Kevin Michael Richardson is an American voice actor best known as the Joker on The Batman, the Shredder on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Jerome on Family Guy. His deep, booming voice has carried villains and comic sidekicks for more than three decades, from Saturday morning cartoons to Amazon’s Invincible and the Super Mario films. He turns 62 on October 25, 2026, and he’s still one of the busiest voices in Hollywood.
| Date of Birth | October 25, 1964 |
|---|---|
| Age | 62 years |
| Nationality | American |
| Zodiac Sign | Scorpio |
| Occupation | Voice Actor |
| Spouse | Monica Richardson (m. April 27, 2006) |
| Alma Mater | Syracuse University (BFA, 1988) |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Raised In | Mount Vernon, New York |
| Years Active | 1992 to present |
| Known For | The Joker (The Batman), Shredder (TMNT), Captain Gantu (Lilo & Stitch), Jerome (Family Guy) |
Biography
Richardson was born on October 25, 1964, in the Bronx, New York City, to Jamaican immigrant parents. He’s the youngest of five children. Speaking on The Mike Henry Show in 2024, he said the family moved to Mount Vernon in Westchester County when he was around seven. Watching Flip Wilson, James Earl Jones and Laurence Olivier as a child gave him the acting bug early.
His father drove a limo, ran a small cleaning business and later moved into real estate. On the same show, Richardson said his dad wanted him to be a doctor or a lawyer and was against comedy, so he picked acting as a more respectable middle ground. His father finally came around after seeing him in a Syracuse University production of Waiting for Lefty. In that 2024 conversation, Richardson said both parents were still alive, with his dad at 94 and his mom at 93.
Richardson attended St. Francis Preparatory School, where a teacher pushed his interest in theatre. At 17, he was picked as one of eight American high school students for the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts’ “Arts ’82” program in Miami. That honour came with a scholarship and a spot in a PBS special directed by John Houseman. The scholarship took him to Syracuse University, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre in 1988.
Career
After college, Richardson worked the New York commercial circuit, and his first paid job was an AT&T commercial. A Syracuse classmate who saw him in How the Other Half Loves recommended him to the agency Cunningham-Escott, now CESD. He told Mike Henry that he signed with them for on-camera and stage work, and only got voiceover auditions after asking for them again and again.
In 1991, his Syracuse friend, the late Sam Lloyd, who later played Ted the lawyer on Scrubs, invited him to Los Angeles for a play called Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 at the Tiffany Theater. Richardson planned to stay for one summer, but the work kept coming and he never left. In 1994 he played Patrick, a recurring patient on the first season of ER.
The Joker and Early Voice Work
His first big cartoon role came in 1995 as Mayor Tilton on the animated version of The Mask, and in 2001 he voiced Barney Rubble in The Flintstones: On the Rocks. In 2004, he became the first Black actor to voice the Joker, on The Batman. At a 2013 Emerald City Comic Con panel, he said he almost refused to audition because “that’s Mark’s gig,” meaning Mark Hamill. He was tired and frustrated that day, and he poured all of it into the microphone. The studio called back the next day.
The Joker earned him two Daytime Emmy nominations and opened the door to more DC work. He voiced Trigon, Mammoth and See-More on Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go!, Martian Manhunter on Young Justice and Kilowog in the Green Lantern franchise. At the same panel, he said that for Jabba the Hutt he had to learn Huttese, which the producers wrote out with specific meanings.
Family Guy, American Dad!, and The Cleveland Show
Richardson became a key part of Seth MacFarlane’s cartoon world. He has voiced Jerome, Lois’s ex-boyfriend, on Family Guy, and Principal Lewis on American Dad! since its 2005 pilot. From 2009 to 2013 he carried The Cleveland Show as both Cleveland Brown Jr. and the redneck neighbour Lester Krinklesac.
He was actually cast as Lester first. He told Mike Henry that he built Cleveland Jr.’s voice by mixing his ER character Patrick with a younger take on Henry’s Cleveland Sr. He still misses the show’s table reads, which brought in guests like Kanye West, Carl Reiner and Craig Robinson. In 2021, he took over Dr. Hibbert on The Simpsons from Harry Shearer.
Superheroes and Franchise Voice Work
Richardson voiced Captain Gantu across the Lilo & Stitch franchise, Antauri on Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! and the Shredder on the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series through 2017. Speaking to CBR at WonderCon 2016 beside Rob Paulsen, he said Paulsen was one of the first people he worked with in Los Angeles. “To still be with him now and work with him today is truly an honor, a gift,” he said.
He played Groot on Disney XD’s Guardians of the Galaxy series from 2015 to 2019, Bulkhead on Transformers: Prime and Panthro in the 2011 ThunderCats reboot. His 2019 turn as Chauncey “Rosie” Roosevelt on F Is for Family brought a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance.
Film and Video Games
On film, Richardson voiced Goro in the original Mortal Kombat (1995) and in Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge (2020), plus Deus Ex Machina in The Matrix Revolutions. His game credits include Tartarus in Halo 2, Chairman Drek in Ratchet & Clank, Sarevok in Baldur’s Gate, Jolee Bindo in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Stump Smash and Tree Rex in Skylanders.
Asked at the 2013 panel what he wished he had known when he started, his answer was simple: have more fun. “If I’m not having fun recording something for you, then you won’t have fun in listening to it,” he said.
What Is Kevin Michael Richardson Doing Now
Richardson had a busy 2026. He returned as the Mauler Twins and Monster Girl in Invincible Season 4, which premiered on Prime Video on March 18, 2026. He also reprised Kamek in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which opened in US cinemas on April 3, 2026.
He plays Lt. Greg Summers on the comedy Grimsburg, Crusher on Blaze and the Monster Machines, Gus on Adventures in Wonder Park and Sebastian on Disney Jr.’s Ariel. He’s also still a regular on Family Guy, The Simpsons and American Dad!.
Personal Life
Richardson married Monica Richardson, a producer, director and singer, on April 27, 2006. He has sung on some of her jazz recordings. He’s the stepfather of her two sons from a previous marriage, whom he helped raise from a young age, and the family lives in Los Angeles.
Most mornings he practises Transcendental Meditation, which he learned from a teacher who studied with Deepak Chopra. He told VO Buzz Weekly it keeps his blood pressure down and his mind focused.
Singing is his other love. On VO Buzz Weekly, he said his wife had him record “Me and Mrs. Jones” and Barry White’s “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe.” He has also sung “My Kind of Town” with Seth MacFarlane and Frank Sinatra Jr., and his dream is to perform a set at the Hollywood Bowl.
Net Worth
Kevin Michael Richardson’s net worth is estimated at $3 million to $6 million. Most of it comes from more than 20 years of regular voice roles on Family Guy, The Simpsons and American Dad!, which pay union scale or better per episode. Holding three or more of those roles at once gives him a steady income that few voice actors match.
On top of that sit his long lead run as the Shredder, decades of commercial voiceover work, film roles like Kamek, and a deep list of video game credits. With Invincible and the Super Mario films still going, that figure looks set to keep growing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Kevin Michael Richardson?
He was born on October 25, 1964, so he turns 62 in 2026.
Who is Kevin Michael Richardson’s wife?
His wife is Monica Richardson, a producer, director and singer. They married on April 27, 2006.
Does Kevin Michael Richardson have kids?
He is the stepfather of Monica’s two sons from her previous marriage.
Who has Kevin Michael Richardson voiced?
His best-known roles include the Joker on The Batman, the Shredder on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Captain Gantu in Lilo & Stitch, Groot on Guardians of the Galaxy, Dr. Hibbert on The Simpsons, the Mauler Twins on Invincible and Kamek in the Super Mario films.
Who does Jerome’s voice on Family Guy?
Kevin Michael Richardson voices Jerome, Lois’s recurring ex-boyfriend.
What is Kevin Michael Richardson doing now?
In 2026 he voiced the Mauler Twins in Invincible Season 4 and Kamek in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and he’s still a regular on Family Guy, The Simpsons and American Dad!.
