Salli Richardson

Richardson worked across actor, television actor, film actor, voice actor and television director and 2 further recorded occupations. Every statement below returns to a source shown in the evidence panel; where the record is silent or divided, the article says so instead of resolving it.

• Name — Salli Richardson • Birth Name — Salli Elise Richardson • Born — 23 November 1967 • Birthplace — Chicago, Illinois, U.S. • Other Names — Salli Richardson-Whitfield • Occupation — * Actress • television director • Years Active — 1991–present • Children — 2 • Website — sallirw.com

Richardson was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her mother is of African American ancestry, and her father was of English and Italian descent. She played tennis in high school at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, and launched her acting career in the Kuumba Workshop theater there; she graduated in 1985.

Richardson "began her acting career in the theater before transitioning to roles in television and film". In film, she played small roles in Prelude to a Kiss, Mo' Money, Posse, and later had major roles in Sioux City and A Low Down Dirty Shame. From 1994 to 1996 she voiced the character Elisa Maza on the animated series Gargoyles. She had many guest-starring roles in numerous television shows, such as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, New York Undercover, The Pretender, Stargate SG-1, NYPD Blue, House, Bones, Criminal Minds, NCIS and Castle. • Illustration — Richardson in 2008 Richardson starred opposite Dixie Carter and Kathleen Quinlan in the CBS legal drama series, Family Law, from 1999 to 2002. She had recurring roles as Nancy Adams on Rude Awakening, and as Laura on CSI: Miami. She starred opposite Denzel Washington in the 2002 drama film Antwone Fisher. She also appeared in the 2004 horror film Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, and starred opposite Will Smith in 2007's post-apocalyptic film I Am Legend. She later had a leading role in the independent dramas Pastor Brown (2009), and in I Will Follow (2010) directed by Ava DuVernay. She also starred in The Sin Seer with Isaiah Washington, set for 2015 release. From 2006 to 2012, Richardson starred as Department of Defense agent (and later head of Global Dynamics) Allison Blake in the Syfy comedy-drama series Eureka. Her second pregnancy was written into the storyline of the series. After the series' cancellation, she was cast as the lead in the Lifetime drama pilot The Secret Lives of Wives. In 2014, Richardson was cast in a recurring role on Lifetime's The Lottery as the first lady of the United States, but she lost it to Shelley Conn; She also has a role on BET's Being Mary Jane as an old friend of the lead character. In 2015, Richardson was cast in the ABC Family series, Stitchers. The series was canceled after three seasons in 2017.

Richardson has also worked as a director of episodic television, her latest being episodes 5 and 6 of the first season of Wheel of Time for Amazon. Following her directorial debut on two episodes of her show Eureka, in 2016 she directed two episodes of Ava DuVernay's drama series for Oprah Winfrey Network, Queen Sugar (on which her husband Dondre Whitfield appears as a series regular). In 2016, Richardson also directed an episode of the historical action-drama Underground for WGN America. In 2017, she directed two episodes of BET drama Rebel, and Shonda Rhimes' Scandal. Her comedy directing credits include Survivor's Remorse, I'm Dying Up Here, Black-ish and Dear White People. In 2018, she also directed the 16th episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.s fifth-season episode "Inside Voices". Her other notable directing credits include Chicago Med, Luke Cage, Black Lightning, The Punisher, American Gods, See and Altered Carbon. In 2019, Richardson received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series nomination for her work directing "I Get Physical" episode of Luke Cage. Also in 2019, she won a Black Reel Award for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series for directing "Black Like Us" episode of Black-ish. In September 2020, she signed a project development deal with HBO. Richardson produces and had had directed episodes of HBO period drama The Gilded Age and Adam McKay's Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. Also in 2020, she directed the Zoom Where It Happens special The One with the Diverse Cast, a Friends one-night reboot starring Sterling K. Brown, Uzo Aduba, Ryan Michelle Bathe, Aisha Hinds, Kendrick Sampson and Jeremy Pope. In 2024, she became the first black woman to be nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series in 76th Primetime Emmy Awards for her work on "BEAT L.A." episode of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. In 2026, she became the first black woman to receive two Outstanding Directing for a Drama series nominations for her works on "My Mind Is Made Up" episode of The Gilded Age and "Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a river." episode of Task in 78th Primetime Emmy Awards.

In September 2002, she married fellow actor Dondre Whitfield. She and Whitfield have one daughter and one son.

• 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" • 1994–1997 — 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 — Episode: "Gigolo Jarod" • 1998–1999 — 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" • 2000–2001 — 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 — 2 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" • 2006–2012 — Eureka — Allison Blake — Main cast • 2009 — Criminal Minds — Tamara Barnes — 2 episodes: "Hopeless" & "The Eyes Have It" • 2011 — The Secret Lives of Wives — Reed — TV pilot • 2012 — The Finder — Athena Brookes — Episode: "Life After Death" • 2012–2013 — The Newsroom — Jane Barrow — Guest: season 1, recurring cast: season 2 • 2013–2015 — 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 • 2015–2017 — 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"

• Year — Title — Notes • 2011 — Grace — Short film, also writer • 2011–2013 — Eureka — 2 episodes: "Worst Case Scenario" & "Omega Girls" • 2015 — Different Position — Short film • 2016 — Post Life — Short film • Queen Sugar — 2 episode: "So Far" & "All Good" • 2017 — Underground — Episode: "Nok Aaut" • Rebel — 2 episodes: "Conceal and Carry" & "Black Not Blue" • Scandal — Episode: "Tick Tock" • Stitchers — Episode: "Kill It Forward" • Survivor's Remorse — 2 episodes: "Reparations" & "Closure" • Lethal Weapon — Episode: "Birdwatching" • 2017–2019 — Shadowhunters — 2 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" • 2018–2019 — The Magicians — 2 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 — 2 episodes: "Volume 3: Chapter IX " & "Volume 2: Chapter V" • Pearson — Episode: "The Former City Attorney" • See — Episode: "House of Enlightenment" • Reprisal — Episode: "dammit" • Treadstone — 2 episodes: "The Seoul Asylum" & "The McKenna Erasure" • 2020 — Altered Carbon — 2 episodes: "Broken Angels" & "Experiment Perilous" • 2021 — The Wheel of Time — 2 episodes: "Blood Calls Blood" & "The Flame of Tar Valon" • 2022–present — The Gilded Age — 6 episodes; also executive producer • 2022–2023 — Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty — 5 episodes; also executive producer • 2025–present — Task — 3 episodes; also executive producer

Salli Richardson was born on 23 November 1967 in Chicago.

Among them are Omega Girls (2011), Worst Case Scenario (2012), Dust, and Shadows (2017), I Get Physical (2018), The Book of Consequences: Chapter Four: Translucent Freak (2018) and Black Like Us (2019).

• 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 — Nicole Scott • Sioux City — Jolene Buckley • A Low Down Dirty Shame — Angela • Lily in Winter — 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 — Lahoma • The Great White Hype — Bambi • 1997 — True Women — 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 — Christine • 2015 — The Sin Seer — Nia