Richard ArmitageBorn: 22nd August 1971; Leicester, UK
Nationality: British Height: 6ft 2in (1.89 m) Spouse(s): None Children: None Character in Spooks: Lucas North Richard Crispin Armitage was born on 22nd August 1971 and raised in Leicestershire. Aged 14 he attended Pattison College, an independent school in Coventry specialising in the performing arts. After leaving school he went to Budapest for 6 months to work in a circus in order to obtain his Equity card. Returning to the UK he took work as an assistant choreographer and appeared in musical theatre in shows such as Cats, 42nd Street and Annie Get Your Gun. These roles allowed him to save enough money to enrol in a three year course at LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art) from 1995-1998. During his time at LAMDA, Richard gained a one line part in the new Star Wars film The Phantom Menace. His line unfortunately ended up on the cutting room floor and you'll struggle to spot him in the movie. |
After graduating in 1998 and a short stint in theatre, he landed a small part in the film This Year's Love starring Douglas Henshall and Jennifer Ehle, and then in the film Cleopatra starring Timothy Dalton and Billy Zane. Various theatre roles followed, including an 18 month tour with the Royal Shakespeare Company during which he played Angus in Greg Doran's Macbeth. This production was eventually filmed in 2001.
Then Richard's TV career began: first with a two episode appearance in Doctors as locum Dr Tom Steele, and then as Craig in one episode of Casualty. But it was in 2002 that Richard had his first major TV role, playing John Standring in Sally Wainwright's Sparkhouse, a modern interpretation of Wuthering Heights.
In 2003 Richard appeared in three ITV dramas. First as flirty lifeguard Lee in series 5 of Cold Feet, then in series 2 of Ultimate Force playing Captain Ian Macalwain and finally, he played Paul Andrews in Kay Mellor's Between the Sheets.
Richard then landed the role which was to see his career take a giant leap forward, that of the northern cotton mill owner John Thornton in the BBC dramatisation of Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South, broadcast in November 2004. His portrayal of Thornton was applauded by fans and critics alike. So popular was the role that the number of people accessing the BBC's North and South message board resulted in the board crashing under the weight.
Richard's next role was for the part of Steven in the British film Frozen, starring Shirley Henderson. It was filmed in 2004 and released in Europe in 2005 and in the UK in January 2006. The film won awards at various film festivals.
Following his role in the popular BBC drama The Inspector Lynley Mysteries and in the one-off ITV drama Malice Aforethought, Richard gained the lead role of Dr Alec Track in ITV's hospital drama, The Golden Hour. Unfortunately the drama was not recommissioned for a second series after mixed reviews. A role as Peter Macduff in the BBC's Shakespeare Re-Told series followed, co-starring James MacAvoy as Macbeth and Keeley Hawes as Lady Macbeth.
In 2006 he took the lead role as Claude Monet in BBC Two's three part story The Impressionists and then in October he appeared in yet another career milestone as the evil Sir Guy of Gisborne in the new adaption of Robin Hood. Cast alongside Keith Allen as the Sheriff of Nottingham, the baddies quickly became popular with the viewing public. Whilst the show's reviews were mixed at best the ratings consistently topped 5 million.
Richard's popularity and familiarity on television in the UK increased significantly after his appearance in the two-part Christmas special of The Vicar of Dibley in 2006. Playing Harry Kennedy, a new-comer to Dibley who romanced and married Dawn French's Geraldine, it attracted more viewers than any other programme on Christmas Day gaining audience figures of 11.4 million. The role was reprised for a Comic Relief special in 2007.
He was cast as Lucas North in Spooks in 2007 and would play this role for 3 series. In 2010, he had the leading role in Sky 1 drama Strike Back.
In 2011, Richard began filming for his role as Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and is due to star in the two follow up films which will be released in 2013 and 2014. He will also appear in tornado thriller Black Sky.
You can find a full filmography for Richard Armitage at IMDb.
Then Richard's TV career began: first with a two episode appearance in Doctors as locum Dr Tom Steele, and then as Craig in one episode of Casualty. But it was in 2002 that Richard had his first major TV role, playing John Standring in Sally Wainwright's Sparkhouse, a modern interpretation of Wuthering Heights.
In 2003 Richard appeared in three ITV dramas. First as flirty lifeguard Lee in series 5 of Cold Feet, then in series 2 of Ultimate Force playing Captain Ian Macalwain and finally, he played Paul Andrews in Kay Mellor's Between the Sheets.
Richard then landed the role which was to see his career take a giant leap forward, that of the northern cotton mill owner John Thornton in the BBC dramatisation of Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South, broadcast in November 2004. His portrayal of Thornton was applauded by fans and critics alike. So popular was the role that the number of people accessing the BBC's North and South message board resulted in the board crashing under the weight.
Richard's next role was for the part of Steven in the British film Frozen, starring Shirley Henderson. It was filmed in 2004 and released in Europe in 2005 and in the UK in January 2006. The film won awards at various film festivals.
Following his role in the popular BBC drama The Inspector Lynley Mysteries and in the one-off ITV drama Malice Aforethought, Richard gained the lead role of Dr Alec Track in ITV's hospital drama, The Golden Hour. Unfortunately the drama was not recommissioned for a second series after mixed reviews. A role as Peter Macduff in the BBC's Shakespeare Re-Told series followed, co-starring James MacAvoy as Macbeth and Keeley Hawes as Lady Macbeth.
In 2006 he took the lead role as Claude Monet in BBC Two's three part story The Impressionists and then in October he appeared in yet another career milestone as the evil Sir Guy of Gisborne in the new adaption of Robin Hood. Cast alongside Keith Allen as the Sheriff of Nottingham, the baddies quickly became popular with the viewing public. Whilst the show's reviews were mixed at best the ratings consistently topped 5 million.
Richard's popularity and familiarity on television in the UK increased significantly after his appearance in the two-part Christmas special of The Vicar of Dibley in 2006. Playing Harry Kennedy, a new-comer to Dibley who romanced and married Dawn French's Geraldine, it attracted more viewers than any other programme on Christmas Day gaining audience figures of 11.4 million. The role was reprised for a Comic Relief special in 2007.
He was cast as Lucas North in Spooks in 2007 and would play this role for 3 series. In 2010, he had the leading role in Sky 1 drama Strike Back.
In 2011, Richard began filming for his role as Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and is due to star in the two follow up films which will be released in 2013 and 2014. He will also appear in tornado thriller Black Sky.
You can find a full filmography for Richard Armitage at IMDb.