Death in the CW Drama Series 'Supernatural'

Julian Richings | Biography

Played Dr. Henry Walsh in the 2020 horror drama 'Anything for Jackson'

• By Reena Chikanbanjar
• Update : March 18, 2022

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Julian Richings is a British-born Canadian character actor best known as Death in the CW dark fantasy drama series Supernatural.

Who is Julian Richings?

Julian Richings is a character actor who has mostly played the roles of the outcast, the outlier, the alien, the strange doctor, and the extreme characters. Richings was born in Oxford, England, on 8 September 1955. He graduated with English and drama from the University of Exeter in 1977. Richings later performed across Europe and North America with a British stage production before landing in Toronto, Canada, in 1984.

In 1989, the actor scored a regular role in the second season of the television series War of the Worlds. He gained critical acclaim after playing the role of a bitter, aging punk rock legend Bucky Haight in the 1996 musical comedy-drama film Hard Core Logo. He also had a brief but notable appearance in the 1997 horror-mystery drama film Cube. 

Richings later portrayed the role of Francis Bellanger, an itinerant railroad worker who falls in love with a prostitute, in the 2000 romantic western drama film The Claim, for which he garnered the 'Genie Award' for 'Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role.'

He has been working as a professional actor for four decades. Richings has appeared in over 100 feature films, including blockbusters like X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) and Man of Steel (2013). 

He has also appeared in over 60 television series, including recurring roles in television series like Once a Thief (1996), Kingdom Hospital (2004), Supernatural (2005), Orphan Black (2013), Patriot (2015), and Doom Patrol (2019).

Also Read: Joivan Wade - Doom Patrol, Mother, Workout, Bio

Richings, age 65 as of February 2022, continues to work as a professional actor. He will feature in several upcoming films, including Campton, Salvation, and Relax, I'm from the Future.

Besides acting, he has also taught seminars and acting classes for many years.

Played Death in the CW Fantasy Drama Series' Supernatural'

Developed by Eric Kripke, the American dark fantasy drama television series Supernatural debuted on The WB on 13 September 2005 and later became a part of the roster of successor The CW. The show revolves around two brothers who follow in their father's footsteps as hunters, battling various wicked supernatural entities such as monsters, demons, and gods who wander the planet.

Since the fifth season of The CW's Supernatural, he has portrayed the Horseman Death, returning in the sixth, eighth, ninth, and tenth seasons (2010-2015). 

Death, aka the Pale Horseman and The Angel of Death, was the oldest and most powerful of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and an ancient primordial force of enormous power. Death, who has lived with God since the beginning of time, is so ancient that he cannot recall who is older: himself or God.

Similarly, in the short film Dave v. Death, he played a similar version of Death in 2011.

He Won 'Best Actor Award' at Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival for 'Anything for Jackson'

Anything for Jackson is the 2020 supernatural horror film, written by Keith Cooper and directed by Justin G. Dyck. The horror film follows a story of grief-stricken grandparents, Audrey (played by Sheila McCarthy) and Dr. Henry Walsh (played by Richings). After losing their only grandson, Jackson, in a car accident, they abduct Henry's pregnant patient to perform an ancient spellbook to put Jackson's soul into her unborn child. However, the elderly couple ends up summoning more than they bargained for.

In an interview with Original Cin in December 2020, Richings said he was attracted to the film's script because of its story about grief shared by an elderly couple and demonic possession. 

"I thought it was a great script for that reason, I could see it right off the bat. Sheila and I were intuitively drawn to the script for the same reasons – these elements of care and grieving and humour. It makes it much easier to play this relationship that's teetering on the edge of disaster," he said.

Richings also won the 'Best Actor Award' at Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival for his performance in the film.

Married to His Wife For Nearly Four Decades

Richings has been married to his wife Maysie for over 37 years. He occasionally shares his picture with his wife on his Instagram posts.

The pair has two children, one daughter named Rosemary and one son named Fred. Rosemary is an avid writer and blogger. Fred is in the army and resides with his wife in Gananoque, Ontario.

On 30 December 2021, Richings shared a picture with his daughter, whom he calls Rosie. In the caption, he wrote, "Tuesday in the Park with Rosie."

Height

Richings stands at the height of 5 feet 10 inches.