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| Richard Armitage as Mr. John Thornton from North & South |
Richard Armitage. Two words which can set the entire period drama community swooning. OK, yours truly is swooning...anyone else here with me? This man's voice is like melted butter. Yum!
Richard Armitage and Mr. Thornton are to the new millennium what Colin Firth and Mr. Darcy were to the 1990s. Be still my beating heart! If for some reason you haven't seen the amazing adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's classic Victorian novel North and South from 2004 you are in for a real treat. If you love it already, maybe you are due to watch it again (or at least watch the brilliant
final scene on YouTube!). By the way, this is
not the American Civil War saga from the 1980s. The reference is to the industrial North and the agricultural South of England.
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| Richard Armitage as Harry Kennedy from The Vicar of Dibley |
When Dawn French as the Vicar of Dibley had to find herself a love interest for the
Christmas/New Years special of 2006/2007 she knew who to ask for. And he is such a good sport that he jumped at it. Wouldn't you love this adorable accountant to move in down the street? If you have never seen The Vicar of Dibley, make sure you watch some
older episodes before you watch the one above.
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| Richard Armitage as Guy of Gisborne in Robin Hood |
If you like your men a little darker and scruffier than the smiling accountant above, perhaps Guy of Gisborne from the recent BBC Robin Hood series is more your style...
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| Richard Armitage as Lucas North from Spooks |
If dark and dangerous is more your style, then the cool spy Lucas North from the wonderful television series Spooks (known as MI5 in North America) may fit the bill. Armitage had to lose weight and learn Russian for this role. His tattooed bod is quite something, but of course it is the acting we are interested in, right? And the acting is brilliant.
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| Richard Armitage as baddie Heinz Kruger from Captain America |
Hollywood thinks of him as a baddie apparently as seen here in Captain America where he plays the thoroughly evil Heinz Kruger.
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| Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit |
And as Dwarf leader Thorin Oakenshield (he is a 6'2" Dwarf by the way) he is not exactly looking his usual hunky self. But if it raises his profile in Hollywood, then maybe we get to see more of him!
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| "You don't need Henry to explain..." |
I leave you with a loving glance from John Thornton minus cravat for a change. Mmmmmmm.....Is my bias showing? (Favourite actor!!!)
P.S. Any other roles you particularly liked him in?
Richard Armitage is simply exquisite! I also love his John Porter character from Chris Ryan's Strike Back. The actor gave a nuanced performance in what could have been a cliche shoot-em-up TV show. I'm also delighted that he is starting to appear on our big screens. Such a treat awaits those who have yet to discover him.
ReplyDeleteThank you for showcasing the oeuvre of the inimitable Mr. Armitage. He's so addictive :)
ReplyDeleteI totally fell in love with him again when I saw him in Sparkhouse (his first big role) in 2002 before North and South. He plays a shy Yorkshire farmer, in love with a girl who loves someone else. The scene where he tries on suits and gets a haircut, is the best makeover in movie history!
ReplyDeleteHe is such a talented actor, a character actor with leading man looks!
LOVE the Tall, Dark, Handsome Cotton Mill Owner! Would love to see him in another period drama one day and yet he'll always be Thornton first and foremost :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't know he was your favourite actor!
Yes, he is my favourite actor. Glad that you all appreciate him too. I haven't seen him in Strike Back or Sparkhouse, so I'll have to watch those. Thanks phylly3!
ReplyDeleteDo you think we could convince him to wear a cravat again? Swoon!
The Squire (my husband) liked him in MI5 although he kept calling him Richard Attenborough just to bug me!
I got caught by his Thronton and was definitely mesmerized by his Guy. I was in heaven when he became my favourite spy in my favourite modern drama (Lucas in Spooks) . But I also liked him a lot in an ambiguous minor role he performed brilliantly in an episode of the series Moving On. He was again so good at playing the baddie as John Mulligan. It's a 50 minute's TV movie in which he did very well. I particularly admire him in the last scene. Then I like his John Standring in Sparkhouse a lot. And another of my favourite is Dr Alec Track in Golden Hour. Longing for another romantic lead role for him. Thanks Jenny!
ReplyDeleteafter his performance as Thornton I doubt very very much that he can do any wrong parts - if he played a janitor he'd be mopping up our drool...
DeleteWhen I was writing my werewolf story, Mr. Darcy's Bite, I had RA in mind. He has a lean and hungry look.
ReplyDeleteHe is heaven.
ReplyDeleteI love his narration of Sylvester by Georgette Heyer. His voice is so amazing. His BBC radio dramatization of Mr. Lovelace of Clarissa was sensational also. Again the voice......sigh...
ReplyDelete@Anonymous-Ooooo, I will have to check these out. Richard Armitage's voice is absolute velvet. Thanks for the heads up on some of his voice work.
ReplyDeleteI'm so in love with him and his voice. I used to like Matthew MacFayden a lot until I saw and heard
ReplyDeleteRA. I die every time I hear his voice. I'm currently listening to Sylvester. He's my all time favorite! In every aspect. :)
I stumbled across Robin Hood series a couple of weeks ago, by pure accident. This was my first encounter with the dreamy & dangerous Guy.
ReplyDeleteI fell in love with him straight away.
The eyes, the voice, the body, the mimics! The way he flinches just a little bit so you can read the emotion from his face. Oh boy!
I read he turned 40 last year and slept through it... I'm turning 30 in a couple of months, I'd also like to sleep in..
Richard, got any plans or would you like to keep me company? :))
Jenny, thanks for this post.
I've seen the impressionists and Sparkhouse before and actually avoided Robinhood BUT after being mesmerized by North and South I had to go back and see what I missed.
ReplyDeleteNorth and South does mesmerize, doesn't it? RA is a major reason for that. Love him in a cravat!
ReplyDeletethere are many talented and beautiful people, some will leave what seems like an everlasting impression on us and for many RA will be one such character
ReplyDeleteDreamboat. Plain and simple. I still find him hot as Thorin Oakenshield, prostheses and all. I predict The Hobbit will make him the star he already is in my eyes. I've been watching MI-5(Spooks), not really knowing what the heck is going on, just to see him. Wow. I'm totally squealing like a school girl. Oh Mr. Thornton.
ReplyDeleteHonestly I never knew I had it in my heart to toss off my bra at a dwarf's singing. He certainly does cross the genres :)
ReplyDeleteHi Beautiful. Richard Armitage is the sexiest dwarf I have ever seen. I look forward to The Hobbit immensely.
DeleteJust found your blog. First off, I'm a Jane Austen fan, with Persuasion being my favorite. Secondly, I recently discovered RA from watching North & South. What an amazing portrayal of Mr. Thornton! There's a lot of debate of Darcy, Rochester, or Thornton. I've always preferred Gaskell's Thornton the most and RA just solidified my choice. I've watched him in Strike Back and the Vicar of Dibley. Great actor.
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