He was born to his parents Katherine Marie (Bouligney) and Wilmon Lee Richardson in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States of America. His father Lee is a former prominent attorney. He and his team challenged the segregation of public transportation in Baton Rouge.
Before marrying Wilmon, Katherine was married to another man. Don discovered that Wilmon Lee was his father at the age of 5. Don holds American nationality by birth but belongs to African-American ancestry. His maternal grandmother was born to a black mother and a white father with French and Scots-Irish ancestry.
