Brian Blessed

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.

Brian Blessed is known for work in acting across film and television. New Release currently presents 29 verified screen credits connected to this profile.

Selected work includes Dudley & the Invasion of the Space Slugs (2027), Space: 1999 4K Double Bill - Breakaway and The Metamorph (2026), Best & Bester (2022), Peter O'Toole Réalta & Rógaire (2021), Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans (2021), Robin Hood: The Rebellion (2018), Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return (2014), The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! (2012).

The recorded credits span 1969 to 2027, including 20 movies and 9 TV shows. The filmography below lists available titles, release years and known roles.

This profile is updated as additional verified information becomes available.