Richard George Whittle, a British actor born on December 31, 1979, became famous as a model for Reebok in the early 2000s. He’s known in the UK for his role as Calvin Valentine in the soap opera Hollyoaks. Whittle also participated in the BBC reality show Strictly Come Dancing in 2009, where he finished second. He later ventured into American television with roles in VH-1’s Single Ladies and ABC’s Mistresses. From 2014 to 2016, he appeared in The CW’s The 100 and starred in the Starz series American Gods for three seasons.
In his early life, Whittle was born in Oldham, England, to Harry and Maggie Whittle. He’s the oldest of three children, and his father was in the Royal Air Force, so the family moved frequently. Whittle faced bullying as a child in Northern Ireland for being the only black child in school. Despite studying law at Southampton Solent University, he left before graduation to pursue a career in modeling.
Whittle’s career began in 2002 with the television series Dream Team, and he later joined Hollyoaks in 2006. After leaving the show in 2009, he participated in Strictly Come Dancing and eventually moved to Los Angeles in 2011 to pursue opportunities in American television.
From 2012 to 2016, Whittle had a breakthrough in American TV with roles in Single Ladies and The 100. He faced challenges with immigration status but managed to secure his green card. In 2016, he left The 100, accusing the show’s creator of bullying. Subsequently, Whittle landed the lead role in Starz’s American Gods.
Since 2017, Whittle has been portraying Shadow Moon in American Gods and appeared in the Netflix film Nappily Ever After. In his personal life, he dated Hollyoaks co-star Carley Stenson from 2007 to 2009 and later Kirstina Colonna from 2016 to 2018.