Brian Blessed: Difference between revisions

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{{quote box|[[File:brianblessed.jpg|link=Black AdderBlackadder|rightframe|<big>'''''CHISWICK!<br />FRESH HORSES!!'''''</big>]]}}

{{quote|''"HELLO! I'M {{smallcapssmall-caps| BRIAN BLESSED!}} AND I'M DOING THIS WEEK'S BBC RADIO FOUR APPEAL ON BEHALF {{smallcapssmall-caps|OF THE DEAF}}!!!!"''|[[Dead Ringers (TV series)|Dead Ringers]]}}

''Click [[Brian Blessed (Creator)/Self Demonstrating|here]]. Receive [[Large Ham|ham]].''

Perhaps best known in America as Prince Vultan of the Hawkmen in the ''[[Flash Gordon (Filmfilm)|Flash Gordon]]'' movie ("GORDON'S ALIVE?!" "DIIIIIIIIIVVEEEEE!!"), he is widely regarded as one of the [[Large Ham|Largest Hams]] in existence. However, he is by nature a stage actor, and his hamming is by design, not by ineptitude or accident. As he has proven on (very) occasional films, he is actually capable of delivering a subtle and understated performance; he just usually doesn't bother (and is probably aware of why people hire him). His crowning moment of hamness is the ''[[BlakesBlake's Seven (TV)7|Blakes Seven]]'' episode "Cygnus Alpha" in which just about every line he speaks could be replaced with "Did somebody order a [[Large Ham|LARGE HAM]]?". He keeps in shape by climbing up large mountains. About the only thing on Earth larger than BRIAN BLESSED is Mount Everest, which he has attempted to scale three times without quite reaching the summit each time. No doubt due to his hamminess causing an avalanche to send him tumbling down (he had to rescue a companion who broke his leg on one occasion, halting a mere (mountain climbing terms) few hundred feet from the summit, according to that nice [[Stephen Fry|Mr Fry]], [[QI|off of the telly]]).

In 1977, he appeared as the villainous hunter Brod in the third season ''[[Survivors (TV series)|Survivors]]'' episode "Law of the Jungle". He put in a performance that for anyone else would be over the top. For him, it qualifies as ''subtle''. "You're not a tax inspector, are you, Charlie?!"

He served up not one, but '''two''' large portions in ''[[Space 1999|Space: 1999]]''; the first as Dr. Cabot Rowland in first season episode "Death's Other Dominion", the second as Maya's father Mentor in second season opener "The Metamorph". In real life his favorite food is cows, which he eats whole and in one gulp. (Seriously, though, he's a vegetarian and regular meditator).

Was also in the first season of ''[[Black AdderBlackadder]]'' as King Richard IV ("Chiswick! Fresh horses!"). Was far less hammy as the ghost in fellow large ham [[Kenneth Branagh]]'s ''[[Stealth Pun|Ham]][[Hamlet (Theatre)|let]]'' (he even managed to ''whisper'' loudly) and Signore Antonio in Branagh's ''[[Much Ado About Nothing (Theatre)|Much Ado About Nothing]]''. Also, the Duke of Exeter in Branagh's ''[[Henry V (Theatre)|Henry V]]''. ("What treasure, Uncle?" "Tennis balls, my liege!") Surprisingly, Keanu Reeves claimed in an interview on British radio that during filming of ''[[Much Ado About Nothing (Theatre)|Much Ado About Nothing]]'' Blessed befriended him and taught him to meditate. Moviegoers who are sympathetic to Reeves might have thought it more likely [[Dull Surprise|the other way round]]. Blessed may be [[Gentle Giant|calmer than apparent]]. During the filming of ''Prisoner of Honor'' he reportedly managed to keep [[Oliver Reed]] sober by sheer force of being big and scary.

Played his best and his favourite role as the sympathetic, tragically naive (yet still occasionally [[Large Ham|bombastic]]) emperor Augustus in the acclaimed British mini-series ''[[I, Claudius|I, Clavdivs]]''. ("[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhsY5XEqTWY IS THERE ANYONE IN ROME WHO HAS NOT SLEPT WITH MY DAUGHTER?!!!]")

He's also appeared in [[Disney Animated Canon|Disney's]] animated adaptation of ''[[Tarzan]]'' as Clayton, and went on to repeat the same role in ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]''. His performance was still quite hamlike. He also provided the "Tarzan yell" for the film. His voice performance of Boss Nass (the Gungan king) in ''[[Star Wars]]: [[The Phantom Menace]]'' was equally over the top and possibly the most fun performance in the entire movie. Additionally, he narrated ''[[Viking: Battle for Asgard]]'' in which his narration stole the show and catapulted said game into the halls of awesome!

He also appeared in original series [[Doctor Who (TV)|Doctor Who]]: ([[Doctor Who (TV)/Recap/S23 E2/E02 Mindwarp|"Trial of a Time Lord: Mindwarp"]]) and uttered the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1k-pvCZ2Kw immortal line]: "Today prudence shall be our watchword. Tomorrow we shall soak the land in blood!" Hamtastic! He then ended up either killing Peri after she got a slug's brain transferred into it, but then actually marrying her, coming from The Valeyard and The Master, who are both [[Unreliable Narrator|Unreliable Narrators]]. Hell, he might have done both; he's just that sort of guy. It was here that he met his only true rival for loudest being in the universe. [[Impossibly Tacky Clothes|The Sixth Doctor and his coat.]] ''Mindwarp'' is regarded by some as being the hammiest production ever.

He somehow managed to raise a son with an American accent in ''[[Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves]]'', and still was the loudest person in the film, even on his character's ''last line'': "[[God]]!! And Kinnng Richaarrd!!! Yaaarrrrrrrggggghhhhh!!!!!"

He has also been sighted presenting [[Unbeatable Banzuke]], enthusiastically, in the guise of "Banzuke Brian" attired in what appears to be red plastic faux-samurai armour several sizes too small, on the UK's Challenge telly channel.

Along with [[The Avengers (TV series)|Diana Rigg]] and [[Top Gear|Jeremy Clarkson]], he's from Doncaster. The fact that Doncaster is now also home to an extensive school and college for the deaf may not be coincidental.

He was cast as Odin in ''[[Thor (Filmfilm)|Thor]]'', a part Blessed was ''born'' to play, [[What Could Have Been|but then Anthony Hopkins got the part instead]].

After a campaign by fans, tomtom have worked with Brian to record a [http://www.tomtom.com/brianblessed voice track] for their satnav appliances. The campaign's own demo video starring Brian himself can be found [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JpKuYbJQK4 here] on [[YouTube]]. His excited thanks to the 25,000+ people who signed up for the campaign can be found [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOicbYFq4C0 here]. In response to their success, Brian suggested in an interview that somebody should make a [http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=146719395347443&ref=ts#!/group.php?gid=146719395347443&v=wall&ref=ts campaign to send BRIAN BLESSED to the moon]. <ref>He hasSomeone actuallymust completedhave thedone 300something hoursalong trainingthose tolines, bebecause ablein to2014 behe's an''[[In astronautSpace|going ifinto anyonespace!]]'' wants to[http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bHKcJE8fdDM beStraight lockedfrom inthe aman's smallmouth] metalon box''[[Russell withHoward's him.</ref>Good News]]'', Episode 10, Season 8 (2013):

Author [[Neil Gaiman]] is deadset on having Blessed play the role of Destruction in a movie adaptation of ''[[The Sandman]]'' comic series.