Kevin Scott Richardson Bio
Kevin Scott Richardson (born October 3, 1971) is an American singer, actor, and model best known as a member of the vocal group the Backstreet Boys. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, he grew up on a 10-acre farm and began playing piano by ear at age nine. He sang in his church choir, performed in school theater, and worked at Walt Disney World before joining the Backstreet Boys in 1993. With the group, Richardson helped achieve global chart success and became known for his warm voice and laid-back persona. In 2015, he was inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame alongside his cousin and bandmate Brian Littrell, cementing his enduring influence on American pop culture.
Early Life and Background
Kevin Scott Richardson was born on October 3, 1971, in Lexington, Kentucky, the son of Ann Clyde Littrell Richardson and Jerald Wayne Richardson Sr. He grew up on a 10-acre farm with his parents and two older brothers, Jerald Wayne Jr. and Tim. After spending nine years on the farm, the family moved to a log cabin at Cathedral Domain Camp, an Episcopal church-owned youth camp in Kentucky that his father managed. Richardson spent much of his childhood there, working as a camp counselor, meeting his lifelong best friend Keith, and performing regularly in camp talent shows until he was 18.
From a young age, Richardson loved music and started learning to play the piano by ear when he was nine. He sang in his church choir as a child and became active in his community and high school theater. He received his first keyboard as a high school freshman and soon began entertaining in restaurants and at weddings with a band called Paradise, which performed covers of Bobby Brown and Journey songs. At Estill County High School in Kentucky, he played football and served as captain of the team known as the Estill Engineers. He was also active in the drama club, the chorus, the chess club, and the Spanish club, and participated in school plays such as Bye Bye Birdie and Barefoot in the Park.
Path to Celebrity
After graduating from high school in 1989, Richardson spent the summer working at a Pizza Hut and on tobacco farms while helping out at Cathedral Domain Camp. He was torn between joining the Air Force band and pursuing the performing arts, and with his father’s encouragement, he quit his job and drove to Orlando, Florida. There, he landed a job as a cast member and performer at Walt Disney World, playing characters such as Aladdin, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Prince Eric, Tigger, and Sebastian the Crab in The Little Mermaid show. At night, he performed in dinner theater, playing an Italian gangster in a musical review featuring songs from Chicago, Guys and Dolls, and Cabaret.
In June 1991, Richardson learned that his father had taken a turn for the worse in a two-year battle with colon cancer, and he moved back to Kentucky to be with his family. His father died on August 26, 1991, when Kevin was 19. Richardson returned to Florida to follow his dreams and continued working at Disney while also earning a living as a model, writing music, performing in dinner clubs, teaching ballroom dancing, and serving as an extra in the film My Girl. In Florida, a friend who had written a musical offered him a part and helped him get back on his feet.
Kevin Scott Richardson Career
Early Career (1993-1999)
In March 1993, Richardson learned about a vocal group called the Backstreet Boys while going to auditions at MGM Studios. After seeing an ad for the group, he auditioned and joined. The group was still searching for one more member, so Richardson called his first cousin Brian Littrell, who was immediately accepted and joined the next day. With Richardson on board, the Backstreet Boys rose to international fame through five albums recorded across 13 years. In November 1999, Richardson was named People Magazine’s Sexiest Pop Star, and the band signed a new $60 million deal with Jive Records.
Breakthrough (2006-2015)
Richardson was a part of the Backstreet Boys until June 2006, when he announced his departure to pursue other projects and start a family. After 13 years with the group, he began exploring acting, taking on the role of smooth-talking lawyer Billy Flynn in the Broadway production of Chicago in New York City, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and the West End of London in 2003. He returned to Chicago in 2006 and 2007 for the show’s 10th-anniversary celebrations in New York, Toronto, and Japan.
Richardson made his film debut in the 2009 Christian drama Love Takes Wing, in which he played Cyrus. He went on to star in independent projects, including the vampire-themed musical film Vampire Burt’s Serenade and the drama The Casserole Club. For his work in The Casserole Club, Richardson won an Independent Vision Award for Best Actor at Vision Fest in New York City in 2011. In 2013, Richardson and the other Backstreet Boys appeared as fictional versions of themselves in the comedy film This Is the End.
On April 29, 2012, the Backstreet Boys confirmed during a live show in London that Richardson had returned permanently to the group and would be recording a new album with them. He rejoined officially and announced the news on Good Morning America on July 17, 2012, before their first performance as a five-piece group in years. In 2015, he filmed the short film If I Could Tell You, which was released in 2016 and addressed his struggle with infertility.
Notable Works and Milestones
Richardson is widely recognized for his signature role as Billy Flynn in the Broadway and international productions of Chicago and for his appearance as a fictional version of himself in the 2013 comedy film This Is the End. His performance in The Casserole Club earned him an Independent Vision Award for Best Actor at Vision Fest in 2011, and his 2015 induction into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame alongside his cousin Brian Littrell marked another signature milestone.
Kevin Scott Richardson Award Nominations
Verified public records of formal award nominations for Kevin Scott Richardson are limited. Beyond his widely recognized music career and film work, individual nomination counts from major industry bodies are not clearly documented in available sources, so detailed tallies are omitted.
Kevin Scott Richardson Awards Won
Richardson won an Independent Vision Award for Best Actor for his role in The Casserole Club at Vision Fest in New York City in 2011. He was inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame in 2015 alongside his cousin and bandmate Brian Littrell, recognizing his lasting contributions to American pop music.
Kevin Scott Richardson Family
Richardson is a first cousin of fellow Backstreet Boys member Brian Littrell. His mother, Ann Clyde Littrell Richardson, raised him in Kentucky alongside his two older brothers, Jerald Wayne Jr. and Tim. His father, Jerald Wayne Richardson Sr., was an outdoorsman, military veteran, construction worker, fireman, camp manager, and handyman who passed away from cancer in 1991 when Kevin was 19 years old.
Personal Life
Richardson has been married to Kristin Kay Willits, a dancer, actress, photographer, and model, since 2000. The couple met in June 1992 while working together at Walt Disney World, and dated privately on and off for several years before getting engaged. They married on June 17, 2000, at the Cathedral Domain Camp and Conference Center in rural Lee County in eastern Kentucky, and together they have two sons. The family has resided in California since 1999.