Line #112 Creator/BrianBlessed


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/brian_blessed.jpg]]
2	[++[[caption-width-right:300:'''''[[MemeticMutation GORDON'S]] [[Film/FlashGordon1980 ALIIIIIIIVE?!]]''''']]++]
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4	->''"HELLO! I'M '''BRIAN BLESSED!''' AND I'M DOING THIS WEEK'S BBC RADIO FOUR APPEAL ON BEHALF OF THE DEAF!!!"''
5	-->-- ''Series/DeadRingers''
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7	''Click [[SelfDemonstrating/BrianBlessed here]]. Receive [[LargeHam the largest of hams.]]'' [[SchmuckBait You have]] [[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned been warned]].
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9	We all have that one friend that we know who '''''HAS {{NO INDOOR VOICE}}!''''' You know - the one who is '''''REALLY LOUD AND NOISY'''''. Now, meet their King... '''''BRIAN BLESSED!''''' [[UsefulNotes/KnightFever OBE]] (born 9 October 1936 in Mexborough, England)
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11	Perhaps best known in America as Prince Vultan of the Hawkmen in the ''Film/{{Flash Gordon\|1980}}'' movie ("[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW8kDtzirpA GORDON'S ALIVE?!]]" "DIIIIIIIIIVVEEEEE!!"), he is widely regarded as one of the [[LargeHam Largest Hams]] in existence. However, he is by nature a stage actor, and his hamming is by design. As he has proven on (very) occasional films, he ''is'' actually capable of [[PlayingAgainstType delivering a subtle and understated performance]]; he just usually doesn't bother (and is fully aware that people usually hire him to be larger-than-life).
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13	He keeps in shape by climbing up large mountains. About the only thing on Earth larger than '''BRIAN BLESSED''' is Mount Everest, which he has attempted to scale three times without ''quite'' reaching the summit each time. Indeed, he has a story about narrowly avoiding an avalanche during a climb which caused him to, quote, "rage at the mountain". Yes, BRIAN BLESSED bellowed Mt Everest itself into submission. He also had to rescue a companion who broke his leg on one occasion, halting a mere (mountain climbing terms) few hundred feet from the summit, according to that nice Mr. Creator/StephenFry, off of the telly (whom BLESSED affectionatly refers to as "Spunkbubble," apparently). By way of compensation, he instead became the oldest man to reach the North Magnetic Pole on foot, where he says he punched a polar bear on the nose.
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15	When not actively being a LargeHam (or sometimes [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa5L8YjsiSk at the same time]], actually), BLESSED is also an archetypal BoisterousBruiser.
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17	BLESSED's reputation for boisterousness is such that some online forums, such as Gallifrey Base (a major ''Doctor Who'' forum) are coded so that whenever his name is typed in, the website automatically renders it in ALL CAPS as done here.
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19	Along with Creator/DianaRigg and ''Series/TopGear'''s Creator/JeremyClarkson, he's from Doncaster. The fact that Doncaster is now also home to an extensive school and college for the deaf may not be coincidental.
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21	Old friend of Creator/PatrickStewart who he describes having known from age 9 and studying Creator/WilliamShakespeare in his home. Mentions his father being adamant that his son wouldn't follow him down the mines.
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23	In his personal life, BLESSED is almost but not quite the exact opposite of his stage persona. BLESSED is a mild-mannered and soft-spoken man, who is a vegetarian, practices meditation and spends a lot of time caring for abused animals. He is well aware of his boisterous reputation and enjoys poking fun at it on TV chat shows and in public appearances, which is one reason why he has long been a beloved celebrity in the UK.
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25	He has also revealed that Creator/PeterCapaldi was mistaken for a transvestite after he accidentally punched him and ''knocked his former co-star out'' while they were shooting a scene for ''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling''. To this day, whenever BLESSED hears Capaldi’s name, he’s relieved he didn’t [[AccidentalMurder kill him]].
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27	His (second) wife, Hildegarde Neil (herself an actress), died in September 2023; they had been married for 45 years when she passed.
28
29	!!Selected works:
30	[[AC:{{Advertising}}]]
31	* After a campaign by fans, tomtom have worked with Brian to record a [[http://www.tomtom.com/brianblessed voice track]] for their satnav appliances. The campaign's own demo video starring Brian himself can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JpKuYbJQK4 here]] on Website/{{Youtube}}. His excited thanks to the 25,000+ people who signed up for the campaign can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOicbYFq4C0 here]]. In response to their success, Brian suggested in an interview that somebody should make a [[http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=146719395347443&ref=ts#!/group.php?gid=146719395347443&v=wall&ref=ts campaign to send BRIAN BLESSED to the moon]]. [[note]]He has actually completed the 300 hours training to be able to be an astronaut if anyone wants to be locked in a small metal box with him.[[/note]]
32	* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASB_Bank ASB Bank's]] ad campaign, [[http://blog.asb.co.nz/dear-asb-who-is-brian-blessed/ Succeed On,]] in which Brian encourages New Zealanders to CELEBRATE THEIR SUCCESS!
33	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EllYgcWmcAY KEEP THE BADGERS ALIIIIIIIVE!]]
34	* A long-runing campaign for insurers National Accident Helpline, stars Joe Pasquale as the hero Underdog[[note]] Underdog looks suspiciously like WesternAnimation/RexTheRunt[[/note]], and Brian as the voice of oppression. The commercials emphasise the contrast between Pasquale's squeaky voice and Brian's roar.
35	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOGqnuSjXPw Hellmann's mayonnaise]], where he is seen [[NoIndoorVoice asking a taxi driver]] [[MundaneMadeAwesome "MAN ALIVE! WHAT'S WRONG WITH BIIIIIIG TOMATOES!!!!!]]
36	* In 2015, he recorded a [[https://soundcloud.com/gate-lambert/gumtree-20s-radio-with-brian-blessed radio ad for Gumtree]], a UK online classifieds website. The ad claims that everything on Gumtree, including buying on selling, is easy.
37	-->And they hired me, '''BRIAN BLESSED''', so even HEARING this ad is easy!!
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39	[[AC:AudioAdaptation]]
40	* BLESSED plays British adventure author G. A. Henty in Heirloom audio's adaptations of several of Henty's stories, including "Under Drake's Flag" and "With Lee in Virginia". He's a very bombastic narrator indeed! BRIAN BLESSED's beard is a good match for Henty's too. Not that it matters much in an audio story...
41	* In 2018, Games Workshop announced that in ''Kingslayer'', the audiobook series reintroducing [[Literature/GotrekAndFelix Gotrek Gurnisson]] in the ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'' universe, BRIAN BLESSED was cast as Gotrek himself. Needless to say, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGZbU7tFr44 GOTREK'S ALIIIIIIIIIVE!!!]]
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43	[[AC:{{Film}}]]
44	* Played Vultan in ''Film/FlashGordon1980'' which has led to how in ''every'' public appearance since, he has to bellow out ''"GORDON'S ALIVE!!!!"'', despite [[BeamMeUpScotty not actually doing so]] in the film.
45	* Was far less hammy as the ghost in fellow large ham Creator/KennethBranagh's ''[[StealthPun Ham]][[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} let]]'' (he even managed to ''whisper'' loudly) and Signore Antonio in Branagh's ''Theatre/MuchAdoAboutNothing''.
46	* Also, the Duke of Exeter in Branagh's ''Film/{{Henry V\|1989}}''. ("What treasure, Uncle?" "Tennis balls, my liege!")
47	* He performed the [[ActingForTwo dual roles]] of the brothers Duke Senior and Duke Frederick in a joint Creator/{{HBO}}/Creator/{{BBC}} production of ''Theatre/AsYouLikeIt'', also directed by (but not featuring) Branagh. He showed his range and interesting contrast between the dark, threatening Senior and the jovial Frederick.
48	* His voice performance of Boss Nass (the Gungan king) in ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/ThePhantomMenace'' was quite over the top and possibly the most fun performance in the entire movie.
49	-->"YOUSA NO TINKEN YOUSA GREATER THAN THE ''GUNGANS?'' Meesa liiike dis. Maybe wesa...bein' friends! SHAKES JOWLS LOUDLY"
50	* He directed and starred in an adaptation of ''Theatre/KingLear'' where he played the title character in 1999. It clocks in at one hundred and ninety two minutes. Strangely, where most actors would be screaming their heads off during the storm scene, Brian was much quieter in comparison to even how he usually is in films.
51	* In ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'', he's the coliseum patron who shouts "MAXIMUS THE MERCIFUL!" when Maximus spares Tigris of Gaul.
52	* He's also appeared in ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}'' as Clayton, and went on to reprise the role in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI''. His performance was still quite [[LargeHam hamlike]]. He also provided the "Tarzan yell" for the film (since Creator/TonyGoldwyn wasn't able to create his own satisfactory version of the yell). Because '''of course''' he did.
53	* He's the Pirate King in ''WesternAnimation/ThePiratesInAnAdventureWithScientists''. The film has numerous ham jokes and the levels of loudness on the Pirate of the Year form include '''BRIAN BLESSED''' as the loudest possible level.
54	* In ''Film/RobinHoodPrinceOfThieves'' BLESSED has a small role as Lord Loxley, the father of the man who become known as Robin Hood. When the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham tries to force him to support his plans to overthrow King Richard, Loxley loudly declares his loyalty to the King before engaging the Sheriff's men in combat.
55	* Then he appeared as Friar Tuck in 2018's ''Film/RobinHoodTheRebellion''.
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57	[[AC:Literature]]
58	* In Tom Anderson's alternate history "The Unreformed Kingdom", "Mr. Blessed" is the returning officer for the Doncaster by-election, causing someone to grumble that people will probably hear the results three miles away.
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60	[[AC:Live-action TV]]
61	* In 1977, he appeared as the villainous hunter Brod in the third season ''Series/{{Survivors}}'' episode "Law of the Jungle". He put in a performance that for anyone else would be over the top. For him, it qualifies as ''subtle''. "You're not a tax inspector, are you, Charlie?!"
62	* He served up not one, but '''two''' large portions in ''Series/{{Space 1999}}''; the first as Dr. Cabot Rowland in first season episode "Death's Other Dominion", the second as Maya's father Mentor in second season opener "The Metamorph".
63	* His crowning moment of hamminess is the ''Series/BlakesSeven'' episode "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS1E3CygnusAlpha Cygnus Alpha]]" in which just about every line he speaks could be replaced with "Did somebody order a [[LargeHam LARGE HAM]]?".
64	* Was also in the first season of ''Series/{{Blackadder}}'' as King Richard IV ("Chiswick! Fresh horses!").
65	* Played his best and most favourite role as the sympathetic, tragically naive (yet still occasionally [[LargeHam bombastic]]) emperor Augustus in the acclaimed British mini-series ''[[Series/IClaudius I, Clavdivs]]''. ("[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhsY5XEqTWY IS THERE ANYONE IN ROME WHO HAS NOT SLEPT WITH MY DAUGHTER?!!!]]")
66	* Played a significant part in the development of the British cop show:
67	** CowboyCop "Fancy" Smith in ''Series/ZCars''.
68	** The villain in the first episode of ''Series/TheSweeney''. PlayingAgainstType a bit, insofar as his "type" was really established at that point, as he only shouts ''once'' in the whole episode.
69	** A CorruptCop in an episode of ''Series/{{Minder}}''.
70	* He taught Series/{{MacGyver\|1985}} archaeology as part of Mac's ExpansionPackPast as seen in the ''[=MacGyver=]: Lost Treasure of Atlantis'' telemovie.
71	* Known to British viewers as Spiro in the 1987 version of the TV series ''Literature/MyFamilyAndOtherAnimals''.
72	* He has also been sighted presenting ''Series/UnbeatableBanzuke'', enthusiastically, in the guise of "Banzuke Brian" attired in what appears to be red plastic faux-samurai armour several sizes too small, on the UK's Challenge telly channel.
73	* Appeared as host in ''Series/HaveIGotNewsForYou'' in season 35, in a bizarre performance which was possibly [[TimeCrash so good it broke time]]. We'll just have to wait and see.
74	** Made a second appearance as host in season 45, which (coincidentally) happened to be set right after UsefulNotes/MargaretThatcher's death. Although noticeably subdued compared to his first appearance, the episode contained several gems such as challenging Gerry Adams to a fistfight on national television.
75	* Also with Paul Merton he appeared on ''Series/{{Room 101}}'' demonstrating that his loudness was a choice in response to newsreader and presenter Kirsty Young wanting to put unnecessarily loud people in Room 101. BLESSED took the role of a whispering snooker commentator [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP11L9jRW94 for about 26 seconds]].
76	* He was on a Christmas episode of ''Series/{{QI}}'', in which he pulled Sean Lock off of his chair TWICE (by accident).
77	* Recently appeared in ''Series/TheWrongDoor'' as Captain Goitier the train pirate.
78	* In Season 23 of ''Series/DoctorWho'', he's [[Recap/DoctorWhoS23E2Mindwarp King Yrcanos]].
79	* Turned up as the Mystery Guest in a 2013 episode of ''Series/RussellHowardsGoodNews''.
80	* He was the guest narrator for episode 4 of [[Series/WasItSomethingISaid Was It Something I Said?]] making Creator/RichardAyoade ask why anyone else needed to talk that episode.
81	* He looked into his ancestors on ''Series/WhoDoYouThinkYouAre''. [[BruiserWithASoftCenter Yes,]] [[ManlyTears he cried.]]
82	* In an episode of the British 1970s anthology show ''Thriller'' he gives a surprisingly quiet performance as a rural police chief helping a young woman investigate a cold murder case. [[spoiler:Turns out he is the murderer, though]].
83	* He had a brief role in an episode of ''Series/ToastOfLondon'' as the dying father of the lead character Steven Toast (played by fellow [[LargeHam ham]] Creator/MattBerry).
84	* He played the gluttonous Nekross King, the main antagonist of the CBBC science fantasy "Wizards vs Aliens".
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86
87	[[AC:Music]]
88	* On the 2014 remaster of ''Music/{{Manowar}}'''s album "Kings of Metal", he appears as the narrator in the opening of "The Warrior's Prayer".
89	* Also in 2014 he recorded a version of "Sonic Attack" for Music/{{Hawkwind}}'s stage shows.
90	* He was the narrator at the ending section of Music/MikeOldfield's Music/TubularBells part 1 in 2022, and will also be featured in the Piltdown Man section in part 2 on the remastering - if he hasn't done it on tour.
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92	[[AC:{{Theatre}}]]
93	* He was the first to play old Deuteronomy in ''Theatre/{{Cats}}''. He was the one who came out after the show finished to tell the audience that there was a bomb alert.
94
95	[[AC:VideoGames]]
96	* He had a live-action role in the otherwise-execrable ''VideoGame/WingCommander'' SpinOff ''VideoGame/Privateer2TheDarkening''.
97	* Additionally, he narrated ''VideoGame/VikingBattleForAsgard'' in which his narration stole the show and catapulted said game into the halls of awesome!
98	* He collaborated with Studio Fatshark for a DownloadableContent package for the game ''VideoGame/WarOfTheRoses'', allowing players to give his voice to their avatars in the game.
99	* He reprised his role as ''Tarzan'''s Clayton (see WesternAnimation) in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI''.
100	* He is the [[LargeHamAnnouncer over-the-top]] [[AnnouncerChatter commentator]] for the multiplayer battle arenas in ''VideoGame/LegoDimensions''. He also reprises his role as Boss Nass in ''VideoGame/LegoStarWars: The Skywalker Saga''.
101	* In the Alexander expansion of ''VideoGame/RomeTotalWar'', he voices King Phillip of Macedon in the battle of Chaeronea as well as the narrator in the historical battles, and provides the intro and ending speech in the campaign.
102	* And, further showing his historical roles, BLESSED also voices Lord Konrad Kyeser in ''VideoGame/KingdomComeDeliverance''.
103	* On the ''VideoGame/TotalWar'' side of things, he reprises his role as Gotrek Gurnisson in ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammerII''.
104	* He voices Russian supervillain Red Ivan in ''Videogame/EvilGenius2''.
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106	[[AC:Web Original]]
107	* In late 2009, BLESSED played a time-displaced Henry VIII in the short internet series [[https://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=6fa9fa57e38f0ae6&search_query=henry+8.0 Henry 8.0]].
108	* He lent his distinctive voice to the WebAnimation/WeeblAndBob documentary on their first-year DVD.
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110	[[AC:Western Animation]]
111	* He voiced Santa in the Christmas episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball''. He's notably the first major guest-star voice on that series. Also notable in that Santa is rather closer to BRIAN BLESSED in real life, being a polite (but [[BrutalHonesty brutally honest]]) gentleman even when he loses his memory and thinks he's a hobo.
112	* General Ciaos in ''WesternAnimation/AsterixAndTheBigFight'', a large, bad tempered shouty man who sings opera in the bathtub, is voiced in the British English dub by Blessed.
113	* He voiced Sir Morris (one of the two protagonists) in ''WesternAnimation/TheBigKnights''.
114	* He voiced Sir Jack Kleghorn in the ''WesternAnimation/CloseEnough'' episode "Never Meet Your Heroes".
115	* He voiced a polar bear version of Santa in ''[[WesternAnimation/DangerMouse Danger Mouse (2015)]]''.
116	* He voiced the villain El Suprimo in the [[invoked]][[SoBadItsGood bewildering]] 1992 feature ''WesternAnimation/FreddieAsFRO7''.
117	* He voiced Eduardo Enormomonster in ''WesternAnimation/HenryHugglemonster''.
118	* His voice is readily recognizable in the third and final season of ''Literature/LittlePrincess'' in which he voices Princess's high-spirited Uncle Walter.
119	* He's also a voice actor in most animated adaptations of Creator/DavidMacaulay's architectural books, including ''WesternAnimation/{{Castle\|Documentary}}'' (as Master James of Babbington), ''WesternAnimation/{{Cathedral\|Documentary}}'' (as Master Guillaume de Solis), and ''WesternAnimation/{{Pyramid\|Documentary}}'' (as Grand Vizier Ankhaf). Viewers used to his LargeHam tendencies will be quite surprised to learn he's actually a bit more of a ColdHam in these works.
120	* Played Grampy Rabbit in several episodes of ''WesternAnimation/PeppaPig''.
121	----
122	!!Tropes related to '''BRIAN BLESSED''':
123	* AwesomeDearBoy: Apparently, he appeared in ''The Phantom Menace'' because he was disappointed not being asked to appear in the original trilogy (he and Sebastian Shaw, who played Anakin in the final scenes of ''Return of The Jedi'' were friends, and he was irritated to learn that Shaw was cast while not being a fan of the series). He read for mayor Sio Bibble, was considered too loud, but then given the voice of Boss Nass because the character just asked for it!
124	* BadassTeacher: He was in the running to be elected Chancellor of Cambridge University. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z43Nzk_whnM Despite a compelling speech,]] Lord Sainsbury won instead. ''Bollocks.''
125	* BigFun: Even when playing Santa to introduce the Music Channel's 'Magic's Christmas Top 50' he manages to be a wonderful ho-ho-ham.
126	* CatchPhrase: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW8kDtzirpA GORDON'S ALIVE?!]]" Usually shouted at full volume, even if the original in ''Flash Gordon'' was hammy but spoken normally. He has [[IAmNotLeonardNimoy fully embraced the phenomenon]] and has no problem delivering it time and again to everyone who requests it, and even [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVteTMTcDsA the Queen asked him to say it]].
127	* ChewingTheScenery: Scenery for BRIAN BLESSED is like gum. You can even see the teeth marks on his [[SelfDemonstrating/BrianBlessed self-demonstrating article]].
128	* ChivalrousPervert: BRIAN BLESSED is a sexual yeti. That bit where Vultan plays grab-ass with Dale [[ThrowItIn wasn't in the script]].
129	* ClimbingTheCliffsOfInsanity: Outside of acting he has made several attempts to climb Mount Everest, although it's hard to see why - all he really needs to do is [[ObligatoryJoke stand next to it]] (or perhaps [[DeathGlare glare ferociously]] until it crumbles in submission).
130	* DeadpanSnarker: Strange when held up to his [[BoisterousBruiser usual]] [[LargeHam roles,]] but he's possessed of an incredibly sharp and almost subdued wit.
131	-->'''BLESSED:''' (after alluding to his role as [[Franchise/StarWars Boss Nass]]) [[http://youtu.be/spS71LKcA3Y?t=5m32s No end to my talents.]]
132	* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: On his trek to the North Pole, he punched a polar bear in the face.
133	* FriendToAllLivingThings: As a vegetarian animal lover who described his late dog as a soul mate and has campaigned against the UK badger cull, BRIAN BLESSED is certainly this.
134	* GenderNormativeParentPlot: Inverted. BLESSED's father was staunchly against his son following in his footsteps and working in the coal mine, and was deeply relieved when his son decided to try his luck on the stage, and as BLESSED has said repeatedly in interviews, the mining village he grew up in was actually very interested in and tolerant of the arts, of poetry and Shakespeare in particular.
135	* GentleGiant: BLESSED may be calmer than apparent. During the filming of ''Prisoner of Honour'' he reportedly managed to keep Creator/OliverReed sober by sheer force of being big and intimidating. According to his official biography, ''Absolute Pandemonium: My Louder Than Life Story'', BLESSED perceived Reed as intimidating the other people on set and [[BigGood would not put up with that]].
136	** In real life his favourite food is cows, which he eats whole and in one gulp. (Seriously, though, he's a vegetarian and a regular meditator.)
137	* GentlemanAdventurer: BRIAN BLESSED is as famous as a mountaineer, polar explorer and potential astronaut as he is an actor.
138	* IntergenerationalFriendship: with Creator/KatharineHepburn (29 years older) after Trojan Women and with Creator/KennethBranagh (21 years younger) throughout the late 1980's and 1990's.
139	* '''''{{LARGE HAM}}''''': There's a ''reason'' his name is in bold, all caps letters throughout this site. This is not unique to this website; some forums such as Gallifrey Base (dedicated to ''Series/DoctorWho'', on which he once guest-starred) are actually programmed to automatically render his name in all caps whenever it's typed in.
140	** If there was a way to make the name fill the entire screen, we would, rather aptly, use it.
141	** In the audiobook of his autobiography, "Absolute Pandemonium", read by BRIAN BLESSED of course, he recounts the time he auditioned for Orson Welles. BLESSED ends up doing an impression of Welles trying to subdue BLESSED himself through sheer volume and presence (''"HOT... HHHOOOTTT... HHHHHHOOOOOTTTTTSPURRRRRRRRRR!!!!"'').
142	* MegatonPunch: [[http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-10-09/the-day-brian-blessed-punched-and-knocked-out-peter-capaldi Revealed in October 2014]] that he accidentally knocked out Creator/PeterCapaldi while filming the costume drama [[Literature/TheHistoryOfTomJonesAFOundling The History Of Tom Jones]] in 1997. He also punched Harold Pinter down a flight of stairs when the playwright was at a party and challenging everyone to a fight.
143	** For this reason, cinema bad boy Creator/OliverReed, normally a drunken brawler and a bully if he thought he could get away with it, scrupulously behaved on and off set when BRIAN BLESSED was nearby. Brian could and did "have words" with Reed if he was behaving unacceptably.
144	* MilkingTheGiantCow: If it were an actual cow, humanity would never be short of milk again.
145	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: It is said by some that the character of Destruction (a sentient personification of difficult changes who has quit his job to become an artist) from ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'' is based on him. Since author Creator/NeilGaiman is [[WordOfGod one of the ones who says this]], it is perhaps true but no less unlikely. Gaiman is dead set on having BLESSED play the role of Destruction in a movie adaptation.
146	** The ''Franchise/DoctorWho'' Literature/EighthDoctorAdventures novel "[[Recap/EighthDoctorAdventuresTheTomorrowWindows The Tomorrow Windows]]", features a ''very'' obvious {{Expy}} of BRIAN BLESSED, an alien actor named Prubert Gastridge who played Vargo, king of the Buzzardmen, in the film ''Zap Daniel'' and is famous for uttering the line "What do you mean, Daniel's NOT DEAD?" On being faced with death, his main thought is that he wanted to go out SHOUTING. ("He might not have been the greatest actor of his generation, but he was undoubtedly the loudest.")
147	* NoIndoorVoice%%: He's so loud, even his ''[[http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1037781&o=all&op=1&view=all&subj=140630625957216&aid=-1&id=768224630&oid=140630625957216 handwriting]]'' is shouting!
148	** In a massive case of irony, there is a '''BRIAN BLESSED Centre for Quiet Study''' at York University.
149	* OddFriendship: Surprisingly, Creator/KeanuReeves claimed in an interview on British radio that during filming of ''Theatre/MuchAdoAboutNothing'', BLESSED befriended him and taught him how to meditate. Moviegoers may attribute Reeves' [[DullSurprise performance]] to that fact -- though one wonders why in the hell '''BRIAN BLESSED''' wasn't the one taking lessons from Keanu on the subject.
150	** Another according to ''Series/{{QI}}'': his love of boxing in his youth put him him on good terms with the Dalai Lama (who liked to box in his youth, also): [[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny he sparred with the Dalai Lama!]]
151	** When filming ''Trojan Women'', he had a purely platonic relationship with the much older Creator/KatharineHepburn.
152	* OlderThanTheyLook: Blessed is over 80, but looks at least 20 years younger.
153	* PromotedFanboy: Of ''Film/FlashGordonSerial''. As a child, he, his brother and their friends used to play "Flash Gordon", with Brian always insisting on being Vultan. Cue the ''Film/{{Flash Gordon\|1980}}'' film in 1980, and guess who got to live out his boyhood dream by playing Vultan on film?
154	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: When Creator/PeterOToole offered him the chance to act opposite him in ''Theatre/MacBeth'', Brian gave him a piece of his mind while dragging O'Toole all over his house.
155	-->Honestly, Peter, I don't want to work with someone who behaves like you do. I am ashamed of you as an artist. Actors look after their bodies, they study and study to try and better themselves. Yet you have a God-given talent and all you do is piss on it. You're either off your face, angry or violent. You bully and manipulate people. You're marvellous for a time, and then you're ugly once again. You're a good-for-nothing shit, O'Toole. That's what I've come to tell you!
156	* ScalingTheSummit: Frequently, though the summit of Everest continues to elude him.
157	* SirSwearsALot: Has one heck of a potty mouth, if [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBhPDxszukU this video is anything to go by.]]
158	* StoutStrength: If his appearances on {{Series/QI}} are any indication, as he's pulled other panellists out of their chairs during contests of strength.
159	* SuddenlyShouting: Never has there been a better example than [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP11L9jRW94 BRIAN BLESSED doing commentary for snooker.]]
160	* TheTeetotaler: Surprisingly, unlike many other actors of his generation, he doesn't touch alcohol, believing it to bring out the more unpleasant parts of his personality. This is part of the reason why he had the tempestuous relationship that he did with Peter O'Toole, detailed below, because BLESSED felt that O'Toole was one of the most gifted actors of all time but was letting those talents go to waste due to his excessive drinking.
161	* {{Typecasting}}: As mentioned several times on this page, he is ''quite'' aware of why he gets hired to do so much voice work or LargeHam performances; he has a recognisable, deep, and '''loud''' voice. Even in shows like QI, where he's mostly talking in a sotto voice, he doesn't mind hamming it up because that's what the audience wants to see.
162	* VitriolicBestBuds: With the late Creator/PeterOToole. Their relationship veered from fighting each other to bonding with each other over Shakespeare to fighting again to BRIAN BLESSED playing Banquo to O'Toole's Macbeth.
163	* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
164	** He was approached for the role of the [[Characters/DoctorWhoSecondDoctor Second Doctor]] in ''Series/DoctorWho'' before the casting of Creator/PatrickTroughton. However, he turned down the offer due to his reluctance to commit to a long-running series, a decision he later said he regretted. (Though we may have dodged a bullet, since he says his idea at the time was to play the Doctor as a Film/CharlieChan pastiche, [[invoked]][[ValuesDissonance in yellowface.]]) He would eventually go on to portray King Yrcanos in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS23E2Mindwarp "Mindwarp"]].
165	** He was originally slated to portray Odin in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse before Creator/AnthonyHopkins was cast.
166	** And to combine the two examples above, he was originally set to return to Doctor Who in the new series to play the [[GodGuise false Odin]] in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E5TheGirlWhoDied "The Girl Who Died"]], but had to pull out due to illness.
167	** Patrick Stewart wanted him to play the corrupt [[https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Matthew_Dougherty Admiral Dougherty]] in ''[[Film/StarTrekInsurrection Star Trek: Insurrection]]'', a role that ultimately went to significantly quieter actor Anthony Zerbe.
168	** Creator/NeilGaiman insisted (perhaps not entirely joking) for many years that the only person he would consider to play Destruction in an adaptation of ''Franchise/TheSandman'' was BRIAN BLESSED. Granted, at the time he first said this, BLESSED was in his 50s and was much closer in age to the middle-ageish character. By the time ''The Sandman'' finally made it to [[Series/TheSandman2022 the screen]], BLESSED was in his mid-80s...but the role still hasn't been cast, so there's still hope.

Context Creator / BrianBlessed