Richard Lawrence Maddox was born in Kingsville, Texas, to Laura Lee Myers, a waitress turned massage therapist, and Richard Calvin Maddox, a cowboy and competitive team roper. His ancestry is a rich tapestry of Scottish, Dutch, German, and Cherokee, with his paternal grandmother hailing from a Cherokee band in Oklahoma. The older of two brothers, Ric was raised in the small Texan town of Pleasanton, where he developed a passion for American Football and Division A Baseball.
After completing his education, Ric joined the US Army, serving as an Alpha Team Leader in the 1st Battalion 8th Infantry Regiment, with a deployment to Iraq. During his time in service, he earned five Army Achievement Medals and the prestigious Expert Infantry Badge, a testament to his courage and dedication. His grandfather, CPO George Lawrence Myers, was a World War II Navy veteran, while his great-grandfather, Corporal George Labania Myers, was a decorated World War I Army Infantry machine gunner, recipient of the Purple Heart.
Despite his family's military heritage, Ric chose to pursue a career in acting, a decision that was encouraged by his meeting with actor Patrick Wilson on the set of 'The Alamo', opposite Billy Bob Thornton. He then moved to New York to train at the prestigious Stella Adler acting conservatory for three years under the guidance of the late Earle Gister.
Upon his return to Texas, Avy Kaufman cast Ric in the movie 'Stop-Loss', opposite Ryan Phillippe and Timothy Olyphant. The film's director, Kimberly Peirce, encouraged Ric to make the move to Los Angeles, where he has since established himself as a talented and versatile actor.
Ric is an alumnus of Playhouse West, where he studied with Tony Savant, Holly Gagnier, Jim Parrack, and worked alongside James Franco. He has also appeared in a range of productions, including 'Prisoner of Second Avenue' for the Playhouse West Rep, and took home the award for 'Best Supporting Actor' at the 2013 Playhouse West film festival for his role in the gritty south Boston drama 'Black Irish'.
With his cowboy roots and military training, Ric has naturally gravitated towards western roles, including 'The Barefoot Bull Rider', 'The Magnificent Dead', 'Valley of Death', 'Renegade', 'Billy the Kid: New Evidence', 'Expedition Unknown' (playing Virgil Earp),and 'The West Files'. He is also the co-creator, co-writer, and lead actor in the upcoming Western 'Dead Men the Series', playing Jesse Struthers.
In addition to his film work, Ric stars as lawman Pat Garrett in 'The American West', Robert Redford's 8-part series on AMC, which premiered in June 2016. In his personal life, Ric married British production designer Simone Piaskowski in 2015.
