Angel Star J. August Richards Celebrates 20th Anniversary of His First Appearance

Back in October, fans of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off, Angel, celebrated the show’s 20th anniversary. Most of the show’s cast reunited at New York Comic-Con last year to honor the show’s big anniversary, and shared some fun details about the series. Now, one of the main cast members is celebrating another big anniversary. J. August Richards, who played Charles Gunn on Angel, took to Instagram today to honor the fact that he first appeared on the show 20 years ago today. Richards first played Gunn in “War Zone,” the 20th episode of the show’s first season. He became a series regular in the show’s second season and remained on the show until it ended in 2004.

“20 years ago today, Charles Gunn made his first appearance/television debut on the BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER spinoff ANGEL (WB)!!! It was definitely a role that launched the career I have today and I have Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt to thank for that… I am also grateful to the fans for sticking with me and supporting me for all these years. Check my InstaStory later today for a few of my favorite gifs and moments… #btvs #angel #CharlesGunn,” Richards wrote. You can check out the post below:

Last month, Richards, who is also known for playing Deathlok on Agents of SHIELD, made headlines after he came out as gay. While chatting with his Council of Dads co-star Sarah Wayne Callies on Instagram Live, he said the following:

“If I think about why I even got involved in this industry, it was really to combat oppression,” Richards explained. “I knew how I was affected by the people of color I saw on television, or that I didn’t see on television, so this being a married, gay man, with a family … on television, I don’t take anything I do lightly, and you have an opportunity to put an image into millions of homes. I wanted that image to be honest and I wanted it to be correct.” He added, “Honestly, it required me to show up fully in a way that I don’t always when I’m working. I knew that I could not portray this gay man honestly without letting you all know that I am a gay man myself. I’ve never done that with the people that I’ve worked with.” Richards concluded, “That responsibility carried me to do that because I knew how important it is to other people out there like me, who would need to see that role model.”

Angel is currently streaming on Hulu.