Richard Cummings Jr.

Richard Cummings Jr. is an American actor and director known for roles on the dramas thirtysomething and Northern Exposure. Raised in New York City, he booked a Wheaties commercial as his first acting job, then studied at Stony Brook and moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting. Guest roles on Kojak, Hill Street Blues and The White Shadow preceded his part as account executive Mark Harriton on thirtysomething, which led to Northern Exposure and voice-over work for Hyundai. He acted in and helped produce Hollywood Shuffle with Robert Townsend, then formed Underdog Films with Carl Craig to make music videos for artists including Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Red Hot Chili Peppers and N.W.A. Underdog received an MTV Video Music Award in 1996 for best rap video. Cummings directed videos for Candyman and George Howard, and his independent film Thicker Than Water, which he directed and produced, featured Ice Cube, Fat Joe and Mack 10. He produced Playas Ball.