Who is Paul Andrew Richter?

Who is Paul Andrew Richter? The world knows him as Andy Richter, he is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for his sidekick role on Late Night with Conan O'Brien between 1993 and 2000. He is also known for his work with the Madagascar children's films, and for the short-lived sitcom Andy Richter Controls the Universe. He is to be the announcer on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien in 2009.

Richter, the second of four children, was born October 28, 1966, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His mother, Glenda Swanson, was a designer of kitchen cabinets, and his father, Laurence R. Richter, taught Russian at Indiana University for over 32 years.[1][2][3] Richter was raised in Yorkville, Illinois. In high school, he was elected Prom King.
In the late 1980s Andy attended Columbia College Chicago as a film major. While at Columbia, Andy began to show his chops for comedic acting and writing by starring in numerous student films and videos. After leaving Columbia in 1988, Andy worked as a production assistant on commercial shoots in Chicago. In 1989, Andy began taking classes at Chicago's Improv Olympic. Andy's quick wit and acting skills catapulted him from student to house performer within a year. Andy branched out working with The Comedy Underground and the Annoyance Theater.
Andy's reputation earned him a writing job on the short lived Jonathan Brandmeier television show.
In the early 1990s the Annoyance Theater hit gold when producer Jill Soloway staged The Real Live Brady Bunch, live word for word performances of the '70s sitcom. The show was so popular that it attracted national attention and moved to New York. Andy was not an original member of the cast, but the actor who played Mike Brady in the Chicago cast opted not to go to New York. Andy asked Jill if he could play Mike in New York, and since Jill hadn't cast a replacement, she agreed.
At the same time The Brady Bunch was playing in New York, two fellow Annoyance members were cast on Saturday Night Live. With friends on SNL, Andy was able to get into the after show parties where he met SNL head writer Rob Smigel. Two years later Smigel hired Andy for a new show he was producing, Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Originally hired as a writer, Andy was cast as Conan O'Brien's sidekick just weeks before the show aired.

Richter left his post at Late Night in 2000. His first major venture, Fox's Andy Richter Controls the Universe, was canceled after two mid-season runs. His next Fox sitcom, Quintuplets, lasted one season. His most recent television series was Andy Barker P.I., which was co-written and executive produced by Conan O'Brien. In the series Richter played an accountant who could not attract clients.[4] After a woman comes to his office thinking he is the former tenant, a private investigator, she asks him to find her husband whom she thinks faked his death. He decides to pursue this job and become a private detective in earnest, as well as continuing to do his accounting job, which seems to pick up as the series goes on. The series played on NBC, with all six episodes in the first season on NBC.com.


Richter appeared in a single episode of the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle as a family psychiatrist. He provided the voice of the character J.F. Amarth in an episode of Adult Swim's Metalocalypse. He appeared as a special guest judge in the Miss Rumble 2000 Swimsuit Competition held at Royal Rumble 2000. In 2002, Andy played a priest in The True Meaning of Christmas Specials. He also appeared in several episodes of Arrested Development as himself, notably the episode S.O.B.s where, in addition to himself, he appears as three of his identical quintuplet brothers (the fifth has his face blurred out because he "would not sign a release", a joke related to the faux-documentary style of the show). In the CBS series, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Richter guest starred as Stan the Sad Dad. Richter has also appeared in the TV show Monk where he appeared in the Mr. Monk Makes a Friend episode. He also appeared in a single episode of the sitcom Just Shoot Me, where he played an alcoholic motivational speaker that had spread a nasty rumor about Maya Gallo in high school. In 2007 Richter appeared on 30 Rock as Liz Lemon's brother, who suffers from a Memento-esque malady caused by a skiing injury that causes him to believe he is still a teenager in the 1980s, even though he's 40 years old. In 2009, he made one-episode appearances on Bones as the leader of a travelling circus, and Chuck as a Fulcrum agent posing as a resident of a suburban development.

According to HenriandRegan.com Richter will be in the upcoming movie They Came from Upstairs starring Ashley Tisdale and Robert Hoffman.
Also he has appeared on the very first episode of Talkshow with Spike Feresten.
Richter appeared as the final guest of Late Night with Conan O'Brien as the show concluded its 16-year run on February 20th, 2009.

On February 24th, 2009 it was announced that Richter would be joining Conan O'Brien once again as the announcer The Tonight Show in Los Angeles.

In addition to his television work, Richter has appeared in motion pictures such as Big Trouble, Elf, Seeing Other People, New York Minute, Madagascar, My Boss's Daughter, Scary Movie 2, Cabin Boy, Pootie Tang, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Blades of Glory, Semi-Pro, and Robert Altman's Dr. T and the Women.


Richter is married to actress and writer Sarah Thyre (a veteran of Strangers with Candy, on which Richter three times made a cameo appearance) and they have two children, William and Mercy.

more