Richard Weston was born on the Wirral, September 24th 1991. His mother and father were both involved in academia during his childhood, as a primary school teacher and university lecturer respectively. His sister Eleanor Thompson is also an actor, appearing in one of his films, and has collaborated with his brother Laurence Thompson on various projects. Expressing a desire to act, direct and write from a very early age, he made his first feature film The Young (2011) at 19 and won an Honorable Mention at the Los Angeles Movie Awards.

Weston went on to train at East 15 Acting School before completing two feature films at his time there, namely Saddenly Now (2016) and Precipice Hours (2014). In 2017, Weston began directing his Wilfred Owen biopic The Burying Party (2018), completing it in time for the 100th anniversary of his death. Applauded for its 'visual poetry', The Burying Party won multiple awards, including Best Director at the Los Angeles Movie Awards and Best UK Feature Film after its premiere at the New Renaissance Film Festival in London.