Richard Brooks
About
Biography
Biography
While he shares his name with the late Oscar-winning screenwriter-director and a respected cinematographer, actor Richard Brooks has carved his own niche in show business. The handsome, African-American performer perhaps remains best-known for his three-year (1990-93) stint as assistant district attorney Paul Robinette on NBC's "Law & Order" despite a career that has encompassed stage and screen.
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Brooks matriculated at the Interlochen Arts Academy before heading to NYC to study acting in the Circle in the Square training program. Stage roles in plays like "Equus" and "Twelfth Night" followed, as well as the opportunity to create a role in the premiere of August Wilson's "Fences" at the Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. By 1984, he had begun to make inroads on the small screen, appearing in small roles in TV-movies and the following year, he made his feature debut in the comedy "Teen Wolf." After marking time in mostly little-seen projects, Brooks garnered attention for his turn as the sergeant in Patrick Sheane Duncan's Vietnam drama "84 Charlie MoPic" (1989). Charles Burnett tapped him to play the troubled son in "To Sleep With Anger" (1990) before he landed his breakthrough TV role.
As Robinette, Brooks perfectly complemented Michael Moriarty's firebrand Ben Stone. Despite the nature of the show, which rarely delved into the private lives of the regulars and concentrated on their workplace roles, the actor found ways to keep his characterization fresh and compelling. When the network reportedly wanted to add a female presence to the cast, Brooks was let go--reportedly one week after he had turn down a role in Spike Lee's "Crooklyn" (1994). As such, his film career has been somewhat hampered, although he offered an impressive turn as the villainous drug lord in "The Crow: City of Angels" (1996). While continuing to have a presence on the small screen via guest appearances and TV-movies (notably 1998's "The Wedding" on ABC), Brooks had avoided returning to the weekly grind until "GvsE/Good vs. Evil" (USA Network, 1999; Sci-Fi Channel, 1999-2000), a comedy-thriller created by the Pate brothers about undead bounty hunters. Cast as the ultra-cool stuck in the 70s veteran Henry McNeil, he perfectly embodied the deadpan style the zany material required to be believable and his chemistry with co-star Clayton Rohner, as the rookie agent helped make the series eminently watchable.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1980
Moved to NYC to study acting
1984
First TV-movie, "With Intent to Kill" (CBS)
1985
Feature film debut in "Teen Wolf"
1987
Appeared in the superior horror film "The Hidden"
1989
Co-starred in the Showtime miniseries "The Neon Empire", a fictionalized account of the transformation of Las Vegas from desert town to cosmopolitan showplace
1989
Cast as a sergeant serving in Vietnam in "84 Charlie MoPic"
1990
Offered a strong turn as the taciturn 'Babe Brother' in Charles Burnett's "To Sleep With Anger"
1996
Reprised role of Paul Robinette in one episode of "Law & Order"
1996
Portrayed a villainous drug lord in "The Crow: City of Angels"
1998
Had featured role in the ABC miniseries "The Wedding", directed by Charles Burnett
2001
Had title role of the Chicago stage production "King Hedley II"; peformed at the Goodman Theatre
2002
Returned to Chicago's Goodman Theatre to star in "Drowning Crow", playwright Regina Taylor's reimagining of Chekhov's "The Seagull" set in the Gullah culture of South Carolina
