Jen Richards
From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
Jen Richards | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | writer, actress, producer, activist |
| Website | https://smartassjen.com/ |
Jen Richards is an American writer, actress, producer, and activist.
Life and career[edit]
Richards was born in Mississippi and resides in North Carolina.[1] She graduated from Shimer College with a BA in Philosophy, and studied at Oxford University.[2]
In 2015, she appeared as a supporting cast member of Caitlyn Jenner's reality show I Am Cait. In 2016, she co-starred, co-directed, co-wrote and co-produced the web series Her Story, which was nominated for an Emmy Award.[3][4] Richards also co-produced the series More Than T and wrote the Trans 102 series.[5]
Richards joined the cast of the television series Nashville in 2017.[1] She became the first openly transgender person to appear on a CMT show, playing the first transgender character to appear on that network.[6] Richards also appeared in the 2017 film Easy Living.[7]
In June 2017, Richards wrote and appeared in a video open letter, presented by ScreenCrush and GLAAD, featuring trans actors asking for better representation in film and television.[8][9]
In August 2018, HBO announced a series pickup of Tom Perrotta's Mrs. Fletcher, a half-hour comedy based on Perrotta's 2017 novel of the same name; Richards is cast as Margo Fairchild, a transgender community college writing teacher, as a series regular.[10]
Personal life[edit]
Richards is bisexual.[11] In August 2020, she announced her engagement to Rebekah Cheyne, a professor from Arizona State University.[12][13]
Filmography[edit]
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | I Am Cait | Self | 7 episodes |
| 2016 | Her Story | Violet | Main role, also writer and producer. Nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series |
| 2016–2017 | Nashville | Allyson Del Lago | 3 episodes |
| 2017 | Doubt | McKayla | Episode: "Clean Burn" |
| 2017–2022 | Better Things | Jaia | 5 episodes |
| 2018 | Take My Wife | Naomi | Episode 2.1 |
| 2018–2020 | Blindspot | Sabrina Larren | 3 episodes |
| 2019 | Tales of the City | Anna Madrigal | 2 episodes |
| Mrs. Fletcher | Margo Fairchild | 7 episodes | |
| 2021 | Clarice | Julia Lawson | 3 episodes |
| 2023 | Mayfair Witches | Jojo | 8 episodes |
Film[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Easy Living | Danny | |
| 2020 | Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen | Self | Documentary film |
| Gossamer Folds | Diana | ||
| 2022 | Framing Agnes | Barbara | Documentary film |
| MK Ultra | Laura Stanley |
References[edit]
- ^ a b Betts, Stephen L. (September 13, 2016). "Transgender Actress Jen Richards Joins Cast of 'Nashville'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 14, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
- ^ Heinichen, Claire (September 13, 2016). "Emmy Nominated Writer, Producer and Actress Jen Richards Joining Cast of Nashville". CMT News. CMT. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ^ Anderson, Tre'vell (January 19, 2016). "'Her Story' creators Jen Richards and Laura Zak highlight dating while transgender". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ^ Stafford, Zach (August 10, 2016). "Her Story: the transgender-themed web series up for a 'shock' Emmy". The Guardian. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ^ Petski, Denise (September 13, 2016). "'Nashville' Casts Transgender Actor Jen Richards In Recurring Role". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ Yohannes, Alamin (September 13, 2016). "Actress Jen Richards Is Headed to 'Nashville'". NBC News. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ^ Valentini, Valentina (March 23, 2017). "EXCLUSIVE: Jen Richard Pushes Hollywood Forward With 'Easy Living' and 'Nashville'". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ^ Reynolds, Daniel (June 20, 2017). "Trans Actors Ask Hollywood for Roles With Dignity and Depth in Open Letter". The Advocate. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ^ ScreenCrush (June 20, 2017). "Why Hollywood Needs Trans Actors". Retrieved June 21, 2017 – via YouTube.
- ^ Travees, Ben (21 August 2018). "'Mrs. Fletcher': HBO Orders Tom Perrotta's Comedy Series Starring Kathryn Hahn, Directed by Nicole Holofcener". Indiewire.com. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- ^ Reddish, David (2019-12-09). "Transgender star Jen Richards of 'Mrs. Fletcher' on Jared Leto, Hollywood life & "Tales of the City"". Queerty. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
- ^ "Jen Richards on Instagram: "I posted an ad on @lex.app one evening, and it just so happened that @bekahdc couldn't sleep that night, and had unknowingly turned off…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-25. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
- ^ "Rebekah Cheyne". herbergerinstitute.asu.edu. 2020-09-29. Archived from the original on 2021-06-27. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
