Original “Grey’s Anatomy” cast member James Pickens Jr. started
acting in his hometown of Cleveland at the Karamu House, distinguished
as the oldest African American theater in the United States. He
performed a reading of the play “Home” by Samm-Art Williams, in
celebration of the theater’s centennial.

After moving to New York, he performed in the historic 1981 production
of Charles Fullers’ “A Soldier’s Play” at the Negro Ensemble
Company with fellow cast members Denzel Washington and Samuel L.
Jackson. He was a member of the famed Circle Rep/Steppenwolf Theatre
Company co-production of Lanford Wilson’s “Balm in Gilead,” and
starred as Walter Lee in the 25th anniversary revival of “A Raisin
in the Sun” at the Roundabout Theater.

Pickens moved to the West Coast and began a run of film and television
performances. On the big screen, he has been directed by some of the
film industry’s finest, including Steven Soderbergh in
“Traffic,” Oliver Stone in “Nixon” and Warren Beatty in
“Bulworth,” and he appeared in four Barry Levinson films –
“Sleepers,” “Sphere,” “Jimmy Hollywood” and “Liberty
Heights.” He portrayed slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers in
“Ghosts of Mississippi” (directed by Rob Reiner) and played Angela
Bassett’s ex-husband in “How Stella Got Her Groove Back.” Other
films include “Menace II Society,” “Home Room,”
“Gridlock’d” and “Just Wright,” starring Queen Latifah and
Common. He also appeared in “42,” the film about baseball legend
Jackie Robinson, which starred Harrison Ford and the late Chadwick
Boseman, and was directed by Brian Helgeland.

Pickens performed in the Los Angeles stage reading of “8,” the
story of the historic Proposition 8 marriage equality case, which was
directed by Rob Reiner and included an all-star cast of George
Clooney, Martin Sheen, Kevin Bacon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Christine Lahti,
John C. Reilly and Brad Pitt.

As Richard Webber, Pickens is one of the few original cast members of
ABC’s award-winning, critically acclaimed drama “Grey’s
Anatomy” to remain with the show throughout its 18 seasons.
Television viewers may also remember him for his recurring roles on
such series as “NYPD Blue,” “The X-Files,” “The Practice,”
“Philly,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Six Feet Under,” “The
West Wing,” “Roseanne” and “Beverly Hills 90210,” Pickens
also starred opposite Rob Lowe in “The Lyon’s Den” (NBC) and
with William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman in “A Slight Case of
Murder” (TNT). For his role on “Grey’s Anatomy,” he received a
Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Drama Ensemble and won an NAACP
Image Award, which he describes as “especially gratifying after
seven consecutive nominations!”

He and his wife oversee the James Pickens Jr. Foundation, whose
mission is to enhance the lives of families and children in
underserved communities. He hosts an annual charity roping event in
Los Angeles, which draws some of the best team ropers in the sport. He
and his wife, Gina, a singer, have a son and a daughter.
