Richard Brooks

• Name — Richard Brooks • Birth Name — Richard Lee Brooks • Born — 9 December 1962 • Birthplace — Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. • Occupation — * Actor • singer • director • Years Active — 1983–present

Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio he later moved to New York City and was a student of the Circle in the Square Professional Theater School.

While in New York, Brooks performed in the Eugene O'Neill Theater Conference production of August Wilson's Fences, which gained him a positive reputation. A subsequent move to Los Angeles found the actor landing television roles in Hill Street Blues and The Russians Are Coming, along with made-for-TV features such as Badge of the Assassin (1985) and Resting Place (1986). With Teen Wolf (1985), The Hidden (1987), Off Limits (1988), Shakedown (1988), and Shocker (1989), Brooks began his work in the world of feature films. Brooks appeared as OD in the award-winning film 84C MoPic (1989), directed by Patrick Sheane Duncan. Throughout the 1990s, most of his popularity came from his widespread exposure in his role as Paul Robinette on Law & Order. His roles alternated between feature films, television, and the stage. After appearing in The Substitute and playing the villain in The Crow: City of Angels (both 1996), Brooks opted to try his hand at directing, and the result was Johnny B Good (1998). It is about a young, urban black man who makes a positive change after suffering amnesia. Brooks returned to television for the short-lived series G vs E in 1999. In 2001, he made a guest appearance in NYPD Blue. Brooks' performance on Joss Whedon's Firefly as bounty hunter Jubal Early in the existentialist series finale "Objects in Space" gained him many fans. He also appeared as Hasdrabul Skaras in "Slayer", the fifth episode of the series Brimstone and as Detective Ehrle in the short-lived Fox series Drive, alongside Nathan Fillion, with whom Brooks had worked on Firefly. Brooks founded his own production company, Flat Top Entertainment LLC. At the dawn of the millennium, Brooks released his first solo R&B album, Smooth Love, on Flat Top Records. In March 2011, Brooks played the role of Harmond Wilkes in Radio Golf, written by August Wilson, at Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, New York. He played Frederick Douglass in the 2013 PBS series The Abolitionists. Brooks starred as Patrick in the BET original series Being Mary Jane. It premiered July 2, 2013. He starred as Lead Marshal Pollack in Person of Interest, season 3, "The Devil's Share". He played Warden Gregory Wolfe in season 4 of The Flash, and Dwight Wise in Seasons 5 and 6 of the show Bosch. Brooks played Augustus Barringer on the UMC network comedy The Rich and the Ruthless (2017–2021). He has a recurring role as LAFD Chief Simpson in 9-1-1.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1983 — Hill Street Blues — Tyrone Crane — Episode: "The Russians Are Coming" • 1984 — With Intent to Kill — Eddie Cox — TV movie • 1985 — Badge of the Assassin — Anthony "Tony" Bottom — TV movie • 1986 — Resting Place — Booker T. Douglas — TV movie • 1987 — A Special Friendship — Matt Bowser — TV movie • 1988 — Spenser: For Hire — Robert — Episode: "The Siege" • 1989 — Terror on Highway 91 — - — TV movie • Tour of Duty — Private First Class Marsten — Episode: "True Grit" • Almost Grown — Curtis — Episode: "Jersey Blues" • The Neon Empire — Tampa — TV movie • 1990–1993, 1996, 2005, 2006 — Law & Order — Paul Robinette — Main Cast (seasons 1–3); 3 episodes (seasons 6, 16, 17) • 1992 — Memphis — Eben Kinship — TV movie • 1994 — ER — Mr. Freeman — Episode: "Chicago Heat" • Chicago Hope — Henry Lavelle — Episode: "Shutt Down" • Diagnosis: Murder — Mercury "The Heat" Jones — Episode: "Standing Eight Count" • 1995 — Renegade — Barry — Episode: "Repo Raines" • 1996 — Code Name: Wolverine — Special Agent John Baines — TV movie • 1997 — Nash Bridges — Max Moore — Episode: "Found Money" • Renegade — Agent Marcus Donner — Episode: "Top Ten with a Bullet" • 1998 — The Wedding — Lincoln Odis — TV movie • Brimstone — Hasdrabul Skaras — Episode: "Slayer" • NYPD Blue — Everette McRae — Episode: "Hammer Time" • 1999 — WWE Raw — Henry McNeil — Episode: "Rebellion Results" • Judging Amy — Mr. Plymouth — Episode: "Presumed Innocent" • 1999–2000 — G vs E — Henry McNeil — Main cast • 2001 — NYPD Blue — Captain Eric Knowlton — Episode: "Franco, My Dear, I Don't Give a Damn" • Dead Last — Tyrell Nitro "TNT" Thompson — Episode: "The Problem with Corruption" • 2002 — Firefly — Jubal Early — Episode: "Objects in Space" • 2003 — Skin — - — Episode: "Pilot" • NCIS — Lieutenant Colonel Walsh — Episode: "Marine Down" • 2006 — Close to Home — Phil Raab — Episode: "Community" • Spy Games: The Black Wolf Hunt — - — TV movie • 2007 — Drive — Detective Ehrle — Recurring role • 2009 — Lie to Me — Mark Boulware — Episode: "Life is Priceless" • 2011 — Childrens Hospital — Robert — Episode: "Father's Day" • Charlie's Angels — Richard Umbaque — Episode: "Royal Angels" • 2013 — American Experience — Frederick Douglass — Episode: "The Abolitionists: Part 1-3" • Person of Interest — Lead Marshal Pollack — Episode: "The Devil's Share" • 2013–2019 — Being Mary Jane — Patrick Patterson — Main cast • 2015 — Elementary — Detective Demps — Episode: "For All You Know" • 2016 — Unsung Hollywood — Himself — Episode: "Sheryl Lee Ralph" • The Good Wife — Ace Barnstone — Episode: "Targets" • You Can't Hurry Love — Pastor Avery — TV movie • 2017 — Chicago Justice — Defense Attorney Paul Robinette — Episode: "Uncertainty Principle" • 2017–2018 — The Flash — Warden Gregory Wolfe — Recurring role (season 4) • 2017–2021 — The Rich and the Ruthless — Augustus Barringer — Main cast • 2018–2019 — Jacqueline and Jilly — Magnus Mitchell — Main cast • 2019 — The Blacklist — Mitchell Young — Episode: "Olivia Olson (No. 115)" • All Rise — Assistant Chief Jack Healy — Episodes: "Pilot" & "A View from the Bus" • 2019–2020 — Bosch — Dwight Wise — Recurring role (seasons 5–6) • 2019–2021, 2023 — Good Trouble — Joseph — Recurring role (seasons 2–3), 1 episode (season 5) • 2020 — The Haves and the Have Nots — Al — Recurring role (season 7), 1 episode (season 8) • 2021 — Chicago P.D. — Lieutenant Mike Carey — Episode: "Tender Age" • Shameless Hall of Shame — Big Liam — Episode: "Frank: Ghosts of Gallagher Past" • 2022–2024 — Abbott Elementary — Gerald — 3 episodes • 2024–2025 — 9-1-1 — Chief Simpson — Recurring role (seasons 7–9) • 2025 — Reasonable Doubt — Eddie Nicholas — Recurring role (season 3)

Richard Brooks is recorded as film director, actor and singer.