Brian Blessed
Acting
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.
Known for
Acting184
movieDudley & the Invasion of the Space Slugs
2026
Arthur (voice)
movieTime Travel Is Dangerous!
2025
Gavin the Octopus (voice)
moviePeppa Pig: Wedding Party!
2024
Grampy Rabbit (voice)
moviePeppa's Cinema Party
2024
Grampy Rabbit (voice)
tvSunday with Laura Kuenssberg
2022
Self – Actor
tvBest & Bester
2022
Shouty Shirt (Voice)
tvBlankety Blank
2021
Self - Panellist
movieTrollhunters: Rise of the Titans
2021
Charlemagne (voice)
movieDear Mr. Burton
2020
Narrator
tvClose Enough
2020
Sir Jack Kleghorn (voice)
movieEugenius!
2020
Space Lord
movieShed of the Dead
2019
Narrator (voice)
movieRobin Hood: The Rebellion
2018
Friar Tuck
tvDanger Mouse
2015
Santa Claus (voice)
moviePeppa Pig: The Golden Boots
2015
Grampy Rabbit (voice)
movieThe Seventeenth Kind
2014
The Voice (voice)
movieLegends of Oz: Dorothy's Return
2014
Judge Jawbreaker (voice)
tvWas It Something I Said?
2013
Self - Narrator
tvWizards vs Aliens
2012
The Nekross King (voice)
movieLEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out
2012
Boss Nass (voice)
movieSo You Want To Be A Pirate!
2012
The Pirate King
movieThe Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!
2012
The Pirate King (voice)
tvCelebrity Antiques Road Trip
2011
Self - Participant
tvSooty
2011
Father Christmas
tvThe Amazing World of Gumball
2011
Santa Claus (voice)
Fee Fi Fo Yum
2010
GTV Announcer
Mr. Bojagi
2010
Mr. Bojagi
tvTake Me Out
2010
Announcer (voice)
movieAgent Crush
2008
Boris Goudphater (voice)
Saving Planet Earth UK
2007
Himself - Presenter
tvBritain's Got More Talent
2007
Self - Narrator
movieBack in Business
2007
Trevor Pilkington
movieThe Conclave
2006
Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomin
movieAs You Like It
2006
Duke Senior/Duke Frederick
movieMist: The Tale of a Sheepdog Puppy
2006
Sir Gregory (voice)
movieDay of Wrath
2006
Lord Francisco del Ruiz
movieMist: The Tale of a Sheepdog Puppy
2005
Sir Gregory(voice)
The Funny Blokes of British Comedy
2005
King Richard IV (archive footage) (uncredited)
movieAlexander
2004
Wrestling Trainer
tvPeppa Pig
2004
Grampy Rabbit (voice)
movieThe Legend of the Tamworth Two
2004
Wild Boar (voice)
tvQI
2003
Self
tvThe Royal
2003
Sir Edward Fawcett
movieDevil's Harvest
2003
Father Gabriel Norton
movieThe Making of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
2002
Self - Actor
movieThe Mumbo Jumbo
2000
Lucifer Bounder
movieThe Greatest Store in the World
1999
Mr. Scottley
tvThe Big Knights
1999
Sir Morris
movieTarzan
1999
Clayton (voice)
movieStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
1999
Boss Nass (voice)
tvFamily Guy
1999
Prince Vultan (voice)
movieKing Lear
1999
King Lear
tvThe History of Tom Jones: A Foundling
1997
Squire Western
movieMacbeth
1997
Edward the Confessor
movieHamlet
1996
Ghost of Hamlet's Father
movieCatherine the Great
1996
Bestuzhev
movieThe Bruce
1996
Edward I
tvDennis the Menace and Gnasher
1996
Captain (voice)
movieKidnapped
1995
Cluny MacPherson
tvSoccer AM
1995
Self
tvJohnny and the Dead
1995
William Stickers
movieChasing the Deer
1994
Maj. Elliot
movieDavid Macaulay: Roman City
1994
Gaius Valerius (voice)
tvSooty & Co.
1993
Santa Claus
tvLady Chatterley
1993
Petty Officer
tvGMTV
1993
Self
movieBlood and Dust
1992
Chatillon
movieFreddie As F.R.O.7.
1992
El Supremo (voice)
Exam Conditions
1992
Mr. Carksdale
Old Rococo: The Life of Gioacchino Rossini
1992
Voice of Rossini
movieGalahad of Everest
1991
George Mallory/Self
moviePrisoner of Honor
1991
Gen. Gonse
movieRobin Hood: Prince of Thieves
1991
Lord Locksley
tvHave I Got News for You
1990
Self - Host
movieHenry V
1989
Exeter
movieDavid Macaulay: Pyramid
1989
Ankhaf (voice)
tvWar and Remembrance
1988
Yevlenko
tvThe Gnostics
1987
Guilhabert De Castres
movieDoctor Who: Mindwarp
1986
King Yrcanos
movieDavid Macaulay: Cathedral
1986
Master Guillaume (voice)
tvJohn Silver's Return to Treasure Island
1986
Long John Silver
tvLovejoy
1986
Harry Catapodis
tvThe Last Days of Pompeii
1984
Olinthus
movieThe Master of Ballantrae
1984
Captain Teach
movieThe Hound of the Baskervilles
1983
Geoffrey Lyons
tvBlackadder
1983
King Richard IV
movieHigh Road to China
1983
Suleman Khan
movieCosmic Princess
1982
Mentor
movieFlash Gordon
1980
Prince Vultan
tvMinder
1979
Freddie Dyer
movieTales of the Unexpected: Lamb to the Slaughter
1979
Detective Jack Noonan
tvTales of the Unexpected
1979
Detective Sergeant Jack Nolan
tvThe Aphrodite Inheritance
1979
Basileos
tvBlake's 7
1978
Vargas
movieA Christmas Carol
1977
Narrator (voice)
movieThe Eagle Has Landed
1976
Arthur Seymour (voice) (uncredited)
tvI, Claudius
1976
Augustus
tvNobody's House
1976
Jack Treadful
movieThe Day After Tomorrow: Into Infinity
1975
Dr. Tom Bowen
The Day After Tomorrow
1975
Dr. Tom Bowen
movieA Midsummer Nightmare
1975
Det Sgt George Briggs
tvSpace: 1999
1975
Mentor / Cabot Rowland
tvSurvivors
1975
Brod
tvThe Sweeney
1975
Frank Kemble
movieKing Arthur, the Young Warlord
1975
Mark of Cornwall
tvChurchill's People
1974
Guthrum
tvNotorious Woman
1974
Albert Grzymala
tvBoy Dominic
1974
William Woodcock
European Heritage
1973
Narrator (voice)
tvThriller
1973
Det Sgt George Briggs
tvArthur of the Britons
1972
Mark of Cornwall
The Bristol Entertainment
1971
Cabot / Wolstan / Pocock / Colston / Pope Gregory / Dr. Beddoes
tvJustice
1971
Tiger Lawson
movieThe Trojan Women
1971
Talthybius
movieThe Last Valley
1971
Korski
movieBrotherly Love
1970
Jack Baird
tvRandall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
1969
Jim Lawsey
movieSon of Man
1969
Peter
tvITV Saturday Night Theatre
1969
Ted Gissing
movieTill Death Us Do Part
1969
Sergeant
tvThe Expert
1968
Hubert Innes
tvCold Comfort Farm
1968
Reuben Starkadder
tvITV Playhouse
1967
Reg Sugden / Jim Carter
tvThe Three Musketeers
1966
Porthos
tvBBC Play of the Month
1965
Sgt. Kite
tvThe Troubleshooters
1965
Eddie Barnaby
tvPublic Eye
1965
Rev. William Pratt
tvThe Wednesday Play
1964
Peter / Will
tvDoctor Who
1963
King Yrcanos
tvZ-Cars
1962
PC Smith / PC Fancy Smith / PC William "Fancy" Smith
tvThe Avengers
1961
Sergeant Hearn / Mark Dayton
tvHallmark Hall of Fame
1951
Captain Teach
tvHave I Got a Bit More News for You
Self - Presenter
Directing1
movieKing Lear
1999
Director