Richard Harmon

Richard Harmon
PerformerCaprica
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Portrays:	Tad Thorean/"Heracles"
Date of Birth:	August 18, 1991
Date of Death:	Missing required parameter 1=month! ,
Age:	34
Nationality:	CAN
Related Media
		@ BW Media
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IMDb profile

Richard Scott Harmon (born August 18, 1991) is a Canadian actor who portrayed Tad Thorean, also known as "Heracles," in Caprica. Harmon is best known for his role as John Murphy in The CW's post-apocalyptic series The 100, where he appeared in 90 episodes from 2014 to 2020. He is the younger brother of actress Jessica Harmon, who also appeared on The 100 as Niylah.

Early Life and Family

Richard Harmon was born on August 18, 1991, in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. He comes from a prominent entertainment family in Vancouver. His father, Allan Harmon, is a director and former first assistant director, while his mother, Cynde Harmon, is a producer. His older sister, Jessica Harmon, is an actress, stunt performer, and director.

Despite his family's deep industry connections, Harmon was initially determined to succeed independently:

I'm very prideful... I didn't want anyone to think that I got to where I was because of my parents being in the industry. I hid from it like you wouldn't believe.

—Richard Harmon, Pop City Life interview, June 2014

However, he acknowledged his family's influence on his passion for filmmaking. Reflecting on childhood visits to his father's sets, Harmon recalled:

My dad, he's a director now, but he was the first assistant director when I was young, which to me, will forever be the hardest job on a film set... I went and visited him a few times... that's where I kind of got implanted, that a film set is sort of like my Disneyland, you know? It's the most exciting place in the world.

—Richard Harmon, American Studies interview, May 2025

Harmon followed his sister Jessica into acting after observing her early success. As he explained in a 2014 interview:

I got into acting because my sister had gotten into it before me, and I wanted to give it a try. My love for the job came a little bit later, but now there is nothing else in the world I'd rather be doing.

—Richard Harmon, Fielding on Film interview, May 2014

His first screen appearance came in the 1998 direct-to-video release Really Real Films, a children's film produced by his mother.

Career

Early Work

Harmon's professional acting career began at age 11 when he appeared in the science fiction series Jeremiah in 2002. Throughout the mid-2000s, he accumulated guest-starring roles on various television series while developing his craft. However, at age 15, Harmon nearly quit acting altogether, uncertain about his future in the industry.

The role that convinced him to continue came in 2007's Trick 'r Treat, the horror anthology film directed by Michael Dougherty. Harmon portrayed a teenager in one of the film's interwoven Halloween tales. Reflecting on this pivotal experience, he explained:

I was going to quit... Let's go out with a bang. I booked a different job and I was like, okay, let's do one more, then I booked that job and things just started working out. But I was still dead set thinking I'm not gonna make a career out of this. I don't think that I have what it takes really. Eventually I booked Trick 'r Treat and that was the first movie that I really felt like part of the family on that set and Mike Dougherty did such a great job with that movie.

—Richard Harmon, Swagger Magazine interview

The immersive production, which used approximately 12,000 bags of dead leaves and 15,000 pumpkins, convinced Harmon he could not abandon his passion for acting. Though Trick 'r Treat experienced a delayed release, it eventually achieved cult classic status among horror enthusiasts.

Breakthrough Roles

Harmon's career trajectory shifted significantly with his casting in AMC's critically acclaimed crime drama The Killing in 2012. He portrayed Jasper Ames, a troubled teenager involved in the show's central murder mystery. Despite appearing in only six episodes, the role significantly raised his profile. Reflecting on the experience in 2014, Harmon noted:

The Killing to this day is still probably the project I get the most recognition from, six episodes on that show did so much for my career, and I'm incredibly grateful for it. Jasper was a bit of a difficult guy to play on account of he's just such a deplorable little piece of filth, but if you look closer at him you can find the reasons why.

—Richard Harmon, Fielding on Film interview, May 2014

Working alongside established actors Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman exposed Harmon to higher production standards:

The Killing was an incredible experience for me and I'd never done something of that level before, that's for sure. It opened more doors for me and I had the opportunity to work with amazing actors such as Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman. Even the great young actors they had on that show really helped me understand what it took to be better and sent me on a path to work harder than I used to.

—Richard Harmon, Swagger Magazine interview

Following The Killing, Harmon joined the cast of the Canadian science fiction series Continuum as the recurring character Julian Randol, a young anarchist destined to become a revolutionary figure. His nuanced performance earned him a Leo Award for Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series in 2013. Harmon credited the role with expanding his abilities:

Continuum gave me the opportunity as an actor to really test myself and take risks. It completely changed me in the sense that I think I became a much better actor after and told an incredible story.

—Richard Harmon, Swagger Magazine interview

Harmon's most significant career opportunity came in 2014 when he was cast in The CW's post-apocalyptic drama The 100. Originally hired for a minor role designated as "John No. 1," Harmon was expected to appear in only a few episodes. However, series creator Jason Rothenberg recognized Harmon's potential and expanded the character, eventually giving him the surname Murphy. Harmon initially auditioned for the role of Bellamy Blake, but his interpretation ultimately proved better suited for the morally complex Murphy.

In an early 2014 interview, Harmon described his character:

I really love Murphy. The way I would describe him is kind of like a dog with rabies who gets off his leash; he's relentless. He's a wild card if ever there was one.

—Richard Harmon, Fielding on Film interview, May 2014

He contrasted Murphy with his Continuum character Julian Randol, noting that Julian "fights his battles mentally not physically," while Murphy was more physically volatile.

John Murphy evolved from antagonist to antihero over the course of the series, with Harmon appearing as a guest star in the first two seasons before being promoted to series regular for season three. Reflecting on the show's impact on his life, Harmon stated:

The 100 was the biggest life changing experience I've ever had in my life. Honestly, my life doesn't even resemble itself from before The 100. It honestly changed my life forever and I couldn't be more grateful and what an incredible character to play. He [John Murphy] might be my favorite character of all time.

—Richard Harmon, Swagger Magazine interview

One of Harmon's most challenging scenes came in the season three premiere, which opened with Murphy trapped alone in a bunker for months. The extended sequence required intense physical and emotional commitment:

The first scene in the season was one of the most, if not the most fun times I've had on set. It meant a lot to me that they trusted me with the first scene of the season, especially with something so difficult. I remember when they pitched it to me like it's going to be you, just a montage, it's going to get crazy. And I was like "I can absolutely do that."

—Richard Harmon, NoWhiteNoise interview, March 2016

The role also required significant physical transformation, including growing his hair long and adding a prosthetic beard for the bunker scenes. Harmon's work on The 100 earned him additional Leo Award wins in 2020 and 2021 for Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series.

Film Work

Alongside his television success, Harmon maintained an active film career. In 2013, he appeared in If I Had Wings, a family drama directed by his father Allan Harmon. His other film credits include the horror sequel Grave Encounters 2 (2012), the romantic drama The Age of Adaline (2015) starring Blake Lively, and the supernatural thriller Woodland (2018), in which he also served as executive producer.

Recent Work

Following The 100's conclusion in 2020, Harmon starred in Fakes, a CBC Gem and Netflix dark comedy series that premiered in September 2022. The series, partly based on true events, follows two high school girls who accidentally create one of North America's largest fake ID operations. Harmon portrayed a drug dealer who becomes entangled in expanding their criminal enterprise.

In 2025, Harmon appeared in Final Destination: Bloodlines, the sixth installment in the long-running Final Destination horror franchise. His involvement represented both a personal challenge and a responsibility to the series' legacy:

It was the fear of tarnishing a legacy that I personally loved from the time that I was 11 years old. When you're given the opportunity to do something like this, you want to do right by it because the people who made it before, they did everything right.

—Richard Harmon, American Studies interview, May 2025

The film received positive critical reception for reinvigorating the franchise.

Acting Approach

Harmon has developed a distinctive preparation method for his roles, particularly for complex characters like John Murphy. He creates extensive character playlists to maintain emotional continuity, a practice he has employed throughout his career. In 2014, he explained:

I always make a music playlist for each role I get. Music brings the character's world to life. I don't draw from my own experiences; acting for me isn't therapy. I live a very normal life and acting is where I get to have my fun, so I leave as much of me at the door as I can.

—Richard Harmon, Fielding on Film interview, May 2014

By 2021, his approach had evolved into an even more elaborate system:

I have a playlist for Murphy that's probably a thousand songs long now. Every time I read a new script, I listen to music, and whatever I listened to while I was reading it gets added to the playlist. So before a season starts, I'll just put that whole playlist on shuffle and listen to it for days.

—Richard Harmon, Pop-Culturalist interview, August 2021

As a lifelong horror enthusiast, Harmon gravitates toward genre work and morally ambiguous characters. He cited actor Matthew Lillard's performance in Scream as a major influence on his own approach to villainous and unpredictable roles:

Matthew Lillard... is the most underrated actor of a generation... I base a lot of what I do off of Lillard in that movie. When you watch the movie, you should know he's the bad guy from the very beginning, but you don't because he commits so much to the lunacy that you're just like, 'This guy's just a goof, you know?' But really, he's batshit crazy, and I love that.

—Richard Harmon, American Studies interview, May 2025

Harmon's preference for playing psychologically complex antagonists has defined much of his career trajectory, from Julian Randol in Continuum to John Murphy in The 100 to his various horror film roles. When asked in 2014 about being typecast as "smart ass" characters, he responded philosophically:

I'm not worried about being typecast; that ship sailed years ago. I don't mind it, though. I love the characters I play, without a doubt I usually find them more interesting than any of the other characters I could be playing. Most people are typecast. I think mine is just a little more obvious. I know I can do more than just be bad, and eventually, I'm sure everyone else will, too.

—Richard Harmon, Fielding on Film interview, May 2014

Awards and Recognition

Harmon has received numerous accolades throughout his career, particularly for his work in Canadian television. His Leo Award wins include:

• 2011: Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series for Tower Prep
• 2013: Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series for Continuum
• 2020: Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series for The 100
• 2021: Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series for The 100
• 2023: Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series for Fakes
• 2023: Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series for The Spencer Sisters

He also won Best Actor at the 2020 New York City Horror Film Festival for his role in Woodland. Additionally, Harmon received the Standout Performance Award at the 2020 Whistler Film Festival for the same film.

Personal Life

Harmon is in a relationship with actress Sarah Dugdale, whom he began dating around 2017. He continues to collaborate professionally with family members, including his father Allan and sister Jessica, on various projects throughout his career.

An avid sports fan, Harmon is a passionate supporter of Notre Dame football, having dreamed of attending the university since childhood. He is also a dedicated fan of the animated series SpongeBob SquarePants, musicians Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones, and lists The Big Lebowski among his favorite films.

During an interview in 2013, Harmon mentioned owning a Smart Car named Marcus. He is also an enthusiastic escape room participant, having completed numerous rooms across Vancouver with friends.

As of 2014, Harmon was an active player of Warhammer, which he described as "like three hobbies in one." He has expressed interest in directors the Coen Brothers and Woody Allen, and among actors would most like to work with Paul Dano, Willem Dafoe, and Oscar Isaac.

In reflecting on his career aspirations, Harmon expressed a simple but profound goal:

I would love to break an 80 in golf. I'm a big golfer, but I'm evidently not a very good one. For acting, it remains the same that it's always been. I would like to work constantly until the day I die as that would make me wildly happy and content.

—Richard Harmon, Swagger Magazine interview

References