Loading amazing content...
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthday
October 9, 1936
Place of Birth
Mexborough, Yorkshire, England, UK
Also Known As
- B. Blessed
- برایان بلسد
Brian Blessed
1.3 Popularity
Biography
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
5.2
Gavin the Octopus (voice)
Time Travel Is Dangerous!
2025
10.0
Grampy Rabbit (voice)
Peppa Pig: Wedding Party!
2024
4.0
Grampy Rabbit (voice)
Peppa's Cinema Party
2024
7.8
Self
Peter O'Toole: Along the Sky Road to Aqaba
2022
0.0
Narrator
Bug-Eyed Monsters Invade the Earth!
2022
2.7
Self – Actor
Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg
2022
10.0
Shouty Shirt (Voice)
Best & Bester
2022
0.0
Self
The Queen: 70 Glorious Years
2022
7.0
Self - Panellist
Blankety Blank
2021
7.6
Charlemagne (voice)
Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans
2021
Credits
Time Travel Is Dangerous!
as Gavin the Octopus (voice)
2025
5.2
Peppa Pig: Wedding Party!
as Grampy Rabbit (voice)
2024
10.0
Peppa's Cinema Party
as Grampy Rabbit (voice)
2024
4.0
Peter O'Toole: Along the Sky Road to Aqaba
as Self
2022
7.8
Bug-Eyed Monsters Invade the Earth!
as Narrator
2022
0.0
Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg
as Self – Actor
2022
2.7
Best & Bester
as Shouty Shirt (Voice)
2022
10.0
The Queen: 70 Glorious Years
as Self
2022
0.0
Blankety Blank
as Self - Panellist
2021
7.0
Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans
as Charlemagne (voice)
2021
7.6
Dear Mr. Burton
as Narrator
2020
0.0
Close Enough
as Sir Jack Kleghorn (voice)
2020
7.9
Eugenius!
as Space Lord
2020
8.5
Shed of the Dead
as Narrator (voice)
2019
4.9
Robin Hood: The Rebellion
as Friar Tuck
2018
5.0
Life After Flash
as Self
2017
5.7
The Russell Howard Hour
as Self
2017
8.0
Danger Mouse
as Santa Claus (voice)
2015
6.2
Peppa Pig: The Golden Boots
as Grampy Rabbit (voice)
2015
10.0
Brian Cox: Space, Time & Videotape
as Self
2014
0.0
The Seventeenth Kind
as The Voice (voice)
2014
0.0
Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return
as Judge Jawbreaker (voice)
2014
6.3
🎬
The Kumars
as Self
2014
5.0
Wizards vs Aliens
as The Nekross King (voice)
2012
7.5
LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out
as Boss Nass (voice)
2012
6.4
So You Want To Be A Pirate!
as The Pirate King
2012
6.3
Tales of Television Centre
as Self
2012
8.0
The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!
as The Pirate King (voice)
2012
6.5
Celebrity Antiques Road Trip
as Self - Participant
2011
5.0
🎬
Wojtek: The Bear That Went to War
as Narrator
2011
5.8
Sooty
as Father Christmas
2011
7.5
The Amazing World of Gumball
as Santa Claus (voice)
2011
8.5
🎬
Fee Fi Fo Yum
as GTV Announcer
2010
0.0
🎬
Mr. Bojagi
as Mr. Bojagi
2010
0.0
Take Me Out
as Announcer (voice)
2010
6.0
Blackadder's Most Cunning Moments
as Self
2008
4.5
The Making of The Trial of a Time Lord
2008
0.0
🎬
The Underdog Show
2008
0.0
All Star Mr & Mrs
2008
0.0
Agent Crush
as Boris Goudphater (voice)
2008
4.3
🎬
Saving Planet Earth UK
as Himself - Presenter
2007
0.0
Would I Lie to You?
as Self
2007
7.8
Britain's Got More Talent
as Self - Narrator
2007
2.8
The Conclave
as Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomin
2007
5.9
Back in Business
as Trevor Pilkington
2007
4.7
The 50 Greatest Television Dramas
as Self
2007
0.0
As You Like It
as Duke Senior/Duke Frederick
2006
5.7
Mist: The Tale of a Sheepdog Puppy
as Sir Gregory
2006
4.0
Day of Wrath
as Lord Francisco del Ruiz
2006
4.1
448 BC: Olympiad of Ancient Hellas
as Narrator
2004
0.0
Alexander
as Wrestling Trainer
2004
6.0
Who Do You Think You Are?
as Self
2004
6.7
The Paul O'Grady Show
2004
4.6
Peppa Pig
as Grampy Rabbit (voice)
2004
6.6
The Legend of the Tamworth Two
as Wild Boar (voice)
2004
3.0
QI
as Self
2003
7.9
The Royal
as Sir Edward Fawcett
2003
7.6
The Dark Side of Everest
as Self
2003
10.0
Devil's Harvest
as Father Gabriel Norton
2003
1.5
I, Claudius: A Television Epic
as Self
2002
7.0
Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
as Self
2002
6.1
🎬
Fun at the Funeral Parlour
2001
7.0
The Mumbo Jumbo
as Lucifer Bounder
2000
0.0
The Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything
2000
0.0
The Greatest Store in the World
as Mr. Scottley
1999
4.8
Tarzan
as Clayton (voice)
1999
7.4
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
as Boss Nass (voice)
1999
6.6
Family Guy
as Prince Vultan (voice)
1999
7.4
King Lear
as King Lear
1999
0.0
Hey, Mr. Producer! The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh
as Old Deuteronomy
1998
2.0
🎬
The Heaven and Earth Show
1998
3.2
🎬
Fantasy World Cup
as Self
1998
5.0
The History of Tom Jones: A Foundling
as Squire Western
1997
7.0
Macbeth
as Edward the Confessor
1997
4.0
Hamlet
as Ghost of Hamlet's Father
1996
7.3
Catherine the Great
as Bestuzhev
1996
5.5
The Bruce
as Edward I
1996
6.2
Dennis the Menace and Gnasher
as Captain (voice)
1996
6.2
Genius: Pythagoras
as Self
1996
0.0
Kidnapped
as Cluny MacPherson
1995
6.2
The Doctors: 30 Years of Time Travel and Beyond
1995
7.0
Soccer AM
as Self
1995
6.0
Johnny and the Dead
as William Stickers
1995
5.0
Chasing the Deer
as Maj. Elliot
1994
5.0
MacGyver: Lost Treasure of Atlantis
as Atticus
1994
6.3
David Macaulay: Roman City
as Gaius Valerius (voice)
1994
9.0
Sooty & Co.
as Santa Claus
1993
7.2
Lady Chatterley
as Petty Officer
1993
6.2
Much Ado About Nothing
as Antonio
1993
6.9
GMTV
as Self
1993
5.6
Blood and Dust
as Chatillon
1992
0.0
Freddie As F.R.O.7.
as El Supremo (voice)
1992
5.2
🎬
Exam Conditions
as Mr. Carksdale
1992
0.0
Back in the USSR
as Chazov
1992
3.0
🎬
Old Rococo: The Life of Gioacchino Rossini
as Voice of Rossini
1992
0.0
Galahad of Everest
as George Mallory/Self
1991
8.0
Prisoner of Honor
as Gen. Gonse
1991
6.2
🎬
Pebble Mill
as Self
1991
3.1
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
as Lord Locksley
1991
6.9
Have I Got News for You
as Self - Host
1990
7.1
🎬
The Castle of Adventure
as Sam
1990
7.5
Henry V
as Exeter
1989
7.2
David Macaulay: Pyramid
as Ankhaf (voice)
1989
0.0
🎬
The Old Man Of The Mountain
as Narrator
1989
9.0
🎬
A Question Of Entertainment
1988
0.0
My Family and Other Animals
as Spiro
1987
5.4
The Gnostics
as Guilhabert De Castres
1987
0.0
Doctor Who: Mindwarp
as King Yrcanos
1986
7.0
David Macaulay: Cathedral
as Master Guillaume (voice)
1986
0.0
John Silver's Return to Treasure Island
as Long John Silver
1986
8.3
Lovejoy
as Harry Catapodis
1986
7.3
The Last Days of Pompeii
as Olinthus
1984
7.3
The Master of Ballantrae
as Captain Teach
1984
6.0
The Hound of the Baskervilles
as Geoffrey Lyons
1983
6.6
Natural World
1983
7.2
Blackadder
as King Richard IV
1983
8.0
High Road to China
as Suleman Khan
1983
5.9
David Macaulay: Castle
as Voice
1983
6.0
Cosmic Princess
as Mentor
1982
4.6
The Kenny Everett Television Show
as Self
1982
7.0
🎬
The Little World of Don Camillo
as Peppone
1981
10.0
Flash Gordon
as Prince Vultan
1980
6.2
Minder
as Freddie Dyer
1979
6.8
Tales of the Unexpected: Lamb to the Slaughter
as Detective Jack Noonan
1979
0.0
Tales of the Unexpected
as Detective Sergeant Jack Nolan
1979
6.7
The Aphrodite Inheritance
as Basileos
1979
7.0
Blake's 7
as Vargas
1978
7.3
A Christmas Carol
as Narrator (voice)
1977
6.6
The Eagle Has Landed
as Arthur Seymour (voice) (uncredited)
1976
6.6
I, Claudius
as Augustus
1976
7.8
🎬
The Day After Tomorrow
as Dr. Tom Bowen
1975
4.5
Into Infinity
as Dr. Tom Bowen
1975
3.7
A Midsummer Nightmare
as Det Sgt George Briggs
1975
0.0
Space: 1999
as Mentor
1975
7.1
Space: 1999
as Cabot Rowland
1975
7.1
Survivors
as Brod
1975
8.0
The Sweeney
as Frank Kemble
1975
7.8
King Arthur, the Young Warlord
as Mark of Cornwall
1975
7.0
Churchill's People
as Guthrum
1974
1.0
Notorious Woman
1974
5.0
Boy Dominic
as William Woodcock
1974
8.0
🎬
European Heritage
as Narrator (voice)
1973
0.0
Thriller
as Det Sgt George Briggs
1973
6.6
Man of La Mancha
as Pedro
1972
6.5
Arthur of the Britons
as Mark of Cornwall
1972
7.3
Henry VIII and His Six Wives
as Suffolk
1972
5.6
Shirley's World
1972
5.0
🎬
The Bristol Entertainment
as Cabot / Wolstan / Pocock / Colston / Pope Gregory / Dr. Beddoes
1971
0.0
Justice
as Tiger Lawson
1971
6.0
The Trojan Women
as Talthybius
1971
6.2
The Last Valley
as Korski
1971
6.4
🎬
Wine of India
as Will
1970
0.0
Brotherly Love
as Jack Baird
1970
5.9
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
as Jim Lawsey
1969
7.0
🎬
The Double Agent
as Reg Sugden
1969
0.0
🎬
Son of Man
as Peter
1969
0.0
Till Death Us Do Part
as Sergeant
1969
7.2
The Expert
as Hubert Innes
1968
10.0
Cold Comfort Farm
as Reuben Starkadder
1968
0.0
The Further Adventures of the Musketeers
as Porthos
1967
7.5
The Christmas Tree
1966
7.0
The Three Musketeers
as Porthos
1966
5.0
BBC Play of the Month
as Sgt. Kite
1965
5.0
The Troubleshooters
as Eddie Barnaby
1965
5.0
Public Eye
as Rev. William Pratt
1965
7.8
The Wednesday Play
as Peter
1964
4.5
Doctor Who
as King Yrcanos
1963
7.9
Z-Cars
as PC Smith
1962
7.0
Z-Cars
as PC Fancy Smith
1962
7.0
Z-Cars
as PC William "Fancy" Smith
1962
7.0
The Avengers
as Sergeant Hearn
1961
7.7
The Avengers
as Mark Dayton
1961
7.7
Hallmark Hall of Fame
as Captain Teach
1951
8.6
Have I Got a Bit More News for You
as Self - Presenter
N/A
7.0