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

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

in the French-produced television series drama ''

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

.'' He also played Grantaire in the 2012 film adaptation of ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...

'' and Athelstan in the television series ''

Vikings Vikings were 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 settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

'' (2013–2016). He has also narrated the Penguin Classics audiobook version of Homer’s The Odyssey and an immersive audiovisual tour for the

Circus Maximus The Circus Maximus (Latin for "largest circus"; Italian language, Italian: ''Circo Massimo'') is an ancient Roman chariot racing, chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue in Rome, Italy. In the valley between the Aventine Hill, Avent ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

written by Margaret George for the BARD''EUM'' mobile app.

Early life and education

Blagden who was raised near to

Bury St Edmunds Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as ''Bury,'' is a cathedral as well as market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk District, West Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St. Edmunds an ...

, Suffolk, began singing at age 13, performing in various choirs and his own rock band. After studying at Old Buckenham Hall School,

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

, he was accepted into Oundle School 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 1986 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'''. Also while at Oundle, Blagden became a member of the

National Youth Theatre The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (NYT) is a youth theatre and charity in London, created with the aim of developing young people's artistic skills via theatrical productions and other creative endeavours. Founded in 1956 as the world ...

and was selected as one of four students to participate in a masterclass with Sir Ian McKellen. Following his graduation, he studied acting at the

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

, 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'', ''

'', ''

'', and as the lead character of

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 theatre, 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, ...

, ''

Company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

'', 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 994 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, Central London, England, in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden and the City of Westminster. It is west of the City of London an ...

. Blagden co-stars in the upcoming

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serv ...

, '' 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 missile ...

underway in October 2019.

Personal life

Blagden married actress Laura Pitt-Pulford on 29 September 2019. The couple have a son, Arlo Peter Blagden born in October 2020. Blagden is a supporter of Diabetes UK; 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 English male singers Male actors from London Singers from London