Armytage, Richard (actor)

Biography

Richard Armitage is a British theater and film actor. Two-time winner of the Saturn Award. For his theatrical work he was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award and also won the Broadway World UK Awards. The actor gained popularity among Russian-speaking viewers after playing the role of the dwarf king Thorin Oakenshield in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy “The Hobbit.”

Notes[ | ]

1. SNAC - 2010. https://wikidata.org/wiki/Track:P3430″>https://wikidata.org/wiki/Track:Q29861311″>
2. “I spy Richard Armitage”, Maria Pilkington, translation of the article

3. 

4. ↑ 12
   “Chicago Now” April 28, 2008, translation of the article
5. ↑ 12
   Chicago Now, April 28, 2008
6. The Telegraph, 22 July 2011
7. "Use Me as Your Cardigan" Archived June 6, 2013.
8. The Telegraph, July 25, 2014, translation of the article
9. The Telegraph, 25 July 2014
10. Performance "The Crucible"
11. Summer Theater Festival, play “The Crucible”
12. Move over Darcey, translation
13. "Move over Darcey"
14. Mission to Moscow
15. Mission to Moscow, translation
16. "Staged"
17. Leicester Mercury, 15 December 2012
18. Leicester Mercury, 15 December 2012, translation
19. "Hamlet. Novel" Archived November 29, 2014.
20. ↑ 12
    Vulpes Libris, July 8, 2009
21. ↑ 12
    Vulpes Libris, July 8, 2009, translation of the article
22. wordpress.com, April 3, 2013
23. The Times, 10 September 2005
24. Mirror.uk
25. A big ask: Richard Armitage
26. clickonline.com Archived November 4, 2014.
27. The tallest gnome in the world - 2011 - Publications - Russian-language site of Richard Armitage

Childhood and youth

Richard Crispin Armitage was born on August 22, 1971 in England, in the small village of Hancott, near the city of Leicester. His father, John Armitage, was a nuclear engineer, and his mother, Margaret Armitage, worked as a school secretary. He was the second child in the family; Richard has an older brother, Christopher.

Actor Richard Armitage

Since childhood, he was interested in music and acting. He first appeared on stage as an elf in the play “The Hobbit,” after which he became convinced that he wanted to connect his future with creativity. He enters Brockington College, where he is taught vocals and playing musical instruments. Richard can play the guitar, flute and cello.

At the age of 14, he becomes a student at Pattison College, where he studies the basics of acting. Having received a diploma, the future actor decides to take his own independent action as an adult. He leaves for Hungary with a circus troupe.

Richard Armitage in his youth

He tours with the artists for six weeks, but mostly plays the role of an auxiliary worker - he either cleans cages or assists the main circus actors in the arena. However, his main goal was to obtain an actor's union card, which would give him the right to go to auditions.

Returning to England, he still receives it. This was followed by a series of roles in various musicals, including the famous “Cats”. But soon Richard Armitage realizes that musicals are not exactly what he dreamed of. He wanted to be more truthful on stage, but in musical productions everything looked too artificial and pretentious.

Richard Armitage at the theater

Therefore, he entered the London Academy of Music and Drama at the Faculty of Dramatic Art. After completing his studies, the young actor began working at the Royal Shakespeare Company. He played in productions of The Duchess of Malfi, Macbeth and Hamlet. But the theater did not give Richard full-time employment, and although he always saw himself as a theater actor, he began to work more and more often on television projects.

Movies

While still at the academy, Armitage received a role in the film Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. However, during editing, all scenes with his participation were safely cut out. But since then, the actor has regularly appeared in episodic roles in various British TV series.

Richard Armitage in the movie Sparkhouse

His first notable work on television was a supporting role in the mini-series Sparkhouse, a modern interpretation of Wuthering Heights. He played the loyal, patient and hardworking John Standring.

But after this role a series of negative heroes followed. The actor himself later said that he loves to play “bad” characters, because in their images he can be aggressive, immoral, and he is allowed to do all sorts of nasty things, which in real life he cannot afford.

Richard Armitage in the movie North and South

In 2004, Richard Armitage was approved for the role of John Thornton in the BBC series North and South based on the work of Elizabeth Gaskell. His unprecedented popularity among viewers was a real surprise for the creators of the series. The film was advertised very little, but the public warmed to Mr. Thornton. During the premiere days, there was such an influx of users on the BBC website that the resource could not stand it and “collapsed.”

Richard Armitage in the movie "Robin Hood"

In 2006, he got the role of the main antagonist Robin Hood in the series of the same name. The image of the knight-villain Guy of Gisborne becomes the actor’s second “calling card” after John Thornton.

In 2008, he joined the spy series Spooks, where he played senior officer Lucas North. For the role, he lost 10 kg, and for scenes where the actor had to be bare-chested, he was put on makeup for about 2 hours - that’s how long it took to apply tattoos.

Richard received his first role in Hollywood in 2010. He played Nazi spy Heinz Kruger in Captain America: The First Avenger. That's when director Peter Jackson noticed him. He invited Armitage to play the dwarf Thorin Oakenshield in his Hobbit trilogy. This film story was a resounding success among both viewers and film critics.

Richard Armitage in the movie "The Hobbit"

In 2020, the actor joined the cast of the American television thriller NBC channel Hannibal. He got the role of Francis Dolarhyde, a serial killer. In 2020, Richard Armitage played King Oleron in the film Alice Through the Looking Glass. In the same year, the series “Berlin Residency” was released, where the actor got the main role.

Richard Armitage in The Crucible

Armitage never forgot about the theater and always wanted to return to the stage. He succeeded in 2014. He played John Proctor in the play The Crucible. The production created an unprecedented sensation. The performance ran for 17 weeks in a row, every day, and twice a day on weekends. In the same year, the actor was awarded the Broadway World UK Awards in the category “Best Lead Actor”, and in 2020 he was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award.

Filmography[ | ]

Personal life

On the issue of his personal life, Armitage is stingy in his comments. He tries not to make it public. But fans of the handsome (he is 187 cm tall), blue-eyed brunette never cease to find out the details of his love affairs. It is known that for several years he dated actress Annabelle Capper. But she never became his wife.

Richard Armitage and Annabelle Capper

But after filming “The Hobbit,” rumors began to circulate about his homosexuality. It’s as if he’s having an affair with his co-star in the film, Lee Pace, who played Thranduil. It is noteworthy that the actors did not refute these speculations.

On Instagram, Armitage prefers not to post photos of them together. Yes, this is not necessary; there are already plenty of their common photos in the public domain on the Internet. Either they are noticed by the paparazzi at the premiere of the film, or simply walking together on the street. But, of course, it cannot be ruled out that this is just friendship.

Richard Armitage and Lee Pace

Meticulous fans continued their “investigation” and increasingly began to notice that men regularly appear in each other’s clothes. Either Pace will appear in Armitage's leather jacket, or Richard will appear on the set in Lee's old sweater.

None of them came out, although the glossy American LGBT magazine OUT included the name of Lee Pace in the hundred most desirable gay bachelors. Until now, Richard Armitage has not made any official statements about his relationship and orientation.

Facts[ | ]

• The surname "Armitage" comes from the ancient word eremita,
  which means "hermit".
• Richard is afraid of the sight of his blood. The blood of other people does not frighten him[23].
• Richard's parents have the same name as the main characters of North and South - Margaret and John.
• Richard prefers skiing to all sports and cannot resist the temptation to slide down another peak, even if this is prohibited by the contract with the film studio[24][25].
• After filming the TV series Spooks, Armitage took over his character's wardrobe, which consisted of fashionable designer items. As a bonus, the actor received a luxury Omega watch, also owned by Lucas North. In addition, Richard bought his first car (BMW) with the “ghost” fee.[26]
• Richard Armitage has exceptional luck with the name John. At the moment, in his creative biography there are 6 characters with this name: John Standring, John Thornton, John Mulligan, John Bay (Lucas North), John Porter, John Proctor.
• For the sake of the role of Thorin, Richard risked refusing to continue filming the series “Strike Back”. Therefore, his hero John Porter dies at the very beginning of season 2[27].

Richard Armitage now

The actor continues to actively act in films. In February 2020, he took part in the film “My Zoe” by Julie Delpy. In an interview, he said that he could not help but be interested in such a scenario - this is a tragic story of a divorced couple who is caring for their little daughter. However, the exact premiere date is unknown.

Richard Armitage in 2020

Also in 2020, a film starring Armitage was released - a spin-off of the trilogy about Danny Ocean's friends - "Ocean's 8". And the film’s cast is truly brilliant – Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway, Cate Blanchett, Rihanna, Helena Bonham Carter, Matt Damon and many others. And in January 2020, the series “The Stranger” with Richard in the title role began airing.