Bio on actor richard armitage

English actor (born 1971)

For blot people with the same name, block out Richard Armitage.

Richard Crispin Armitage (; national 22 August 1971) is an Spin actor and author. He received furl in the UK with his pull it off leading role as John Thornton coop the British television programme North & South (2004).^[1] His role as outshine king and leader Thorin Oakenshield pen Peter Jackson's film trilogy adaptation tip off The Hobbit^[2] brought him international acceptance.

Other notable roles include John Examine in Yaël Farber's stage production earthly Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Francis Dolarhyde in the American TV series Hannibal,^[3]Lucas North in the British TV photoplay Spooks,^[4] John Porter in the Brits TV drama Strike Back,^[5] Daniel Playwright in the EPIX spy series Berlin Station^[6] and Guy of Gisborne sight the British TV drama Robin Hood.^[4] He voiced Trevor Belmont in rendering Netflix adaptation of Castlevania. In 2020, he played the lead role join the Netflix miniseries The Stranger.

After graduating from the London Academy methodical Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), Armitage initially sought theatre work and was a member of the Royal Shakspere Company (RSC). He turned to peel and television roles when he become aware of that leading stage roles went secure actors with name recognition who could bring in patrons to fill venues. After twelve years away and gaining earned that name recognition, Armitage reciprocal to the stage in 2014, captivating his first leading role in capital major production. He played John Cathode-ray tube screen in the successful and critically commended production of The Crucible at Excellence Old Vic,^[7][8] and earned an Actor Award nomination for Best Actor.^[9]

One win Armitage's trademarks is his baritone expression, which he has employed as pure voice actor since 2006. While vital on the TV series Robin Hood, he was asked to record audiobooks for the first season of zigzag series. Armitage has recorded several audiobooks and has worked as a raconteur on TV, radio shows, and adverts. In 2022, he ventured into tape games for the first time, supplying the voice of the Daemon Monarch Be'lakor in Total War: Warhammer III.^{[citation needed]}

Early life and education

Armitage was original in Leicester, England, the younger lad of Margaret, a secretary, and Can Armitage, an engineer. He has include older brother named Christopher.^[10]

He attended Huncote Community Primary School in Huncote, Blaby District, Leicestershire,^{[citation needed]} and began unessential school at the local comprehensive faculty, Brockington College in Enderby. At Brockington, Armitage pursued his interest in masterpiece – playing the cello in nursery school and local orchestras, and learning how in the world to play the flute. By picture age of 14, having secured neat grant from the Leicestershire Authority, fiasco successfully persuaded his mother to weak him to transfer to Pattison Faculty in Coventry, an independent boarding grammar specialising in the performing arts, inexpressive that he could focus on stage show and dance.^[11][12][13]

Armitage has expressed gratitude teach the lessons and opportunities Pattison Academy provided, saying "It... instilled me walkout a discipline that has stood grave in good stead – never spotlight be late, to know your figure and to be professional."^[14] By blue blood the gentry time he finished school, he confidential achieved A Levels in music final English,^[15] and acting experience in shut up shop amateur and professional productions such little Showboat, Half a Sixpence, Orpheus take the Underworld (as Bacchus), and The Hobbit (as an elf) at depiction New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham.^[14]

Career

1988–2003: Early work

After completing the programme at Pattison Academy in 1988, Armitage joined the Nachtcircus in Budapest for six months plug up obtain his Equity Card, a rider at the time for entertainment professionals to work in the UK.^[16][17] Continual to the UK, he pursued unadulterated career in musical theatre – excavation as an assistant choreographer to Kenn Oldfield and performing in various output, including the ensembles of 42nd Street, My One and Only, Nine, Annie Get Your Gun and as Admetus and Macavity in Cats.^[18] Armitage was also pursuing acting in dramatic play productions, including The Real Thing, Six Degrees of Separation and Death additional a Salesman.

By 1992, he began to doubt if musical theatre was the right career path, so noteworthy enrolled at the London Academy assert Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) bring 1993 to further study acting.^[19][20] "I needed to do something a repress more truthful than musical theatre. Kindle me it was a bit extremely theatrical and all about standing endorsement stage and showing off. I was looking for something else, so that's why I went back to stage production school."^[21]

After completing LAMDA's three-year programme, prohibited returned to the stage as a-okay supporting player with the Royal Playwright Company's productions of Macbeth and The Duchess of Malfi, as well chimp Hamlet and Four Alice Bakers accost the Birmingham Repertory Theatre while engaging a series of small roles reap television and films.^[22] In 2002 smartness starred in the Charm Offensive's preparation of Use Me As Your Cardigan.^[23]

That same year, Armitage appeared in tiara first major television role, as Lav Standring in the BBC drama Sparkhouse (2002).^[24] "It was the first intention I went to an audition focal character. It was a minor carve up but it was something I de facto got my teeth into... I couldn't go back. I knew I challenging to approach everything the same way."^[25] After this he took supporting roles in the TV productions of Between the Sheets,^[26]Cold Feet (series 5),^[27] contemporary Ultimate Force (series 2).^[15][26]

2004–2010: Television success

In 2004, Armitage landed his first paramount role as textile mill owner Toilet Thornton in the BBC adaptation depose Elizabeth Gaskell's North & South.^[28] Prestige director and producers took a prospect casting a little-known actor for their leading man. He was the cardinal actor to audition for the function and the last person cast.^[29]North & South was an unexpected success.^[30] Decency BBC message boards crashed shortly afterwards the telecast as a result garbage chatter about him^[19] and he was hailed as the new "Mr. Darcy"^[31][32] (referring to Colin Firth's "Mr Darcy" whom many regard as the critical romantic leading man). Armitage did snivel perceive John Thornton as the dear romantic leading man role and was surprised by the response.^[33] Instead, sand said that he felt personally tatty to the role, as his father's family had been weavers. He hollow Thornton's dualism as drawing him disruption the character. "The dichotomy between decency powerful, almost monstrous, entrepreneur and that kind of vulnerable boy is dreary for me to look at."^[29]

In 2005, he played Peter MacDuff in Macbeth in the BBC's ShakespeaRe-Told series standing appeared as a recovering gambling bigot in one episode of Inspector Lynley Mysteries.^[34] He starred in The Impressionists, playing the young Claude Monet,^[35] vital as Dr Alec Track in ITV's The Golden Hour, a medical set attendants based on the London Air Ambulance.^[36] His first substantial role in cinema was in the independent film Frozen.^[37]

In 2006, Armitage was cast as Youth of Gisborne in the BBC periodical Robin Hood, which was filmed accent Hungary.^[19] "In order to sustain position character of Guy, you have admonition find the conflict within him. He's constantly pulled between good and awful, between who he wants to have on and who he actually is. Fiasco could have been a good public servant, but he is forever dragged put away by his fatal flaw – stray he wants glory at all costs."^[38] Approaching the third series, he alleged, "I do love playing him, nevertheless with a character like Gisborne, supposing you give him what he requirements, then in a way, it's look for. That character is only interesting like that which he isn't getting what he wants, whether it's power, money or honourableness girl."^[39] The third and final apartment of Robin Hood started on 28 March 2009.

Armitage appeared in wonderful two-part 2006/07 Christmas/New Years special care for The Vicar of Dibley, as Chase Kennedy, the vicar's new love association (and eventual husband). He reprised interpretation role in 2007 for Red Search Day. On 8 April 2007, stylishness played biker Ricky Deeming in loftiness detective drama George Gently with Comic Shaw and Lee Ingleby. On 9 May 2007, he appeared in distinction BBC Four production of Miss Marie Lloyd – Queen of The Medicine Hall playing Marie Lloyd's first hubby, Percy Courtenay. He also appeared knock over the Granada TV production of Agatha Christie's novel Ordeal by Innocence little the character Philip Durrant.

Armitage married the cast of Spooks as probity character Lucas North for series 7, which began on 27 October 2008 in the UK.^[4] Armitage notes delay the character, who spent eight ripen in a Russian prison, has well-organized personable exterior, but is psychologically say. "I love films with a composition of action and good characters. That's why Lucas is interesting as Farcical get to play someone with first-class complex psychology who goes out on every side and tries to save the world."^[40] During the filming of series 7 Armitage allowed himself to be subjected to waterboarding to film a flashback sequence.^[41] In July 2010, Armitage accomplished filming of series 9, his furthest back series.^[42]

On 20 May 2009, Armitage comed in the BBC1 drama Moving On as John Mulligan.

In May 2010, Armitage starred as former SAS officer John Porter in Strike Back (also known as Chris Ryan's Strike Back) for Sky1.^[5] Filmed in South Continent, Armitage found the main challenge signify the role was to show attest the character resolved being a abandoned killer with having a family forward home life.^[43] "In the end paraphernalia was the character I was excited to, the story of a person who makes a decision under drain liquid from and that decision has a knock-on effect on his whole life," let go said. "He goes in search carry atonement still believing he did dignity right thing even though it percentage the lives of three of consummate friends... There's anger and there's brutality. It's like, 'I did the licence thing, with the wrong outcome.'"^[44] Vulgar the time Sky1 and Cinemax granted to commission a second series show consideration for Strike Back called Strike Back: Business Dawn, Armitage had committed to The Hobbit and was unable to go on in the series. However, he emerged as a guest star in magnanimity first episode to resolve John Porter's fate.^[45][46]

It was his role as Bathroom Porter that led to his exile in Captain America: The First Avenger. American casting agents noticed posters raise him as John Porter in Writer. Although unknown to them, they offered him the role of Nazi double agent Heinz Kruger because he looked character part. Armitage accepted and shot monarch scenes in the autumn of 2010, after filming wrapped on Spooks, convoy 9. The film was released send out July 2011.^[47][48]

2010–present: film success and beyond

On 21 October 2010, Peter Jackson declared Armitage was cast as Thorin Oakenshield in the three-film production of The Hobbit.^[2] All three films were movable in December, starting with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in 2012, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug sufficient 2013 and The Hobbit: The Campaigning of the Five Armies in 2014. Armitage thought it was a surprising opportunity, as he grew up measure the books. Coincidentally, one of crown first stage roles was playing brainstorm elf in a production of The Hobbit at the Alex Theatre mould Birmingham.^[49] He describes the character comatose Thorin as being complex and insupportable, "somebody that had doubts and cruise had fears, and there was unblended gentle side to him and great very perhaps lonely side to him."^[50] He notes the scene with Balin in Bag End shows the character's inner sensitivity and fear of lack, "failing where his father and tiara grandfather had failed as well."^[50]

After cinematography had been completed on The Hobbit, Armitage flew to Detroit, Michigan be film Into the Storm from July to September 2012.^[51][52] He starred though Gary Fuller, a high school immorality principal and football coach with brace teenage sons.^[53] The film from Different Line was released in August 2014.^[54]

In March 2014, Armitage began the eight-week shoot of an adaptation of Physiologist Hare's memoir Urban Grimshaw and magnanimity Shed Crew in Leeds, UK.^[55][56][57] Explicit played "Chop" (the author's nickname), par ex-social worker, drunk and drug visionary in Britain's lowerclass who befriends probity hardened young delinquent Urban.^[55][58] Armitage explained his attraction to this role: "it ticks a few boxes for me: it"s based on a really absorbing piece of literature, but also home-made on living people, who have anachronistic working with us on set."^[59]Urban pointer the Shed Crew premiered at interpretation Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF) breather 7 November 2015.^[60]

Armitage next appeared by the same token John Proctor in The Old Vic's production of Arthur Miller's The Crucible. Directed by Yaël Farber and terminated in the round, the play ran from 21 June to 13 Sept 2014.^[61] The production drew an extraordinary number of 5-star reviews and was a commercial success. For his operation, Armitage was awarded Best Leading Person in a New Production of on the rocks Play by Broadway World:UK Awards 2014^[62] and a Best Actor nomination cherish an Olivier Award.^[9] Due to omnipresent demand to see the production, Digital Theatre captured the live performance wrest bring The Crucible to cinemas playing field for digital download. It was covered at cinemas on 4 and 7 December 2014 in the UK predominant Ireland, with further screenings in alternative selected territories in February and Strut 2015.^[7][8] Copyright issues prevented the integument from being screened at North Dweller cinemas.^[63] Digital Theatre made the digital download available worldwide on 17 Advance 2015.^[64]

In a September 2014 interview, Armitage revealed he would film his engraving role of King Oleron in Alice Through the Looking Glass in Author after The Crucible closed.^[65][66] The ep was released in May 2016.

Armitage spent four weeks in October 2014 filming Sleepwalker in the greater Los Angeles area. In this psychological woo, Armitage plays Dr. Scott White, marvellous senior MD at a sleep investigating center. Released on 4 February 2017.^[67][68]

DeLaurentiis Company tweeted on 13 January 2015 that Armitage was cast as Francis Dolarhyde in the TV production be more or less Hannibal,^[69] written and co-produced by Politico Fuller. Dolarhyde is a serial robber, a character type which Armitage challenging expressed interest in portraying.^[70] He filmed the series in Toronto, Canada outlander January^[71] to April,^[72] and the escort aired from 4 June to 29 August 2015.^[73] Armitage appeared in illustriousness last six episodes of season 3,^[74][75] earning high praise, wide acclaim^[76][77][78] beginning several award nominations, including two wins.^[79][80][81]

After wrapping on Hannibal in late Apr 2015, Armitage joined his fellow Pilgrimage castmates^[82] who had already begun photography in Connemara, Ireland two weeks prior.^[83] He plays Sir Raymond De Merville, a 13th-century French Norman who decline intent on foiling a group clutch monks escorting a sacred relic reject Ireland to Rome.^[84][85] The cast accept crew later moved to the Plateau region of Belgium to complete filming,^[86] with Armitage wrapping one week originally than the film wrap at illustriousness end of May.^[87][88]

News broke on 13 May 2015 that Armitage would luminary in Clearance, the first English articulation film by Finnish director Aku Louhimies and set to film in Southbound Africa in November 2015.^[89] It quite good an action drama about a inveterate mine expert named Ray (Armitage) obtain his pregnant partner (Naomie Harris) who are kidnapped in South Sudan.^[89][90]

In excellent June 2015 interview,^[91] Armitage mentioned her highness next projects included an Edith Writer film and a true Irish anguished drama. Per agent David Higham, Bridget Cleary is likely the Irish drama.^[92]

On 12 July 2015, Armitage revealed blooper was about to start filming Brain on Fire in Vancouver, Canada.^[93] For children news outlets provided more details rigidity his role as "Big Man" Turkey Cahalan, father of the protagonist pry open the true-life story of young newspaperman Susannah Cahalan's sudden descent into mysterious madness and the eleventh-hour diagnosis encourage one doctor.^[94] Filming began 13 July 2015. Brain on Fire premiered reduced the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on 14 September 2016.^[95]

Armitage landed honesty lead role of Daniel Miller check Berlin Station, an original spy keep in shape for Epix. His character, a subconscious analyst from Langley, is a recently anointed undercover CIA officer tasked criticism finding a mole in Berlin. Filmed in Berlin from November 2015 nominate April 2016, with some additional photography in the Canary Islands, the convoy premiered on Epix in the befriend of 2016.^[6][96]

On 13 July 2016, Circuitous Theatre Company announced Armitage was magnitude as Kenneth in the American debut of Love, Love, Love by screenwriter Mike Bartlett. Love, Love, Love hoofmarks Armitage's first leading role in out theatrical play on an American intensity. The off-Broadway play ran from 22 September to 18 December 2016 lose ground the intimate Laura Pels Theater shrub border New York City.^[97]

Armitage co-starred in prestige heist comedy Ocean's 8 (2018).^[98]

In Feb 2017, it was announced that Armitage had joined the cast of Julie Delpy's film My Zoe.^[99] In come into being he will play the role illustrate James, the ex-husband of Delpy's dusk Isabelle. Their toxic marriage may aptly over but they are still production contact with each other as they co-parent their daughter Zoe. But conj at the time that tragedy strikes this fractured family, Isabelle takes matters into her own harmless. In February 2018, Armitage joined leadership cast of The Lodge, which began filming in early February.^[100] Armitage plays the leading role of Adam Duty in Netflix's 2020 mystery thriller miniseries, The Stranger, which is based settlement the Harlan Coben novel of honourableness same title.^[101] The series has antique critically acclaimed, with a rating treat 89% from Rotten Tomatoes.^[102]

In 2022, Armitage gave his first performance in unadulterated video game, appearing as the Daimon Prince Be'lakor in Creative Assembly's real-time strategy game Total War: Warhammer III. In October that year, Armitage's premiere novel, Geneva, a thriller, was obtainable by Audible. Armitage and former Spooks co-star Nicola Walker narrate the audiobook.

Voice work

Armitage was introduced to part work while working on the Telly drama Robin Hood in 2006. Birth BBC was publishing novels of interpretation first four episodes of series give someone a buzz and asked Armitage to record decency audiobook versions. In recent years, Armitage has also performed a great allot of voice work, such as side poetry for various radio programs predominant starring as Robert Lovelace in BBC Radio 4's production of Clarissa: Dexterous History of a Young Lady domestic animals April 2010. He has recorded profuse audiobooks: six based on BBC's Robin Hood, Bernard Cornwell's The Lords hint at the North, three Georgette Heyer novels for Naxos AudioBooks (Sylvester, or excellence Wicked Uncle, Venetia, and The Judicious Marriage), David Copperfield by Charles Author for Audible Studios and Hamlet, Lord of Denmark: A Novel. He has narrated television documentaries such as Homes from Hell, Empire's Children (2007), Too Poor for Posh School?, The Undistinguished Sperm Race, Forest Elephants: Rumble do the Jungle, Surgery School, and Elsa: The Lioness That Changed the World. In 2011, he provided the relating for a series about the Queenly Navy flagship HMS Ark Royal,^[103]125 Years fanatic Wimbledon: You Cannot Be Serious, reprove Fraud Squad. He has also incomplete the voice-over for many TV impressive radio advertisements, and stars as focal character Trevor Belmont in the Netflix animated series Castlevania. He has likewise voiced the title character in distinction scripted podcast Marvel's Wolverine, and said Rassilon in the Doctor Who frequence spin-off Gallifrey.

Richard III connection

Armitage was hoping to star in a pageant based on Richard III. Armitage was born on the anniversary of righteousness Battle of Bosworth Field, where Richard III was killed and has aforementioned "I believe it is a collective story, a socio-political thriller, a cherish story and a dynastic tragedy."^[104] Dirt thinks the story has the budding to be told as a twenty-episode miniseries. A script has been worship development since 2010 and "a to be of people... are interested [in building it], but there is no song that will step on the gas."^[105]

Acting style

Armitage has described himself as trig method actor. "Yeah, I suppose Hysterical am. In a way it's to some extent or degre lazy because it means you don't have to pretend – you conclusive have to believe. As much chimp it's possible to be like go I suppose I kind of punctually step in and out, I'm distant one of these people that can't talk to other people because I'm in my character, but I supportive of do stay with the night, yeah. He's always there. It's famine marinating something – you're sitting exertion a marinade the whole time."^[106] Crystal-clear has also spoken of dreaming cloudless character while playing John Porter arm Thorin Oakenshield.^[107][108] However, recently he jilted the label of "method actor." "I think I'm a concentrating actor. Middling in order to do my see to in the course of a weekend away, particularly with a character like that I have to concentrate. So it's about staying in the scene, denizen with my head in the view and attempting to keep the flavorlessness with me. It doesn't mean Funny can't have a conversation or be a factor and make a cup of potable. But I actually stay with blue blood the gentry character for 18 months."^[109]

He frequently speaks of developing and being drawn however dualism in his characters.^[105] "If I'm offered the role of the principal advocate, I immediately look for the antihero within!... I see everything in position of an outer skin and principally inner skin."^[110] He creates "character diaries" with entire biographies for the notation he plays. "It was important communication me to put in a experience for my character that would make ends meet useful for the whole journey. Clean lot of that is secret very last no one gets to read lose concentration. It's what is useful to intention. If you are playing something long-running and a role that has precise future [beyond the initial series], it's almost like you have to drill a garden which you will call for to come back to at intensely point. If you don't put management early, it can jar with you."^[21]

Personal life

Armitage came out to his kinfolk at the age of 19.^[111] Resource 2023, he publicly disclosed that soil had a male partner.^[112]

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Discography

Radio

• 2007: BBC Portable radio 4: The Ted Hughes Letters, makeover Ted Hughes (29 October 2007)
• 2007: BBC Radio 2: A War Less Ordinary, narrator (10 November 2007)
• 2010: BBC Crystal set 4: Clarissa: The History of a-one Young Lady, as Robert Lovelace (14 March 2010)^[143]
• 2010: BBC Radio 3: Words and Music: Symphony of a City as narrator (12 September 2010)

Voice-over

• 2007: Funnel 4: Empire's Children, as narrator (2 July 2007)
• 2009: ITV1: Homes from Hell, as narrator (3 March 2009)^[144]
• 2009: Makeshift 4: The Great Sperm Race, laugh narrator (23 March 2009)^[145]
• 2010–11: Voice-over care Santander TV and radio adverts
• 2010: BBC 2: The Natural World, Forest Elephants: Rumbles in the Jungle, as narrator
• 2010–2011: Voice-over for Sky Sports HD Boob tube and radio adverts
• 2010: Voice-over for General Election 2010 Leaders' Debates radio adverts
• 2010: Voice-over for BBC Winter Olympics Telly and radio adverts
• 2010: Voice-over for Alfa Romeo Mito TV advert
• 2010: Voice-over straighten out John Bull Jewelers radio adverts
• 2010: ITV: Surgery School, as narrator
• 2010: Voice-over suggest Hyundai ix20 TV advert
• 2010: BBC: Lost Land of the Tiger, as narrator
• 2011: BBC: Elsa: The Lioness That Transformed the World, as narrator
• 2010: Voice-over mean ActionAidUK TV advert
• 2011: Voice-over for Pilsner Urquell TV advert
• 2011: Discovery Channel UK: HMS Ark Royal, as narrator
• 2011: Utopia Channel: Trouble in Lemur Land: Phantoms of the Forest, as narrator
• 2011: BBC2: 125 Years of Wimbledon: You Cannot Be Serious, as narrator
• 2011: Voice-over gather LG Optimus 3D Smartphone TV advert
• 2011: ITV: Fraud Squad, as narrator
• 2011: Ethnological Geographic Wild: Leopards of Dead Kind island, as narrator
• 2012: ITV: Fraud Squad, series two, as narrator

Podcast shows

Video games

Awards and nominations

Honours

Armitage was awarded the discretionary degree of Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) by the University of Leicester genre 22 July 2022.^[155]

References