Thomas Richard Christy was born in Fort Scott, Kansas on April 1, 1974. His father is a Vietnam veteran. Christy grew up in the nearby town of Redfield, on a "farm in the middle of nowhere". According to the 2010 census, the town has a population of 146.

Christy once dreamed of a career in film after he saw Brad Pitt, from nearby Springfield, Missouri, in Interview with the Vampire. He hung up posters of Pitt in his New York City apartment, and once worked at a computer store owned by Pitt's parents. He has been a fan of horror films since his youth, and rates Halloween (1978) as his favourite. In the mid-1990s, while living in Missouri, he started to make his own independent, low budget films. His first, Evil Ned 2, a horror comedy was made in 1994. This was followed by its sequel, Evil Ned 3: The Return of Evil Ned 2 - Electric Boogaloo, in 1995, with a plot involving "dirty magazines, huge hog testicles, gay monsters, Amish erotica, and evil talking ducks". The film was produced for $250, "200 of which was spent on beer". The film premiered at a Missouri hotel, and was made available online in 2007. In 2001, Christy released his feature-length film, Leaving Grunion County. Its premiere was held at the Enzian Theater in Maitland, Florida that April.  In 2006, Christy and Governale wrote, directed, and starred in the 30-minute comedy film Supertwink for Stern's on-demand digital cable service Howard Stern On Demand. It premiered at the Pioneer Theater in New York City on January 4, 2006. The film was reviewed by critic Richard Roeper, who panned it. In 2007, Christy appeared in Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay playing the role of a Ku Klux Klansman named Kenny. In the same year, he landed his first television role Rescue Me, portraying a "really creepy guy at end of bar". In 2009, he appeared as Caleb in the horror film Albino Farm. Also in 2009, Christy and Governale appeared in the 2009 horror novel Castaways, written by horror and crime novelist Brian Keene. Christy has recorded voiceovers for the Adult Swim shows Metalocalypse and Rick and Morty. He guest appeared on the Cartoon Network series Uncle Grandpa, playing Ric. Christy later made a cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as a character simply named "Down There!".  Christy has written articles for Decibel magazine about his love for horror films, named "Richard Christy's Horrorscope".

Has Christy won any awards for his work?