Richard Armitage (actor)
Richard Armitage | |
|---|---|
 Richard Armitage at the BAFTA TV Awards 2007 | |
| Born | Richard Crispin Armitage |
| Occupation | actor |
| Years active | 1998 - present |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
Richard Armitage (born August 22, 1971) in Leicester, England, is an English actor.
Career
Born in Leicester, he went to Brockington College and he then attended the Pattison College in Coventry, then studied acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). At 17 he joined a circus in Budapest for 6 weeks to gain his Equity Card.[1][2] His first major role was in the BBC drama Sparkhouse (2002). After a variety of supporting roles in the TV productions of Between the Sheets, Cold Feet (series 5), and Ultimate Force (Series 2), he landed his first leading role, that of John Thornton in the BBC drama North and South based on the novel by Elizabeth Gaskell.
In 2005, he was seen in Macbeth, part of the BBC's ShakespeaRe-Told series. He starred in the BBC's The Impressionists, in which he played the young Claude Monet, and as Dr Alec Track in ITV's The Golden Hour.
He has appeared on stage in Royal Shakespeare Company productions and also in various musicals, including Cats.
In 2006 Armitage took on the major role of Sir Guy of Gisborne in the BBC series Robin Hood. He also appeared in a two-part Christmas special of The Vicar of Dibley, as Harry Kennedy - the vicar's new love interest (and eventual husband).
On 8 April 2007 he starred in George Gently, a one-off detective drama, with Martin Shaw and Lee Ingleby. Armitage played biker Ricky Deeming.
On 9 May, he appeared in the BBC Four production of Miss Marie Lloyd - Queen of The Music Hall as part of their 'Edwardian' season in May 2007. He played Marie Lloyd's 1st husband, Percy Courtenay. Also, he also appeared in the Granada TV production of Agatha Christie's novel 'Ordeal by Innocence'. He plays the character of Philip Durrant.
On playing Gisborne, who kills Maid Marian, he said, "Guy is a dream part and I can't wait to start filming the third series in Hungary in May. But it will be weird without Lucy [Griffiths]. To kill the woman you love is a very hard part to play. I questioned the writers, and I'm still not sure I agree with it."[3]
Richard joins the cast of 'Spooks' in 2008 for series 7, as the character of Lucas North.
He is involved in producing a drama based on the life of Richard III.[2]
Theatre (selection)
- 1998: Hamlet as Bernardo
- 1999: The Four Alice Bakers as Young Ritchie
- 1999: Macbeth (Royal Shakespeare Company) as Angus
- 2000: The Duchess of Malfi (Royal Shakespeare Company) as Delio
Filmography
Television
- 1995: Boon as Man in pub
- 2001: Casualty: Playing with Fire as Craig Parker
- 2001: Doctors: Good Companions as Dr Tom Steel
- 2001: Macbeth (Royal Shakespeare Company) as Angus
- 2002: Spooks(series 1): Traitor's Gate as Armed Police Officer Bob
- 2002: Sparkhouse as John Standring
- 2003: Cold Feet (series 5) as Lee
- 2003: Ultimate Force (series 2) as Captain Ian Macalwain
- 2003: Between the Sheets as Paul Andrews
- 2004: North and South as John Thornton
- 2005: ShakespeaRe-Told (Macbeth) as Peter Macduff
- 2005: The Golden Hour as Dr Alec Track
- 2005: The Inspector Lynley Mysteries: In Divine Proportion as Philip Turner
- 2005: Malice Aforethought as William Chatford
- 2006: The Impressionists as young Claude Monet
- 2006: Robin Hood as Sir Guy of Gisborne (2006-Present)
- 2006: The Vicar of Dibley: Christmas Special as Harry Kennedy
- 2007: George Gently as Ricky Deeming
- 2007: Miss Marie Lloyd - Queen of The Music Hall as Percy Courtenay
- 2007: Miss Marple: Ordeal by Innocence as Philip Durrant
- 2008: Spooks (series 7) as Agent Lucas North
Film
- 1999: Cleopatra as Epiphanes
- 1999: This Year's Love as Smug man at party
- 1999: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace as Bravo fighter pilot
- 2005: Frozen as Steven
Public Appearances
- 2003: RI:SE (November 17, 2003)
- 2004: GMTV (November 12, 2004)
- 2006: Jonathan Ross's World of Robin Hood
- 2006: National TV Awards (November 1, 2006)
- 2006: BAFTA Children's Awards (November 26, 2006)
- 2007: BAFTA TV Awards (May 20, 2007)
- 2007: GMTV (October 3, 2007)
- 2007: The Five Women In Film And Television Awards (December 7, 2007)
Discography
- 2006: Robin Hood: Will You Tolerate This?
- 2006: Robin Hood: Sheriff Got Your Tongue?
- 2006: Robin Hood: Who Shot The Sheriff?
- 2006: Robin Hood: Parent Hood
- 2007: The Lords of the North
Other Credits
- 2006: CBeebies Bedtime Hour (October 9 to October 13, 2006)
- 2007: Channel 4: Empire's Children, narrator (July 2, 2007)
- 2007: BBC Radio 4: The Ted Hughes Letters, as Ted Hughes (October 29, 2007)
- 2007: BBC Radio 2: A War Less Ordinary, narrator (November 10, 2007)
References
- ^ Nicol, Patricia (April 30, 2006)"Move over Darcey". The Sunday Times. Retrieved on March 22, 2008.
- ^ a b "Interview on GMTV with Lorraine Kelly". GMTV. 2007-10-03.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Behind the Scenes - RT Covers Party". Radio Times. 2008-02-09. p. 14.
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External links
- Richard Armitage at the British Film Institute
- Richard Armitage at IMDb
- Richard Armitage at bbc.co.uk Drama Faces
- The Armitage Army (fan site)
- Richard Armitage Online (fan site)
- Richard-Armitage.net (fan site)
- Richard Armitage NL (fan site)