Richard James Cosnett (born 6 April 1983) is a Zimbabwean-Australian actor and producer.

[3][4] He is known for playing the roles of Wes Maxfield in The Vampire Diaries, Elias Harper in Quantico, and Eddie Thawne in The Flash.

[1] His family took part in community musical theater there, which made him interested in acting from an early age.

[11] When he was seventeen, his family decided to move to Queensland, Australia, in large part due to land reforms in Zimbabwe.

[citation needed] He originally received a scholarship to study music but graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Acting.