Richie Stephens (actor)

Early life

Stephens was born in Cavan, Ireland, the eldest of three children. He was educated in St. Patrick's College, Cavan and the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts. He played Gaelic (Irish) football with Gowna, in County Cavan.

He began acting at the age of 10 under the instruction of acting coach Claire McDermott but worked a variety of different jobs before returning to the craft. Right before his acting career took off, Stephens was a carpenter until an accident in San Francisco resulted in a broken back. Stephens told The Anglo-Celt, "Before it happened, I was quite happy being a carpenter, so, I probably wouldn't have gotten back into acting if it hadn't happened."

Career

While working as a model, Stephens was discovered by director Weston Simpson, who cast him as a German hitman in his film Credence. Within months of filming Credence, Stephens then appeared in five films and four television shows opposite Kevin Durand, Tia Carrere, Eric Roberts, Chad Michael Murray, Octavia Spencer and Michael B. Jordan. Stephens' first major film appearance was a cameo in the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner Fruitvale Station (2013).

In 2014, Stephens also appeared in the dark and confronting play Solitaire in Los Angeles. He was noted in rave reviews for his range of dialects. Stephens told interviewer Tony Capobianco, "Accents have interested me since I was a little kid. If someone sounds different I become interested in replicating it.I have a good ear for it. Never took classes in accents. They are fun for me. Before I was acting I would do them all the time to amuse myself. This week I've been doing New Zealand a lot."

While Stephens is most often cast in dramas and thrillers in darker roles, he co-created the comedic web series Himmler Entertainment (2014) with Patrick Q. Roberts (Baggage, The Devil's Banker). The series premiered on the hit viral site Funny or Die. Stephens played an eccentric Southern fixer opposite Max Bird-Ridnell's (Sequestered, Ray Donovan) portrayal of hotshot talent manager Chaim Himmler. The series also guest stars British rock star Billy Morrison (The Cult, Camp Freddie, Billy Idol) and YouTube comedic gangster phenomenon Jigga Jones.

In 2015, Stephens gained international recognition when he appeared as the Savior in music videos for Florence + The Machine's album How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful. After first appearing in the music video for What Kind of Man, in which he carries Florence Welch to safety, he reprised his role in the music video for Delilah, a metaphorical betrayal calling upon the Biblical story of Samson and Delilah. Stephens acknowledged the calibre of the music videos, saying, "I love working with Florence and (director) Vince Haycock. ... These days music videos aren't what they used to be, but with Florence they are always epic." He added in another interview, "The content of Flo's videos can often be elaborate and full of imagery but he (Vince) can always simplify what he wants from you and make things clear."

Stephens' most notable television roles include guest appearances on Major Crimes (2016), Roadies (2016), Criminal Minds (2015) and RocketJump: The Show (2016). His film roles include supporting roles in The Shop (2014), Soy Nero (2016) which was nominated for a Golden Bear at the Berlinale International Film Festival, and Florence + The Machine: The Odyssey (2016).

He has cited Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Guy Ritchie, Paul Thomas Anderson, the Coen brothers, Clint Eastwood, Oliver Stone, and Stuart Carolan as inspiration.

Stephens is a member of The Actor's Gym, an invitation-based group of successful actors and writers led by Academy Award winner Robert Moresco.