For the Russian audience, Richard Armitage is, first of all, the king of the dwarfs Oakenshield from the magnificent film trilogy "The Hobbit".
Meanwhile, Armitage has a rich artistic background, and foreign audiences have seen him in many roles. He has been twice awarded the prestigious Saturn Prize and is also the recipient of the Broadway World UK Awards.
It all began in the English city of Hankot in August 1971, where the son Richard was born into the family of an engineer and a secretary. From childhood he was attracted by music and theater, and he dreamed of becoming an artist. And here's the irony of fate - Richard played his first role in the play "The Hobbit", and played an elf. This incident helped him to accurately determine the profession: he became firmly established in the idea that he wanted to become an actor.
After entering Brockington College, Armitage begins to master vocals, guitar, cello and flute. At college, Pattison studies the basics of acting. And after graduating from college, he makes a bold act - he goes on tour to Europe with a circus troupe. He cleaned the cages, cleaned the premises only in order to get the actor's union card. And having received it, he begins to appear in musicals. One of them is the famous "Cats". However, the playfulness and insincerity of musicals does not suit the young actor: he wants something more truthful and deep.
And Richard goes to study again - to London, to the Drama Academy, and upon graduation he is accepted into the Royal Shakespeare Campaign. His dream came true: he played in "Hamlet", "Macbeth" and other performances, but even this seemed to him not enough, and he went to the cinema.
Film career
While still a student at the Academy, he starred in the film Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, then in the TV series Sparkhouse. Then there were the negative heroes who worked especially well for him. Take at least John Thornton from the TV series "North and South" - he was still a bastard. Richard himself says that he likes negative characters: here you can afford what you can't in life. The role of Guy Gisborne in the series "Robin Hood" became just as bright and memorable - the audience passionately hated this tyrant.
Then came a series of spy and military series, where Armitage appeared before the audience in a completely different role. During this period, director Peter Jackson saw him and invited him to the role of Oakenshield in The Hobbit. The circle is closed - the story about hobbits and trolls gave the actor a start in life, and the very peak of fame fell on the same story.
After this film project, there were historical pictures, where Richard played the main roles, but the dream of the theater did not leave. It was performed in 2014: in the play "The Severe Test" he got the role of John Proctor, and the audience did not want to part with him for 17 weeks.
Personal life
Richard Armitage was not married, but for a long time he dated Annabelle Capper, an actress, although he never tied the knot. Fans suggest that actor Lee Pace became his chosen one, but there is no direct evidence of this. There are only joint photos from various events, although there are quite a few of them.
Armitage himself does not provide any information about his personal life either in interviews or in social networks. He continues to act in films with the most famous actors, and viewers will be able to see many more films with his participation.
