Brian Blessed: Difference between revisions

Line 6:

''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 (Film)|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 ''[[~~Blakes~~ Seven (TV)|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]]).

Perhaps best known in America as Prince Vultan of the Hawkmen in the ''[[Flash Gordon (Film)|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 ''[[Blake's Seven (TV)|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)|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).

He served up not one, but '''two''' large portions in ''[[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 Adder]]'' 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.