Sam Riegel.

The Riegel family welcomed Sam on October 9, 1976 in Washington, D.C. He has an older sister, actress Eden Riegel, and a younger half-sister, film editor Tatiana S. Riegel. These family connections to the entertainment industry influenced his career path.

He attended the University of Virginia, studying theater and voice acting before moving to Los Angeles.

In 2015, Riegel co-founded Critical Role, a live-streamed Dungeons & Dragons campaign that grew into a media empire. He voices the robot Fresh Cut Grass on the show and executive produced The Legend of Vox Machina for Amazon Prime Video. His voice acting career spans decades, with roles such as Donatello in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Shiro Emiya in Fate/Stay Night, and Phoenix Wright in Ace Attorney games. He won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Directing in an Animated Program for Danger & Eggs in 2018.

Riegel married cinematographer Quyen Tran, and the couple has two children, Maximus and Kestrel. On September 11, 2001, Riegel and Tran were in New York City and witnessed the attacks on the World Trade Center; they were caught in the dust cloud from the South Tower collapse but escaped to Battery Park. Tran’s footage was used in several documentaries.

Co-founding Critical Role in 2015, Riegel helped launch the actual-play phenomenon, leading to an animated series on Amazon Prime Video, merchandise, and a dedicated fan base. His voice acting, particularly as Donatello and Teddie, has endeared him to fans. He continues to direct and voice in numerous projects, and his Emmy win for Danger & Eggs highlights his versatility. He is most remembered as the voice of Fresh Cut Grass and for his role in building the Critical Role community.