George Paul Blagden (born 28 December 1989) is an English stage and film actor. He is best known for his role as

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Ver ...

in the French-produced television series drama ''

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...

.'' He also played

Grantaire Grantaire () is a fictional character from the 1862 novel ''Les Misérables'' by Victor Hugo. He is a student from the South of France and is one of the principal characters of the revolutionary group known as the Friends of the ABC. According to ...

in the 2012 film adaptation of ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

'' and Athelstan in the television series ''

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and ...

'' (2013–2016).

Early life and education

Blagden began singing at age 13, performing in various choirs and his own rock band. After studying at

Old Buckenham Hall School Old Buckenham Hall School (commonly known as OBH) is a day and boarding school, boarding preparatory school (UK), preparatory school with pre-prep for boys and girls in the village of Brettenham, Suffolk, England. Founded in 1862, the school ha ...

, he was accepted into

Oundle School Oundle School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) for pupils 11–18 situated in the market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire, England. The school has been governed by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City ...

with a drama scholarship and appeared in the school's Stahl Theatre in such roles as The Baker in ''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

'' and Marc in ''

'Art' ''Art'' is a French-language play by Yasmina Reza that premiered in 1994 at Comédie des Champs-Élysées in Paris. The play subsequently ran in London in 1996 and on Broadway in 1998. Productions The play premiered on 28 October 1994 at Com ...

''. Also while at Oundle, Blagden became a member of the National Youth Theatre and was selected as one of four students to participate in a masterclass with

Sir Ian McKellen Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. His career spans seven decades, having performed in genres ranging from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. Regarded as a British cultural i ...

. Following his graduation, he studied acting at the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...

, from which he graduated in 2011. He has a younger sister, Katie, who is a writer and filmmaker.

Career

In 2011, Blagden received his first acting role as Andy in the feature film '' After the Dark'', which was released in 2014. He has since appeared in ''

Wrath of the Titans ''Wrath of the Titans'' is a 2012 action fantasy film and a sequel to the 2010 film '' Clash of the Titans''. The film stars Sam Worthington, Rosamund Pike, Bill Nighy, Édgar Ramírez, Toby Kebbell, Danny Huston, Ralph Fiennes, and Liam Neeson ...

'', ''

'', and as the lead character

in the drama series ''

''. Blagden played the role of PJ in the 2018 revival of Stephen Sondheim's

musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

, '' Company'', at the

Gielgud Theatre The Gielgud Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, at the corner of Rupert Street, in the City of Westminster, London. The house currently has 986 seats on three levels. The theatre was designed by W. G. R. Sprague and ...

in the

West End of London The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government build ...

. Blagden co-stars in the upcoming musical film, '' The Land of Dreams'', directed by Nicola Abbatangelo, with

shooting Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missiles ...

underway in October 2019.

Personal life

Blagden married actress

Laura Pitt-Pulford Laura Pitt-Pulford is a British actress, best known for her work in musical theatre and for playing Carol Butler in ''Emmerdale''. Early life Pitt-Pulford grew up in Rugby, joined a local youth operatic group at age 12, and trained in drama at ...

on September 29, 2019. The couple have a son, Arlo Peter Blagden born in October 2020. He is a supporter of

Diabetes UK Diabetes UK is a British-based patient, healthcare professional and research charity that has been described as "one of the foremost diabetes charities in the UK". The charity campaigns for improvements in the care and treatment of people with d ...

; from 4–6 September 2015, he cycled from London to Paris in under 72 hours and raised nearly £5,000 for the charity.

Filmography

Theatre

Awards

References

External links

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Spotlight
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blagden, George 21st-century English male actors Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama People educated at Oundle School English tenors 1989 births Living people English male actors National Youth Theatre members 21st-century English singers 21st-century British male singers