Brian Blessed

Infobox actor
name = Brian Blessed

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caption = Brian Blessed at Cambridge Film Festival 2007
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birthplace = Mexborough, Yorkshire, England
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spouse = Hildegarde Neil
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Brian Blessed (pronounced /IPA|ˈblɛsɪd/; born 9 October 1937) is an English actor, author and adventurer, widely recognised thanks to his imposing stature, distinctive booming voice, and trademark beard.

Early life

The son of William Blessed, a staunchly Socialist miner, and Hilda Wall, Blessed was born in Mexborough, near Doncaster, Yorkshire, England [cite web |url=http://www.nndb.com/people/866/000084614/ |title=Brian Blessed |publisher=NNDB |accessdate=2008-05-05 ] . He attended Bolton-on-Dearne Secondary Modern School, but was forced to leave school early due to family financial troubles, and spent several unhappy years working at a variety of jobs, ranging from undertaker to plasterer's assistant to time in the RAF. He suffered a nervous breakdown at the age of 18, from which he recovered to pursue an acting career, beginning his training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He has written about his early life in his autobiography, "Dynamite Kid" (1992).

Career

At the beginning of his career, Blessed had small roles in such cult shows as "The Avengers" and the original "Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)". His first well-known role was that of PC 'Fancy' Smith in the BBC police drama "Z Cars" from 1962 to 1965.

He then went on to portray Caesar Augustus in the BBC series "I, Claudius", for which performance he won the New York Critics Award. He has appeared in a number of Shakespearean roles on both stage and screen, including four of the five Shakespeare films directed by Kenneth Branagh: as The Duke of Exeter in "Henry V", Antonio in "Much Ado About Nothing", The Ghost of Hamlet's Father in "Hamlet" and the dual role of Duke Frederick and Duke Senior in "As You Like It".

Other roles have emphasised his comedic abilities: notably Prince Vultan in "Flash Gordon" (1980); the mad, comic figure of Richard IV in the first series of "The Black Adder" (1983); and Spiro in the BBC adaptation of "My Family and Other Animals" (1987). [cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5339326.stm |date=15 September 2006 |title=Gerald Durrell's lasting legacy |accessdate=2008-05-05 ] He also played the role of General Yevlenko in the 1988 mini-series "War and Remembrance". Blessed claims he almost starred in "Blackadder II" (1986) as Queen Elizabeth but he wasn't available at the time of filming. [cite web|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2001/aug/22/climbingholidays.livechats?page=3 |date=22 August2001 |title=Brian Blessed Web Chat |publisher=The Guardian |accessdate=2008-09-01 ]

He provided the vocal links on the Sony-Award-winning Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show on Virgin Radio and introduced adverts for Orange mobile phones. At Christmas 2006, he presented a panto "Cinderella" for Virgin Radio starring actors such as David Tennant and Thandie Newton. In November 2006, Blessed made a surprise appearance on the midday talk show "Loose Women".Also, he is featured reading the story "The White City Part 1" which is the final piece on the album .

Demonstrating his versatility, Blessed has also starred in Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Cats" as both Old Deuteronomy and Bustopher Jones during the original London production. In 2002, under the direction of Royal Shakespeare Company director, Adrian Noble, Blessed originated the role of Baron Bomburst for the stage musical version of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ", for which he received tremendous acclaim.

In late 2007 and early 2008, Blessed starred in the panto version of "Peter Pan" as Captain Hook at the Grove Theatre in Dunstable.

Other achievements

Blessed is also an adventurer. He climbed Mont Blanc at the age of seventeen, and he has remained an active mountaineer throughout his life. [cite web |url=http://www.easyjetinflight.com/features/2002/apr02/brian_bless.html |title=Brian Blessed |first=Josh |last=Sims |publisher=EasyJet Inflight |accessdate=2008-05-05 ] Though he has never reached the summit, he has tried to climb Mount Everest on three separate occasions. During his attempt in 1993, the then 56-year-old climbed higher than any other man of his age; the height record was later broken by Yuichiro Miura in 2003. He has successfully climbed Aconcagua in Argentina as well as Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. He also holds the record for being the oldest man to trek on foot to the magnetic North Pole, [cite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2003/jul/29/features11.g23 |title=Why I love Brian Blessed |first=Leo |last=Benedictus |publisher=The Guardian |date=July 29 2003 |accessdate=2008-05-05 ] and has undertaken an expedition deep into the jungles of Venezuela.

In 2004, he sang on "Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes" as Luciano Pavarotti. Blessed is also known for his football knowledge and appeared as an expert on the British satellite station UKTV G2 during the 2006 World Cup. He also appeared on "A Question of Sport" in 2006 and was a guest host of "Have I Got News for You" in May 2008. In the same month he appeared as a guest on "The Paul O'Grady Show".

He is the current President of the Television and Radio Industries Club (TRIC), an organisation which honours achievers in the film and radio industries. He has honorary degrees from the University of Bradford, awarded in July 2003, and Sheffield Hallam University, awarded in 2004.

Personal life

Blessed now lives in Surrey. He married the actress Hildegarde Neil Zimmermann in 1978 and they have one daughter, Rosalind. He also has a number of dogs.

Blessed is a lifelong friend of another noted Shakespearean and sci-fi veteran Patrick Stewart, whom he first met at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Selected TV and film work

* 1962–1965 – "Z Cars" – PC "Fancy" Smith
* 1966 – "The Three Musketeers" – Porthos
* 1967 – "The Avengers" – Mark Dayton
* 1968 – "The Avengers" – Sergeant Hearn
* 1968 – "Cold Comfort Farm" – Reuben Starkadder
* 1969 – "Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)"
* 1972 – "Arthur of the Britons" – Mark of Cornwall
* 1975 – "The Sweeney" (British TV series) – Frank Kemble, boss of a gang of criminals
* 1976 – "" – Dr. Cabot Rowland, and Mentor ( father) (his wife Hildegard Neil appeared in a third episode of this series)
* 1976 – "I, Claudius" – Augustus
* 1977 – "Survivors" – Brod in the episode "Law of the Jungle"
* 1978 – "Blake's 7" – Vargas in the episode "Cygnus Alpha"
* 1980 – "Flash Gordon" – Prince Vultan
* 1980 - "The Little World of Don Camillo" BBC TV - [as Peppone]
* 1980 – "The Joy of Bach" (TV) – J.S. Bach / Himself
* 1983 - "Great Little Railways" (BBC television series)
* 1983 – "The Black Adder" – Richard IV
* 1983 – "High Road to China" – Suleiman Khan
* 1986 – "Doctor Who" – King Yrcanos in the serial "The Trial of a Time Lord": "Mindwarp"
* 1986 – "Return to Treasure Island" – Long John Silver
* 1987 – "My Family and Other Animals" (TV) – Spiro
* 1989 – "Henry V" – Exeter
* 1989 - "Minder, 1989" - Detective
* 1991 – "" – Lord Locksley
* 1991 – "Galahad of Everest" – George Mallory
* 1991 - "Lovejoy" – Harry Catapodis – International Antiques Dealer
* 1993 – "Much Ado About Nothing" – Signor Antonio
* 1994 – "MacGyver: Lost Treasure of Atlantis" – Atticus
* 1996 – "Hamlet" – Ghost
* 1997 - Bonnington 1997 BBC TV Drama
* 1999 – "King Lear" – King Lear
* 1999 – "Tarzan" – Clayton (voice)
* 1999 – - Boss Nass (voice)
* 1999 – "The Big Knights" (animated Children's BBC TV series) – Sir Morris (voice)
* 1999-2000 - "Nexus" (Game show) - Presenter
* 2002 – "Kingdom Hearts" "Clayton" – (video game) (voice)
* 2004 – "Alexander" – wrestling trainer
* 2005 – "Weebl and Bob" flash cartoon – Narrator
* 2006 – "Rome Total War: Alexander" – Narrator
* 2006 - "Mist: Tale of a Sheepdog Puppy "(Sir Gregory)""
* 2007 – "Back in Business" – Trevor Pilkington
* 2007 – "Demands of Levitating Heavy Stones Pt1" "Voice of the Prism" – ("song by Transept") (voice)
* 2008 - "" - Narrator
* 2008 - "Have I Got News for You" (hosted on 2 May 2008)
* 2008 - "Daily Cooks Challenge" - Guest Judge
* 2008 - "The Wrong Door" - Pirate Leader
* 2008 - "Unbeatable Banzuke" - Banzuke Brian, Host/Voice-over

Bibliography

*"The Turquoise Mountain: Brian Blessed on Everest" (1991)
*"Dynamite Kid" (1992)
*"Nothing's Impossible" (1994)
*"To the Top of the World" (1995)
*"Quest for the Lost World" (1999)

References

External links

*
* [http://aimagents.com/actors/brbl.htm Biography] on agent's website
* [http://tric.org.uk TRIC] The Television and Radio Industries Club
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Erh4HBVDxBs&feature=related Brian Blessed on "Have I Got News For You"] , YouTube (contains swearing)

Persondata
NAME= Blessed, Brian
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Actor
DATE OF BIRTH= 9 October 1937
PLACE OF BIRTH= Mexborough, England
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=