Brian Blessed
Brian Blessed OBE (born 9 October 1936)is an English actor. He is known for his distinctive bushy beard, booming voice, and exuberant personality and performances. He portrayed PC "Fancy" Smith in Z-Cars; Augustus in the 1976 BBC television production of I, Claudius; King Richard IV in the first series of Blackadder; Prince Vultan in Flash Gordon; Bustopher Jones and Old Deuteronomy in the 1981 original London production of Cats at the New London Theatre; Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter, in Henry V; Boss Nass in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace; and the voice of Clayton and the Tarzan yell in Disney's Tarzan. In 2016, Blessed was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the arts and charity. Blessed was born on 9 October 1936 at Montagu Hospital in Mexborough, West Riding of Yorkshire, the son of William Blessed, a socialist coal miner at Hickleton Main Colliery (and himself the son of a coal miner) and cricketer for the Yorkshire second team, and Hilda (née Wall). He had a brother Alan, seven years younger, and the pair "went everywhere together" when they were growing up. Alan Blessed died from leukaemia aged 52; their mother died aged 87, and their father died aged 99. Blessed's great-great-grandfather, Jabez Blessed, was the father of 13 children and worked as a china and glass dealer in Brigg, Lincolnshire; many of Blessed's relatives hail from Brigg. Blessed went to Bolton on Dearne Secondary Modern School, and completed his national service in the RAF, in Bicester, before enrolling at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in 1956.
Filmography
Dudley & the Invasion of the Space Slugs
as Arthur (voice)
Dudley & the Invasion of the Space Slugs
as Arthur (voice)
Time Travel Is Dangerous!
as Gavin the Octopus (voice)
Time Travel Is Dangerous!
as Gavin the Octopus (voice)
Peppa Pig: Wedding Party!
as Grampy Rabbit (voice)
Peppa Pig: Wedding Party!
as Grampy Rabbit (voice)
Peppa's Cinema Party
as Grampy Rabbit (voice)
Peppa's Cinema Party
as Grampy Rabbit (voice)
Peter O'Toole: Along the Sky Road to Aqaba
as Self
Peter O'Toole: Along the Sky Road to Aqaba
as Self
Bug-Eyed Monsters Invade the Earth!
as Narrator
Bug-Eyed Monsters Invade the Earth!
as Narrator
The Queen: 70 Glorious Years
as Self
The Queen: 70 Glorious Years
as Self
Peter O'Toole Réalta & Rógaire
as Self
Peter O'Toole Réalta & Rógaire
as Self
Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans
as Charlemagne (voice)
Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans
as Charlemagne (voice)
Dear Mr. Burton
as Narrator
Dear Mr. Burton
as Narrator
Eugenius!
as Space Lord
Eugenius!
as Space Lord
Shed of the Dead
as Narrator (voice)
Shed of the Dead
as Narrator (voice)
Robin Hood: The Rebellion
as Friar Tuck
Robin Hood: The Rebellion
as Friar Tuck
Life After Flash
as Self
Life After Flash
as Self
Peppa Pig: The Golden Boots
as Grampy Rabbit (voice)
Peppa Pig: The Golden Boots
as Grampy Rabbit (voice)
Brian Cox: Space, Time & Videotape
as Self
Brian Cox: Space, Time & Videotape
as Self
The Seventeenth Kind
as The Voice (voice)
The Seventeenth Kind
as The Voice (voice)
Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return
as Judge Jawbreaker (voice)
Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return
as Judge Jawbreaker (voice)
LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out
as Boss Nass (voice)
LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out
as Boss Nass (voice)
So You Want To Be A Pirate!
as The Pirate King
So You Want To Be A Pirate!
as The Pirate King
Tales of Television Centre
as Self
Tales of Television Centre
as Self
The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!
as The Pirate King (voice)
The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!
as The Pirate King (voice)
Wojtek: The Bear That Went to War
as Narrator
Wojtek: The Bear That Went to War
as Narrator
Mr. Bojagi
as Mr. Bojagi
Mr. Bojagi
as Mr. Bojagi
Blackadder's Most Cunning Moments
as Self
Blackadder's Most Cunning Moments
as Self
The Making of The Trial of a Time Lord
The Making of The Trial of a Time Lord
Agent Crush
as Boris Goudphater (voice)
Agent Crush
as Boris Goudphater (voice)
Back in Business
as Trevor Pilkington
Back in Business
as Trevor Pilkington
The 50 Greatest Television Dramas
as Self
The 50 Greatest Television Dramas
as Self
The Conclave
as Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomin
The Conclave
as Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomin
As You Like It
as Duke Senior/Duke Frederick
As You Like It
as Duke Senior/Duke Frederick
Mist: The Tale of a Sheepdog Puppy
as Sir Gregory (voice)
Mist: The Tale of a Sheepdog Puppy
as Sir Gregory (voice)
Day of Wrath
as Lord Francisco del Ruiz
Day of Wrath
as Lord Francisco del Ruiz
Mist: The Tale of a Sheepdog Puppy
as Sir Gregory(voice)
Mist: The Tale of a Sheepdog Puppy
as Sir Gregory(voice)
The Funny Blokes of British Comedy
as King Richard IV (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Funny Blokes of British Comedy
as King Richard IV (archive footage) (uncredited)
448 BC: Olympiad of Ancient Hellas
as Narrator
448 BC: Olympiad of Ancient Hellas
as Narrator
Alexander
as Wrestling Trainer
Alexander
as Wrestling Trainer
The Legend of the Tamworth Two
as Wild Boar (voice)
The Legend of the Tamworth Two
as Wild Boar (voice)
Devil's Harvest
as Father Gabriel Norton
Devil's Harvest
as Father Gabriel Norton
The Dark Side of Everest
as Self
The Dark Side of Everest
as Self
The Making of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
as Self - Actor
The Making of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
as Self - Actor
I, Claudius: A Television Epic
as Self
I, Claudius: A Television Epic
as Self
The Mumbo Jumbo
as Lucifer Bounder
The Mumbo Jumbo
as Lucifer Bounder
The Greatest Store in the World
as Mr. Scottley
The Greatest Store in the World
as Mr. Scottley
Tarzan
as Clayton (voice)
Tarzan
as Clayton (voice)
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
as Boss Nass (voice)
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
as Boss Nass (voice)
King Lear
as King Lear
King Lear
as King Lear
Hey, Mr. Producer! The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh
as Old Deuteronomy
Hey, Mr. Producer! The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh
as Old Deuteronomy
Macbeth
as Edward the Confessor
Macbeth
as Edward the Confessor
Hamlet
as Ghost of Hamlet's Father
Hamlet
as Ghost of Hamlet's Father
Catherine the Great
as Bestuzhev
Catherine the Great
as Bestuzhev
The Bruce
as Edward I
The Bruce
as Edward I
Genius: Pythagoras
as Self
Genius: Pythagoras
as Self
Kidnapped
as Cluny MacPherson
Kidnapped
as Cluny MacPherson
The Doctors: 30 Years of Time Travel and Beyond
The Doctors: 30 Years of Time Travel and Beyond
Chasing the Deer
as Maj. Elliot
Chasing the Deer
as Maj. Elliot
MacGyver: Lost Treasure of Atlantis
as Atticus
MacGyver: Lost Treasure of Atlantis
as Atticus
David Macaulay: Roman City
as Gaius Valerius (voice)
David Macaulay: Roman City
as Gaius Valerius (voice)
Much Ado About Nothing
as Antonio
Much Ado About Nothing
as Antonio
Blood and Dust
as Chatillon
Blood and Dust
as Chatillon
Freddie As F.R.O.7.
as El Supremo (voice)
Freddie As F.R.O.7.
as El Supremo (voice)
Exam Conditions
as Mr. Carksdale
Exam Conditions
as Mr. Carksdale
Back in the USSR
as Chazov
Back in the USSR
as Chazov
Old Rococo: The Life of Gioacchino Rossini
as Voice of Rossini
Old Rococo: The Life of Gioacchino Rossini
as Voice of Rossini
Galahad of Everest
as George Mallory/Self
Galahad of Everest
as George Mallory/Self
Prisoner of Honor
as Gen. Gonse
Prisoner of Honor
as Gen. Gonse
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
as Lord Locksley
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
as Lord Locksley
The Castle of Adventure
as Sam
The Castle of Adventure
as Sam
Henry V
as Exeter
Henry V
as Exeter
David Macaulay: Pyramid
as Ankhaf (voice)
David Macaulay: Pyramid
as Ankhaf (voice)
The Old Man Of The Mountain
as Narrator
The Old Man Of The Mountain
as Narrator
Doctor Who: Mindwarp
as King Yrcanos
Doctor Who: Mindwarp
as King Yrcanos
David Macaulay: Cathedral
as Master Guillaume (voice)
David Macaulay: Cathedral
as Master Guillaume (voice)
Blake's 7: The Beginning
as Vargas
Blake's 7: The Beginning
as Vargas
The Master of Ballantrae
as Captain Teach
The Master of Ballantrae
as Captain Teach
The Hound of the Baskervilles
as Geoffrey Lyons
The Hound of the Baskervilles
as Geoffrey Lyons
Blackadder
as Richard IV
Blackadder
as Richard IV
High Road to China
as Suleman Khan
High Road to China
as Suleman Khan
David Macaulay: Castle
as Voice
David Macaulay: Castle
as Voice
Cosmic Princess
as Mentor
Cosmic Princess
as Mentor
Flash Gordon
as Prince Vultan
Flash Gordon
as Prince Vultan
Tales of the Unexpected: Lamb to the Slaughter
as Detective Jack Noonan
Tales of the Unexpected: Lamb to the Slaughter
as Detective Jack Noonan
A Christmas Carol
as Narrator (voice)
A Christmas Carol
as Narrator (voice)
The Eagle Has Landed
as Arthur Seymour (voice) (uncredited)
The Eagle Has Landed
as Arthur Seymour (voice) (uncredited)
The Day After Tomorrow: Into Infinity
as Dr. Tom Bowen
The Day After Tomorrow: Into Infinity
as Dr. Tom Bowen
A Midsummer Nightmare
as Det Sgt George Briggs
A Midsummer Nightmare
as Det Sgt George Briggs
King Arthur, the Young Warlord
as Mark of Cornwall
King Arthur, the Young Warlord
as Mark of Cornwall
Man of La Mancha
as Pedro
Man of La Mancha
as Pedro
Henry VIII and His Six Wives
as Suffolk
Henry VIII and His Six Wives
as Suffolk
The Bristol Entertainment
as Cabot / Wolstan / Pocock / Colston / Pope Gregory / Dr. Beddoes
The Bristol Entertainment
as Cabot / Wolstan / Pocock / Colston / Pope Gregory / Dr. Beddoes
The Trojan Women
as Talthybius
The Trojan Women
as Talthybius
The Last Valley
as Korski
The Last Valley
as Korski
Wine of India
as Will
Wine of India
as Will
Brotherly Love
as Jack Baird
Brotherly Love
as Jack Baird
The Double Agent
as Reg Sugden
The Double Agent
as Reg Sugden
Son of Man
as Peter
Son of Man
as Peter
Till Death Us Do Part
as Sergeant
Till Death Us Do Part
as Sergeant
The Christmas Tree
The Christmas Tree