Richard Armitage (actor)

For other people with the same name, see Richard Armitage.

Richard Armitage
Armitage at the 2014 WonderCon
Born
Richard Crispin Armitage

(1971-08-22) 22 August 1971 (age 53)
Huncote, Leicestershire, England
EducationLondon Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Occupation(s)Actor, author
Years active1988–present

Richard Crispin Armitage (/ˈɑːmətɪdʒ/; born 22 August 1971) is an English actor and author. He received recognition in the UK with his first leading role as John Thornton in the British television programme North & South (2004).[1] His role as dwarf king and leader Thorin Oakenshield in Peter Jackson's film trilogy adaptation of The Hobbit[2] brought him international recognition.

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

After graduating from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), Armitage initially sought theatre work and was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). He turned to film and television roles when he noticed that leading stage roles went to actors with name recognition who could bring in patrons to fill venues. After twelve years away and having earned that name recognition, Armitage returned to the stage in 2014, taking his first leading role in a major production. He played John Proctor in the successful and critically acclaimed production of The Crucible at The Old Vic,[7][8] and earned an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor.[9]

One of Armitage's trademarks is his baritone voice, which he has employed as a voice actor since 2006. While working on the TV series Robin Hood, he was asked to record audiobooks for the first season of that series. Armitage has recorded several audiobooks and has worked as a narrator on TV, radio shows, and adverts. In 2022, he ventured into video games for the first time, providing the voice of the Daemon Prince Be'lakor in Total War: Warhammer III.[citation needed]

  1. ^ Shannon, Sarah (19 April 2006). "Richard Armitage: Ladies beware". independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  2. ^ "Peter Jackson sets first names for 'The Hobbit'". Deadline Hollywood. 21 October 2010. Archived from the original on 28 August 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  3. ^ Riley, Travis (13 January 2015). "'Hobbit' Star Richard Armitage to Play Toothy Killer on NBC's 'Hannibal'". TheWrap. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  4. ^ a b Davies, Serena (23 October 2008). "Spooks: Richard Armitage". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  5. ^ "Richard Armitage: from spy to SAS". The Guardian. 5 May 2010. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Epix-2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Man on Fire: Richard Armitage's explosive turn in The Crucible". theguardian.com. 2 December 2014. Archived from the original on 3 December 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  8. ^ Brown, Kat (29 October 2014). "Richard Armitage in The Crucible trailer". telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  9. ^ "Olivier 2015 nominees for Best Actor". olivierawards.com. Archived from the original on 11 March 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.