Richard Brooks biography

Synopsis

African American actor, director and singer Richard Brooks began his career as a television actor in made-for TV features. He became well known for his role as District Attorney Paul Robinette on Law & Order, but also enjoyed stage acting and film directing. He founded his own production company, Flat Top Entertainment, through which he released his first solo R&B album, Smooth Love.

Profile

Actor. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Brooks attended the Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan, before moving to New York City to study acting at the Circle in the Square Theatre School in 1980.

Brooks began his professional work on the stage, appearing in Equus and Twelfth Night, and creating a role for the premiere of August Wilson's Fences. He made his first TV movie, With Intent To Kill, in 1984 and shortly after made his feature film debut in Teen Wolf, alongside Michael J. Fox. Other notable film roles came to Brooks, including the part of a sergeant in 84 Charlie MoPic and the portrayal of Babe Brother in Charles Burnett's To Sleep With Anger (1990).

In 1990, Brooks made his debut as a series regular in NBC's Law & Order, playing Assistant District Attorney Paul Robinette. The depth and integrity Brooks brought to his small but affecting role as the reflective Robinette was further emphasized in contrast to Michael Moriarty's more aggressive character Executive ADA Ben Stone. In 1993, Law & Order producers let Brooks go, because they wanted a female presence on the show, just one week after he had turned down a role in Spike Lee's Crooklyn. Since then, he has played a variety of roles, including a drug-lord in 1996's The Crow: City of Angels and a small part in the ABC movie The Wedding. In 1999, he returned to television in the USA network comedy series GvsE.