Brian Blessed
Known for Acting · 183 credits
- Born
- 1936-10-09 (age 89)
- Place of birth
- Mexborough, Yorkshire, England, UK
- Also known as
- B. Blessed · برایان بلسد
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
TV Shows (88)
Family Guy
1999
as Prince Vultan (voice)
Doctor Who
1963
as King Yrcanos
Peppa Pig
2004
as Grampy Rabbit (voice)
The Avengers
1961
as Sergeant Hearn / Mark Dayton
The Amazing World of Gumball
2011
as Santa Claus (voice)
Have I Got News for You
1990
as Self - Host
QI
2003
as Self
Minder
1979
as Freddie Dyer
BBC Play of the Month
1965
as Sgt. Kite
Natural World
1983
Tales of the Unexpected
1979
as Detective Sergeant Jack Nolan
Z-Cars
1962
as PC Smith / PC Fancy Smith / PC William "Fancy" Smith
GMTV
1993
as Self
Have I Got a Bit More News for You
as Self - Presenter
The Wednesday Play
1964
as Peter / Will
Blackadder
1983
as King Richard IV
Pebble Mill
1991
as Self
ITV Playhouse
1967
as Reg Sugden / Jim Carter
The Sweeney
1975
as Frank Kemble
Would I Lie to You?
2007
as Self
The Paul O'Grady Show
2004
Celebrity Antiques Road Trip
2011
as Self - Participant
Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
2002
as Self
Space: 1999
1975
as Mentor / Cabot Rowland
Soccer AM
1995
as Self
Close Enough
2020
as Sir Jack Kleghorn (voice)
Who Do You Think You Are?
2004
as Self
Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg
2022
as Self – Actor
Blake's 7
1978
as Vargas
Lovejoy
1986
as Harry Catapodis
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
1969
as Ted Gissing
Thriller
1973
as Det Sgt George Briggs
Lady Chatterley
1993
as Petty Officer
The Russell Howard Hour
2017
as Self
Justice
1971
as Tiger Lawson
The Expert
1968
as Hubert Innes
Public Eye
1965
as Rev. William Pratt
The Heaven and Earth Show
1998
Danger Mouse
2015
as Santa Claus (voice)
Churchill's People
1974
as Guthrum
Crossbow
1987
I, Claudius
1976
as Augustus
The Troubleshooters
1965
as Eddie Barnaby
War and Remembrance
1988
as Yevlenko
Survivors
1975
as Brod
The Kenny Everett Television Show
1982
as Self
Blankety Blank
2021
as Self - Panellist
Britain's Got More Talent
2007
as Self - Narrator
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Captain Teach
Wizards vs Aliens
2012
as The Nekross King (voice)
Sooty
2011
as Father Christmas
Shirley's World
1972
Sooty & Co.
1993
as Santa Claus
Arthur of the Britons
1972
as Mark of Cornwall
Dennis the Menace and Gnasher
1996
as Captain (voice)
Fantasy World Cup
1998
as Self
Take Me Out
2010
as Announcer (voice)
The History of Tom Jones: A Foundling
1997
as Squire Western
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
1969
as Jim Lawsey
The Underdog Show
2008
Movies (95)
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
1999
as Boss Nass (voice)
Tarzan
1999
as Clayton (voice)
Alexander
2004
as Wrestling Trainer
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
1991
as Lord Locksley
Flash Gordon
1980
as Prince Vultan
The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!
2012
as The Pirate King (voice)
Much Ado About Nothing
1993
as Antonio
Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans
2021
as Charlemagne (voice)
Hamlet
1996
as Ghost of Hamlet's Father
The Eagle Has Landed
1976
as Arthur Seymour (voice) (uncredited)
Henry V
1989
as Exeter
Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return
2014
as Judge Jawbreaker (voice)
High Road to China
1983
as Suleman Khan
As You Like It
2006
as Duke Senior/Duke Frederick
Man of La Mancha
1972
as Pedro
Henry VIII and His Six Wives
1972
as Suffolk
The 50 Greatest Television Dramas
2007
as Self
LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out
2012
as Boss Nass (voice)
Brotherly Love
1970
as Jack Baird
The Last Valley
1971
as Korski
Day of Wrath
2006
as Lord Francisco del Ruiz
Catherine the Great
1996
as Bestuzhev
So You Want To Be A Pirate!
2012
as The Pirate King
Peter O'Toole: Along the Sky Road to Aqaba
2022
as Self
The Trojan Women
1971
as Talthybius
Agent Crush
2008
as Boris Goudphater (voice)
Time Travel Is Dangerous!
2025
as Gavin the Octopus (voice)
Robin Hood: The Rebellion
2018
as Friar Tuck
Shed of the Dead
2019
as Narrator (voice)
Hey, Mr. Producer! The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh
1998
as Old Deuteronomy
The Funny Blokes of British Comedy
2005
as King Richard IV (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Conclave
2006
as Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomin
Peppa's Cinema Party
2024
as Grampy Rabbit (voice)
David Macaulay: Roman City
1994
as Gaius Valerius (voice)
Back in the USSR
1992
as Chazov
The Greatest Store in the World
1999
as Mr. Scottley
Tales of Television Centre
2012
as Self
The Legend of the Tamworth Two
2004
as Wild Boar (voice)
A Christmas Carol
1977
as Narrator (voice)
Prisoner of Honor
1991
as Gen. Gonse
Kidnapped
1995
as Cluny MacPherson
The Hound of the Baskervilles
1983
as Geoffrey Lyons
Blackadder's Most Cunning Moments
2008
as Self
Life After Flash
2017
as Self
King Arthur, the Young Warlord
1975
as Mark of Cornwall
MacGyver: Lost Treasure of Atlantis
1994
as Atticus
Peppa Pig: Wedding Party!
2024
as Grampy Rabbit (voice)
David Macaulay: Pyramid
1989
as Ankhaf (voice)
The Bruce
1996
as Edward I
Freddie As F.R.O.7.
1992
as El Supremo (voice)
The Seventeenth Kind
2014
as The Voice (voice)
I, Claudius: A Television Epic
2002
as Self
The Double Agent
1969
as Reg Sugden
The Master of Ballantrae
1984
as Captain Teach
Macbeth
1997
as Edward the Confessor
Cosmic Princess
1982
as Mentor
Peppa Pig: The Golden Boots
2015
as Grampy Rabbit (voice)
Till Death Us Do Part
1969
as Sergeant
Wine of India
1970
as Will
Son of Man
1969
as Peter
Back in Business
2007
as Trevor Pilkington
The Doctors: 30 Years of Time Travel and Beyond
1995
Into Infinity
1975
as Dr. Tom Bowen
Mist: The Tale of a Sheepdog Puppy
2006
as Sir Gregory (voice)
Blood and Dust
1992
as Chatillon
Devil's Harvest
2003
as Father Gabriel Norton
Doctor Who: Mindwarp
1986
as King Yrcanos
Tales of the Unexpected: Lamb to the Slaughter
1979
as Detective Jack Noonan
The Mumbo Jumbo
2000
as Lucifer Bounder
David Macaulay: Castle
1983
as Voice
The Castle of Adventure
1990
as Sam
Eugenius!
2020
as Space Lord
The Christmas Tree
1966
The Queen: 70 Glorious Years
2022
as Self
The Making of The Trial of a Time Lord
2008
David Macaulay: Cathedral
1986
as Master Guillaume (voice)
The Dark Side of Everest
2003
as Self
The Making of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
2002
as Self - Actor
King Lear
1999
as King Lear
Blake's 7: The Beginning
1985
as Vargas
Old Rococo: The Life of Gioacchino Rossini
1992
as Voice of Rossini
Mr. Bojagi
2010
as Mr. Bojagi
Wojtek: The Bear That Went to War
2011
as Narrator
448 BC: Olympiad of Ancient Hellas
2004
as Narrator
Galahad of Everest
1991
as George Mallory/Self
The Bristol Entertainment
1971
as Cabot / Wolstan / Pocock / Colston / Pope Gregory / Dr. Beddoes
Chasing the Deer
1994
as Maj. Elliot
A Midsummer Nightmare
1975
as Det Sgt George Briggs
Brian Cox: Space, Time & Videotape
2014
as Self
The Old Man Of The Mountain
1989
as Narrator
Mist: The Tale of a Sheepdog Puppy
2005
as Sir Gregory(voice)
Bug-Eyed Monsters Invade the Earth!
2022
as Narrator
Exam Conditions
1992
as Mr. Carksdale
Genius: Pythagoras
1996
as Self
Dear Mr. Burton
2020
as Narrator
About 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 Phan… With 183 credits spanning from 1951 to 2025, Brian Blessed has appeared in 95 films and 88 TV shows.
Fans searching for Brian Blessed movies, Brian Blessed filmography, or the latest projects starring Brian Blessed can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Brian Blessed Movies
- Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) — as Boss Nass (voice)
- Tarzan (1999) — as Clayton (voice)
- Alexander (2004) — as Wrestling Trainer
- Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) — as Lord Locksley
- Flash Gordon (1980) — as Prince Vultan
Where to Watch Brian Blessed Films
Most Brian Blessed movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Brian Blessed, check our movies catalogue and browse page.