Paul Andrew "Andy" Richter (born October 28, 1966) is an American actor, writer, comedian, and late night talk show announcer. He is best known for his role as the sidekick of talk show host Conan O'Brien on NBC's Late Night between 1993 and 2000, and later The Tonight Show from 2009 to 2010, where he was also announcer. He is also known for his work with the Madagascar films and for the sitcoms Quintuplets, Andy Richter Controls the Universe, and Andy Barker, P.I.
[>>]Source: Wikipedia
Paul Andrew "Andy" Richter (born October 28, 1966) is an American actor, writer, comedian, and late night talk show announcer. He is best known for his role as the sidekick of talk show host Conan O'Brien on NBC's Late Night between 1993 and 2000, and later The Tonight Show from 2009 to 2010, where he was also announcer. He is also known for his work with the Madagascar films and for the sitcoms Quintuplets, Andy Richter Controls the Universe, and Andy Barker, P.I.
Early life and career
Richter, the second of four children, was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His mother, Glenda Swanson, was a kitchen cabinet designer, and his father, Laurence R. Richter, taught Russian at Indiana University for more than 32 years. Richter was raised in Yorkville, Illinois. In high school, he was elected Prom King.
In the late 1980s, Richter attended Columbia College Chicago as a film major. While at Columbia he learned the basics of comedic acting and writing by starring in numerous student films and videos. After leaving Columbia in 1988 Richter worked as a production assistant on commercial shoots in Chicago. In 1989, he began taking classes at Chicago's Improv Olympic. His quick wit and acting skills catapulted him from student to "House Performer" within a year. Richter branched out working with "The Comedy Underground" and the Annoyance Theater.
Richter's reputation earned him a writing job on the short-lived Jonathan Brandmeier television show.
In the early 1990s the Annoyance Theater hit gold when producer Jill Soloway staged The Real Live Brady Bunch with live, word-for-word performances of the '70s sitcom. The show was so popular that it attracted national attention and moved to New York City. Richter was not an original member of the cast but the actor who played "Mike Brady" in the Chicago cast opted not to go to New York. Richter asked Soloway if he could play "Mike" in New York and since Soloway hadn't cast a replacement, she agreed.
At the same time The Brady Bunch was playing in New York, two fellow Annoyance members were cast on Saturday Night Live. With friends on SNL, Andy was able to get into the after-show parties where he met SNL head writer Rob Smigel. Two years later, Smigel hired Richter for a new show he was producing, Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Originally hired as a writer, Richter was cast as Conan O'Brien's sidekick just weeks before the show aired in 1993.
Richter departed from Late Night in 2000. He later said of the decision, "After seven years of being on the show, I got itchy. I have a philosophy that if you enjoy good fortune, rather than sit there and say, 'Oh, that's fine, this amount is good enough for me,' you should try and push it. You should see how much you can stretch your good fortune. And I was curious."
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