Ralph Richeson was an actor, getting his big break at age 52 while working as an extra on Deadwood (2004), he was singled out and given a minor but memorable recurring guest role of Richardson, a dim-witted cook for hotel owner E.B. Farnum. This led to roles in several other films, including Will Smith's Hancock (2008) and The Revenant (2009). Richeson's health began failing soon after, and he died in 2015 of multiple organ failure at the age of 63.