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.
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.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0000306
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q449118
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Filmography (Movies)
Time Travel Is Dangerous!
Character:Gavin the Octopus (voice)
Release Date:28/03/2025
Peppa Pig: Wedding Party!
Character:Grampy Rabbit (voice)
Release Date:27/03/2024
Peppa's Cinema Party
Character:Grampy Rabbit (voice)
Release Date:07/02/2024
Peter O'Toole: Along the Sky Road to Aqaba
Character:Self
Release Date:26/11/2022
Bug-Eyed Monsters Invade the Earth!
Character:Narrator
Release Date:07/10/2022
The Queen: 70 Glorious Years
Character:Self
Release Date:06/02/2022
Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans
Character:Charlemagne (voice)
Release Date:21/07/2021
Dear Mr. Burton
Character:Narrator
Release Date:07/09/2020
Eugenius!
Character:Space Lord
Release Date:20/03/2020
Shed of the Dead
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:20/05/2019
Robin Hood: The Rebellion
Character:Friar Tuck
Release Date:05/11/2018
Life After Flash
Character:Self
Release Date:02/10/2017
Peppa Pig: The Golden Boots
Character:Grampy Rabbit (voice)
Release Date:14/02/2015
Brian Cox: Space, Time & Videotape
Character:Self
Release Date:09/11/2014
The Seventeenth Kind
Character:The Voice (voice)
Release Date:01/07/2014
Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return
Character:Judge Jawbreaker (voice)
Release Date:08/05/2014
LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out
Character:Boss Nass (voice)
Release Date:26/09/2012
So You Want To Be A Pirate!
Character:The Pirate King
Release Date:09/07/2012
Tales of Television Centre
Character:Self
Release Date:17/05/2012
The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!
Character:The Pirate King (voice)
Release Date:12/03/2012
Wojtek: The Bear That Went to War
Character:Narrator
Release Date:22/10/2011
Mr. Bojagi
Character:Mr. Bojagi
Release Date:05/03/2010
Blackadder's Most Cunning Moments
Character:Self
Release Date:16/10/2008
The Making of The Trial of a Time Lord
Character:
Release Date:30/09/2008
Agent Crush
Character:Boris Goudphater (voice)
Release Date:01/01/2008
The Conclave
Character:Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomin
Release Date:16/02/2007
Back in Business
Character:Trevor Pilkington
Release Date:09/02/2007
The 50 Greatest Television Dramas
Character:Self
Release Date:03/02/2007
As You Like It
Character:Duke Senior/Duke Frederick
Release Date:01/09/2006
Mist: The Tale of a Sheepdog Puppy
Character:Sir Gregory
Release Date:04/08/2006
Day of Wrath
Character:Lord Francisco del Ruiz
Release Date:27/06/2006
Mist: The Story of a Sheepdog Puppy
Character:Sir Gregory(voice)
Release Date:25/12/2005
448 BC: Olympiad of Ancient Hellas
Character:Narrator
Release Date:12/12/2004
Alexander
Character:Wrestling Trainer
Release Date:21/11/2004
The Legend of the Tamworth Two
Character:Wild Boar (voice)
Release Date:12/04/2004
Devil's Harvest
Character:Father Gabriel Norton
Release Date:01/01/2003
The Dark Side of Everest
Character:Self
Release Date:01/01/2003
I, Claudius: A Television Epic
Character:Self
Release Date:30/09/2002
The Mumbo Jumbo
Character:Lucifer Bounder
Release Date:24/10/2000
The Greatest Store in the World
Character:Mr. Scottley
Release Date:24/12/1999
Tarzan
Character:Clayton (voice)
Release Date:17/06/1999
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Character:Boss Nass (voice)
Release Date:19/05/1999
King Lear
Character:King Lear
Release Date:01/01/1999
Hey, Mr. Producer! The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh
Character:Old Deuteronomy
Release Date:07/11/1998
Macbeth
Character:Edward the Confessor
Release Date:16/05/1997
Hamlet
Character:Ghost of Hamlet's Father
Release Date:25/12/1996
Catherine the Great
Character:Bestuzhev
Release Date:28/04/1996
The Bruce
Character:Edward I
Release Date:12/04/1996
Genius: Pythagoras
Character:Self
Release Date:22/02/1996
Kidnapped
Character:Cluny MacPherson
Release Date:05/11/1995
The Doctors: 30 Years of Time Travel and Beyond
Character:
Release Date:01/09/1995
Chasing the Deer
Character:Maj. Elliot
Release Date:16/12/1994
MacGyver: Lost Treasure of Atlantis
Character:Atticus
Release Date:14/05/1994
David Macaulay: Roman City
Character:Gaius Valerius (voice)
Release Date:15/02/1994
Much Ado About Nothing
Character:Antonio
Release Date:07/05/1993
Blood and Dust
Character:Chatillon
Release Date:06/09/1992
Freddie As F.R.O.7.
Character:El Supremo (voice)
Release Date:14/08/1992
Exam Conditions
Character:Mr. Carksdale
Release Date:03/07/1992
Back in the USSR
Character:Chazov
Release Date:07/02/1992
Old Rococo: The Life of Gioacchino Rossini
Character:Voice of Rossini
Release Date:01/01/1992
Galahad of Everest
Character:George Mallory/Self
Release Date:07/12/1991
Prisoner of Honor
Character:Gen. Gonse
Release Date:02/11/1991
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Character:Lord Locksley
Release Date:14/06/1991
The Castle of Adventure
Character:Sam
Release Date:19/04/1990
Henry V
Character:Exeter
Release Date:05/10/1989
David Macaulay: Pyramid
Character:Ankhaf (voice)
Release Date:04/01/1989
The Old Man Of The Mountain
Character:Narrator
Release Date:01/01/1989
Doctor Who: Mindwarp
Character:King Yrcanos
Release Date:25/10/1986
David Macaulay: Cathedral
Character:Master Guillaume (voice)
Release Date:30/04/1986
The Master of Ballantrae
Character:Captain Teach
Release Date:31/01/1984
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Character:Geoffrey Lyons
Release Date:03/11/1983
High Road to China
Character:Suleman Khan
Release Date:18/03/1983
David Macaulay: Castle
Character:Voice
Release Date:01/01/1983
Cosmic Princess
Character:Mentor
Release Date:01/12/1982
Flash Gordon
Character:Prince Vultan
Release Date:05/12/1980
Tales of the Unexpected: Lamb to the Slaughter
Character:Detective Jack Noonan
Release Date:14/04/1979
A Christmas Carol
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:24/12/1977
The Eagle Has Landed
Character:Arthur Seymour (voice) (uncredited)
Release Date:24/12/1976
Into Infinity
Character:Dr. Tom Bowen
Release Date:09/12/1975
A Midsummer Nightmare
Character:Det Sgt George Briggs
Release Date:16/09/1975
King Arthur, the Young Warlord
Character:Mark of Cornwall
Release Date:01/01/1975
Man of La Mancha
Character:Pedro
Release Date:12/12/1972
Henry VIII and His Six Wives
Character:Suffolk
Release Date:13/07/1972
The Bristol Entertainment
Character:Cabot / Wolstan / Pocock / Colston / Pope Gregory / Dr. Beddoes
Release Date:03/12/1971
The Trojan Women
Character:Talthybius
Release Date:01/05/1971
The Last Valley
Character:Korski
Release Date:28/01/1971
Wine of India
Character:Will
Release Date:15/04/1970
Brotherly Love
Character:Jack Baird
Release Date:07/01/1970
The Double Agent
Character:Reg Sugden
Release Date:12/05/1969
Son of Man
Character:Peter
Release Date:16/04/1969
Till Death Us Do Part
Character:Sergeant
Release Date:01/01/1969
The Christmas Tree
Character:
Release Date:02/12/1966
Television Appearances
Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg
Character:Self – Actor
Best & Bester
Character:Shouty Shirt (Voice)
Blankety Blank
Character:Self - Panellist
Close Enough
Character:Sir Jack Kleghorn (voice)
The Russell Howard Hour
Character:Self
Danger Mouse
Character:Santa Claus (voice)
The Kumars
Character:Self
Wizards vs Aliens
Character:The Nekross King (voice)
Celebrity Antiques Road Trip
Character:Self - Participant
Sooty
Character:Father Christmas
The Amazing World of Gumball
Character:Santa Claus (voice)
Fee Fi Fo Yum
Character:GTV Announcer
Take Me Out
Character:Announcer (voice)
The Underdog Show
Character:
All Star Mr & Mrs
Character:
Saving Planet Earth UK
Character:Himself - Presenter
Would I Lie to You?
Character:Self
Britain's Got More Talent
Character:Self - Narrator
Who Do You Think You Are?
Character:Self
The Paul O'Grady Show
Character:
Peppa Pig
Character:Grampy Rabbit (voice)
QI
Character:Self
The Royal
Character:Sir Edward Fawcett
Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
Character:Self
Fun at the Funeral Parlour
Character:
The Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything
Character:
Family Guy
Character:Prince Vultan (voice)
The Heaven and Earth Show
Character:
Fantasy World Cup
Character:Self
The History of Tom Jones: A Foundling
Character:Squire Western
Dennis the Menace and Gnasher
Character:Captain (voice)
Soccer AM
Character:Self
Johnny and the Dead
Character:William Stickers
Sooty & Co.
Character:Santa Claus
Lady Chatterley
Character:Petty Officer
GMTV
Character:Self
Pebble Mill
Character:Self
Have I Got News for You
Character:Self - Host
A Question Of Entertainment
Character:
My Family and Other Animals
Character:Spiro
The Gnostics
Character:Guilhabert De Castres
John Silver's Return to Treasure Island
Character:Long John Silver
Lovejoy
Character:Harry Catapodis
The Last Days of Pompeii
Character:Olinthus
Natural World
Character:
Blackadder
Character:King Richard IV
The Kenny Everett Television Show
Character:Self
The Little World of Don Camillo
Character:Peppone
Minder
Character:Freddie Dyer
Tales of the Unexpected
Character:Detective Sergeant Jack Nolan
The Aphrodite Inheritance
Character:Basileos
Blake's 7
Character:Vargas
I, Claudius
Character:Augustus
The Day After Tomorrow
Character:Dr. Tom Bowen
Space: 1999
Character:Mentor
Space: 1999
Character:Cabot Rowland
Survivors
Character:Brod
The Sweeney
Character:Frank Kemble
Churchill's People
Character:Guthrum
Notorious Woman
Character:
Boy Dominic
Character:William Woodcock
European Heritage
Character:Narrator (voice)
Thriller
Character:Det Sgt George Briggs
Arthur of the Britons
Character:Mark of Cornwall
Shirley's World
Character:
Justice
Character:Tiger Lawson
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
Character:Jim Lawsey
The Expert
Character:Hubert Innes
Cold Comfort Farm
Character:Reuben Starkadder
The Further Adventures of the Musketeers
Character:Porthos
The Three Musketeers
Character:Porthos
BBC Play of the Month
Character:Sgt. Kite
The Troubleshooters
Character:Eddie Barnaby
Public Eye
Character:Rev. William Pratt
The Wednesday Play
Character:Peter
Doctor Who
Character:King Yrcanos
Z-Cars
Character:PC Smith
Z-Cars
Character:PC Fancy Smith
Z-Cars
Character:PC William "Fancy" Smith
The Avengers
Character:Sergeant Hearn
The Avengers
Character:Mark Dayton
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Character:Captain Teach
Images
