Matt Richards 
| |
| Name | Matt Richards |
|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew John |
| Sex |  Male
|
| Born | October 6, 1968 (aged 45),  Newhaven
|
| Spouse | Jennifer 'Jenny' Graham (since 1990) |
| Children | Dean Richards (born 1991)
John Richards (born 1993) and Anne Richards (born 1994) |
| Parents | Henry J. Richards (born 1942) and Lana Scott (born 1945) |
| Home | Newhaven |
| Religious stance |
Roman Catholic |
Matthew John "Matt" Richards is a Lovian author, politician and actor, who starred in the Cops series as Connor Johnson. He was born in 1968 to a middle-class family who live in Noble City. He was however born in Newhaven.
According to many people, Richards met William Harris on the set of Cops I, but this is not true. Richards actually met him in the late 1980's in university. He became an actor in 1997, when he auditioned for Cops. He is also the author of the popular novel, Kings' Peak - Avalanche, which was adapted into a feature film in November 2012.
Matt lives with wife Jenny Richards in a large property about 6 miles outside of Newhaven.
Biography
Early life
Richards was born in Newhaven on October 6, 1968 to businessman Henry J. Richards and his wife Lana Scott, a journalist. Richards' father is all-Lovian, while Lana is Lovian of English descent. His name comes from John Richards, his paternal grandfather and Matthew Scott, his maternal uncle.
Matt's family moved to Noble City in 1972, where he attended J.W. Pennington Primary School from 1974 to 1980. Matt was noted to be an "academically excellent student who studied and completed all given tasks well" by his teachers and he was also known to be one of the most popular children in the school. He attended King Arthur II College from 1980 to 1986. He exceled in many sports, such as swimming and football, but when Matt was 15, a goalpost accidentally collapsed on his left leg, breaking it to the point where he couldn't play football for the next three years.
College years and acting career
In 1986, he was enrolled at Nobel University, where he studied Law and Business Studies. In his free time, he would often play football with his friends or study. In that same year, he was asked if he wanted to help out in the Peter Pan play, but Matt initially declined. With just a few weeks left before the play opens, he met fellow student William Harris, whom according to Richards was a "cocky, fast-talking nerd with no sense of fun whatsoever". After realising that Matt could do good in the play, William tried to persuade him to join the cast. After several failed attempts of persuasion, Matt finally joined the play, and even though he hated his role (Captain Hook), he still managed to deliver a good performance. It was from there that Matt and William managed to become friends. Matt, however, didn't take up acting until the third year of college.
In his first two years of college, he dated Sarah Williams, the woman who would play William Harris' wife in "Cops" (1998) but she dumped him for another man in late December 1986, but they still remain good friends. However, in 1987, his luck changed when he met Jennifer Graham, who was a young student from Artista in Noble City. In 1988, he took up Dramatic Arts and managed to finally enjoy it and studied directing as well as acting. In 1989, he was discovered by an agent and signed a contract to be cast as a background extra in Black Ops IV: Jungle Madness.
After graduation
When Matt graduated in 1991, he had the intent of becoming a judge. But, he didn't manage to get a job at a court, and instead became a businessman, like his father and took over his best friend's now defunct company Techcorp inc., which specialises in electronic equipment. With the money he had, he managed to buy a middle-class home and married Jennifer. In 1997, he was cast in as Connor Johnson for the 1998 action comedy Cops, which starred his good friend William Harris, as well as his ex-girlfriend, Sarah Williams. Cops was the movie that brought this rising star to international fame.
Present day
Matt has produced and co-written the 2012 disaster film "King's Peak" and has directed a "reimagined version" of Black Ops.
Personal life
Matt's first girfriend was Sarah Williams, the sister of his best friend, Peter G. Williams, who passed the title of CEO of Techcorp to Richards. The two first met at the last year of high school and dated until 1986. Then, Matt met his future wife Jennifer Graham. The couple were immediately drawn to eachother and dated until 1990, when they married. Their first son, Dean was born a year later. The Richards' had two more children, John (born 1993) and Anne (born 1994). Matt is a great supporter of his hometown's football team, the Newhaven Rockets and frequently goes to their matches.
Filmography
- Black Ops IV: Jungle Madness - background extra
- Cops (1998) - C. Johnson
- Cops II (2004)
- Cops III (2010)
- Cops IV (2012)
- The Fathers (2012) - George Smith
- Kings' Peak (2012) - Soldier
- Black Ops (2013) - John 'Snake' Stewart
Television
- Cops (television series) (2014-unknown) - Johnson