berta Davenport | |
| Baby of the Family | Nelli McPherson | |
| 2003 | Biker Boyz | Half & Half |
| 2004 | Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid | Gail Stern |
| 2007 | I Am Legend | Zoe Neville |
| 2009 | Black Dynamite | Gloria |
| Pastor Brown | Jessica "Jesse" Brown | |
| 2010 | I Will Follow | Maye |
| 2012 | We the Party | Principal Reynolds |
| 2013 | Playin' for Love | Talisa McCoy |
| Teachers (Television film) | Christine | |
| 2015 | The Sin Seer | Nia |
Television Roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Silk Stalkings | Shelley | Episode: "Wild Card" |
| 1993 | Space Rangers | - | Episode: "Fort Hope" |
| Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Fenna/Nidell | Episode: "Second Sight" | |
| 1994 | Roc | Diane Hubbard | Episode: "The Last Temptation of Roc" |
| New York Undercover | Tammy Barrett | Episode: "Eyewitness Blues" | |
| 1994–97 | Gargoyles | Elisa Maza (voice) | Main cast |
| 1997 | Stargate SG-1 | Drey'auc | Episode: "Bloodlines" |
| Between Brothers | Vanessa | Episode: "The Player" | |
| 1998 | The Pretender | Cynthia Sloan | 1 episode |
| 1998–99 | Mercy Point | Kim Salisaw | Main cast |
| 1999 | The Jamie Foxx Show | Camille Turner | Episode: "Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire" |
| 1999–2002 | Family Law | Viveca Foster | Main cast |
| 2000 | Secret Agent Man | Rachel | Episode: "WhupSumAss" |
| 2000–01 | Rude Awakening | Nancy Adams | Recurring cast: season 3 |
| 2003 | CSI: Miami | Laura | Recurring cast: season 1 |
| 2004 | Line of Fire | Erica Logan | Episode: "The Senator" |
| Second Time Around | Amanda | Episode: "Coupling Up" | |
| NYPD Blue | Bobbi Kingston | Episodes: "My Dinner with Andy" & "I Like Ike" | |
| 2005 | House | Sharon | Episode: "Sports Medicine" |
| 1-800-Missing | Kelly | Episode: "Sisterhood" | |
| The War at Home | Vanessa | Episode: "Guess Who's Coming to the Barbecue" | |
| 2006 | Bones | Kim Kurland | Episode: "Aliens in a Spaceship" |
| 2006–12 | Eureka | Allison Blake | Main cast |
| 2009 | Criminal Minds | Tamara Barnes | Episodes: "Hopeless" & "The Eyes Have It" |
| 2011 | The Secret Lives of Wives | Reed | TV pilot |
| 2012 | The Finder | Athena Brookes | Episode: "Life After Death" |
| 2012–13 | The Newsroom | Jane Barrow | Guest: season 1, recurring cast: season 2 |
| 2013–15 | NCIS | Carrie Clark | Guest Cast: season 11-13 |
| 2014 | House of Lies | Sandra Joy | Episode: "Power(less)" |
| Castle | Elizabeth Weston | Episode: "The Greater Good" | |
| 2015 | Being Mary Jane | Valerie | Recurring cast: season 2 |
| 2015–17 | Stitchers | Maggie | Main cast |
| 2016 | Rosewood | Dr. Aubrey Joseph | Episode: "Wooberite & the Women of Rosewood" |
| 2018 | Black Lightning | Rebecca Montez | Episode: "The Book of Consequences: Chapter Four: Translucent Freak" |
| 2020 | Altered Carbon | Commission Leader | Episode: "Broken Angels" |
Directing Projects
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Grace | Short film, also writer |
| 2011–13 | Eureka | Episodes: "Worst Case Scenario" & "Omega Girls" |
| 2015 | Different Position | Short film |
| 2016 | Post Life | Short film |
| Queen Sugar | Episodes "So Far" and "All Good" | |
| 2017 | Underground | Episode: "Nok Aaut" |
| Rebel | Episodes: "Conceal and Carry" and "Black Not Blue" | |
| Scandal | Episode: "Tick Tock" | |
| Stitchers | Episode: "Kill It Forward" | |
| Survivor's Remorse | Episodes: "Reparations" and "Closure" | |
| Lethal Weapon | Episode: "Birdwatching" | |
| 2017–19 | Shadowhunters | Episodes: "A Kiss from a Rose" & "Dust and Shadows" |
| 2018 | Chicago Med | Episode: "Lock It Down" |
| Star | Episode: "Take It to Church" | |
| Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | Episode: "Inside Voices" | |
| I'm Dying Up Here | Episode: "Between Us" | |
| Luke Cage | Episode: "I Get Physical" | |
| Love Is_ | Episode: "Not Valentine's Day" | |
| Black Lightning | Episode: "The Book of Consequences: Chapter Four: Translucent Freak" | |
| 2018–19 | The Magicians | Episodes: "The Side Effect" & "Six Short Stories About Magic" |
| 2019 | Black-ish | Episode: "Black Like Us" |
| The Punisher | Episode: "Flustercluck" | |
| All American | Episode: "Legacy" | |
| Chilling Adventures of Sabrina | Episode: "Chapter Fourteen: Lupercallia" | |
| American Gods | Episode: "The Ways of the Dead" | |
| Doom Patrol | Episode: "Hair Patrol" | |
| The Chi | Episode: "Lean into It" | |
| Dear White People | Episodes: "Volume 3: Chapter IX " and "Volume 2: Chapter V" | |
| Pearson | Episode: "The Former City Attorney" | |
| See | Episode: "House of Enlightenment" | |
| Reprisal | 1 episode | |
| Treadstone | Episode: "The Seoul Asylum" and "The McKenna Erasure" | |
| 2020 | Altered Carbon | Episodes: "Broken Angels" and "Experiment Perilous" |
| 2021 | The Wheel of Time | Episodes: "Blood Calls Blood" and "The Flame of Tar Valon" |
| 2022–present | The Gilded Age | 4 episodes; also executive producer |
| 2022–2023 | Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty | 5 episodes; also executive producer |
| 2025 | Task | also executive producer |
Awards and Nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Black Reel Awards | Outstanding Actress, TV Movie/Limited Series | Pastor Brown | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series | Black-ish (for "Black Like Us") | Won | ||
| 2024 | Gracie Awards | Director – Drama | Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty | Won | |
| Producer – Entertainment | The Gilded Age | Won | |||
| 2022 | Hugo Awards | Best Dramatic Presentation – Short Form | The Wheel of Time (for "The Flame of Tar Valon") | Nominated | |
| 2010 | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series | Eureka | Nominated | |
| 2024 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Drama Series | The Gilded Age | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series | Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (for "BEAT L.A.") | Nominated |
See also
In Spanish: Salli Richardson para niños
