Richard Armitage was born and raised in Leicester, England. He attended Pattison College in Binley Road, Coventry, and studied at LAMDA (the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art). His first appearance on the screen was in a small role in This Year's Love (1999), but it was Sparkhouse (2002) (TV) that gave him a break-through role as the charming but a bit odd character of John Standring opposite Sarah Smart. After two guest-roles in "Cold Feet" (1997) in 2003 and "Between the Sheets" (2003), he landed a role as Steven in Frozen (2005/I), which eventually led him to play the lead role in the big hit BBC drama "North & South" (2004). Other than appearing on screen, he has also appeared on stage--in, for example, Macbeth and Hamlet.

Filmography

• Winter — Dr Ethan Winter
• Missing You — Ellis Stagger
• 2025One Step Beyond: A Journey to Mars — Narrator
• Fool Me Once — Joe Burkett
• Red Eye — Dr. Matthew Nolan
• Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft — Charles Devereaux (voice)
• Obsession — William Farrow
• 2023The Boy in the Woods — Jasko
• 2022The Man from Rome — Father Quart
• 2021Space Sweepers — James Sullivan / The CEO of UTS
• Stay Close — Ray Levine
• 2020The Lodge — Richard
• The Stranger — Adam Price
• 2020Uncle Vanya — Astrov
• 2019My Zoe — James Lewis
• 2018I Am Urban — Chop
• 2018Ocean's Eight — Claude Becker
• 2017Brain on Fire — Tom Cahalan
• Castlevania — Trevor Belmont (voice)
• 2017Pilgrimage — Raymond De Merville
• 2017Sleepwalker — Dr. Scott White
• 2016Alice Through the Looking Glass — King Oleron
• Berlin Station — Daniel Miller
• 2014Into the Storm — Gary Morris
• 2014The Crucible — John Proctor
• 2014The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies — Thorin Oakenshield
• Hannibal — Francis Dolarhyde
• 2013The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug — Thorin Oakenshield
• 2012The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey — Thorin Oakenshield
• 2011Captain America: The First Avenger — Heinz Kruger
• 2010Leopards of Dead Tree Island — Narrator
• Strike Back — John Porter
• Moving On — John Mulligan
• 2009The Great Sperm Race — Narrator (Voice)
• Inspector George Gently
• 2007Miss Marie Lloyd: Queen of the Music Hall — Percy Courtenay
• Robin Hood — Sir Guy of Gisbourne
• The Impressionists — Claude Monet
• 2005Frozen — Steven
• Malice Aforethought — William Chatford
• ShakespeaRe-Told
• 2005ShakespeaRe-Told: Macbeth — Peter Macduff
• The Golden Hour — Dr. Alec Track
• North & South — John Thornton
• Between The Sheets — Paul Andrews
• Sparkhouse — John Standring
• Spooks — Lucas North, Armed Police Officer
• The Inspector Lynley Mysteries — Philip Turner
• Ultimate Force — Capt. Ian Macalwain
• 2001Macbeth — Angus
• Cleopatra — Epiphanes
• 1999Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace — Tonra
• 1999This Year's Love — Smug Man at Party
• Cold Feet — Lee
• The Vicar of Dibley — Harry Kennedy
• Casualty — Craig Parker
• Natural World — Narrator
• Great Performances — Astov
• Now & Then — Chris

Appearances as themselves (10)

• VE Day 80 — Self
• 2021The Vicar of Dibley: Inside Out — Self
• Between the Covers — Self
• 2015Getting the Old Scent Again: Reimagining Red Dragon — Self
• HMS Ark Royal — Himself - Narrator
• Lost Land of the Tiger — Self - Narrator
• The One Show — Self
• Israel and the Arabs - Elusive Peace — Self
• GMTV — Self
• This Morning — Self