David Bradley | |
|---|---|
 Bradley at the 2015San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | David John Bradley (1942-04-17)17 April 1942 (age 83) York, England |
| Alma mater | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
David John Bradley (born 17 April 1942)[1] is an English actor. He is best known for his screen roles includingArgus Filch in theHarry Potter film series,Walder Frey in theHBO fantasy seriesGame of Thrones, and Abraham Setrakian in theFX horror seriesThe Strain.
Acharacter actor, Bradley has notably acted inOur Friends in the North, theThree Flavours Cornetto trilogy andAfter Life. ForBroadchurch, Bradley won the2014British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor. He has made several appearances as theFirst Doctor inDoctor Who, having portrayed the role's originator,William Hartnell, in the TV biopicAn Adventure in Space and Time. In 2021, he received anAnnie Award for Best Voice Actor in a Television Series for his work asMerlin inGuillermo del Toro's animatedNetflix seriesTales of Arcadia.
An alumnus of theRoyal Shakespeare Company, Bradley is also an established stage actor, with a career that includes aLaurence Olivier Award for his role in a production ofKing Lear and appearing in theHarold Pinter playNo Man's Land at theDuke of York's Theatre in theWest End.
Bradley was born inYork, where he attended theCatholicSt George's Secondary Modern School, nowAll Saints Catholic School, and was a member of its choir. He first performed on stage in musical productions, as a member of a youth club and with the Rowntree Youth Theatre. Upon leaving school, he completed a five-year apprenticeship with the optical instruments makerCooke, Troughton & Simms and remained with the firm until 1966, when he moved toLondon to train as an actor at theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art.[2]
Bradley joined theRoyal Shakespeare Company and performed atLaurence Olivier'sNational Theatre Company in the early 1970s.[3] He first appeared on television in 1971, as a police officer in the comedyNearest and Dearest. He was awarded aLaurence Olivier Award in 1991 for his supporting role as the Fool inKing Lear at the Royal National Theatre. He appeared in the Royal National Theatre's 1997 production ofThe Homecoming, as well as productions ofThe Caretaker atSheffield Theatres and theTricycle Theatre from 2006 to 2007. In 2005 he played the title role inNicholas Hytner's production of Henry IV Parts One and Two at the Olivier Theatre, London.[4]
Bradley played fictionalLabour Member of Parliament Eddie Wells in the 1996BBC Two serialOur Friends in the North. Also in 1996, he appeared as gangster Alf Black inBand of Gold. In 1998, he appeared in the BBC adaptation ofVanity Fair as the miserly Sir Pitt Crawley, andOur Mutual Friend as the villainous Rogue Riderhood. Other television appearances include the 2001 seriesThe Way We Live Now, directed byDavid Yates, who would work with Bradley five years later on theHarry Potter films.
From 2002 to 2004, Bradley starred as Jake in theBBC comedy seriesWild West. Bradley acted in the 2004 musical drama serialBlackpool onBBC One. He appeared in the 2005 BBC dramaMr. Harvey Lights a Candle, playing a morose coach driver who takes an unruly party of pupils on a trip toSalisbury Cathedral, and the 2006 BBC dramaSweeney Todd. He had a small role in a 2006 episode of the seriesTaggart. In 2003, he played Tom in theMidsomer Murders episode "The Green Man". He appeared as theelectrolarynx-using gangster Stemroach in the BBC comedy seriesIdeal and as Electric in the BBC'sThieves Like Us, as well as the BBC One seriesTrue Dare Kiss in 2007–08.
Bradley appeared in the 2002 filmNicholas Nickleby which was based onThe Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby byCharles Dickens, and had a small role in the 2007 comedy filmHot Fuzz as a farmer who illegally hoards weapons. He playedCohen the Barbarian in aSky One adaptation ofThe Colour of Magic in 2008.[5] That same year he appeared as Spooner in a production ofHarold Pinter'sNo Man's Land at the Gate Theatre, Dublin, which later transferred to London'sWest End.[6][7]
In 2009, Bradley appeared inAshes to Ashes, playing ananimal rights activist, and inThe Street, both onBBC. Bradley portrayedWill Somers,Henry VIII's court fool, in an episode of theShowtime seriesThe Tudors in 2009. In 2010, he appeared in the filmAnother Year, which earned him a nomination for Best Supporting Actor from theLondon Film Critics Circle Awards. From 2011 to 2017, Bradley appeared as the villainousLord Walder Frey in theHBO seriesGame of Thrones.[8][9][10][11]
Bradley played Solomon, a ruthless buccaneer, in the 2012Doctor Who episode "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship". He previously provided voice work forThe Sarah Jane Adventures serialDeath of the Doctor.[12] It was announced in January 2013, that Bradley had been cast as actorWilliam Hartnell inAn Adventure in Space and Time, a BBCdocudrama about the creation ofDoctor Who in 1963. The special aired in November 2013, adding to the buildup to the50th anniversary episode ofDoctor Who later that month. He also appeared in the first series ofBroadchurch, for which he won theBritish Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor.[13] In 2013, he also appeared inThe World's End, a follow-up toHot Fuzz in theThree Flavours Cornetto trilogy, this time portraying "Mad" Basil, an eccentric local man from the fictional English town Newton Haven.
From 2014, Bradley played a leading role as Professor Abraham Setrakian, a Holocaust survivor turned vampire hunter inGuillermo del Toro's TV seriesThe Strain.[14] In 2015, Bradley became a public supporter of Chapel Lane Theatre Company based inStratford-Upon-Avon.[15] In 2017, Bradley joined the cast ofGuillermo del Toro's animated Netflix seriesTrollhunters: Tales of Arcadia playing the role of Merlin. In 2021, he received anAnnie Award for Best Voice Actor in a Television Role for his role in the final chapter of the trilogy,Wizards: Tales of Arcadia as the wizard Merlin.
In 2017, in the final episode of thetenth series ofDoctor Who, "The Doctor Falls", Bradley returned to portray theFirst Doctor, having previously portrayed Hartnell, who originally played the character. He reprised the role in the 2017 Christmas special, "Twice Upon a Time",[16][17] in an audio series forBig Finish Productions titledDoctor Who: The First Doctor Adventures alongside hisAn Adventure in Space and Time cast,[18] and in theimmersive theatre showDoctor Who: Time Fracture.[19] This makes him the third actor to play the role in the television programme, after William Hartnell andRichard Hurndall since the premiere ofDoctor Who in 1963, and at the age of 75, he is the also the oldest actor to play the role of the Doctor on television.[20] He again played the First Doctor in the final episode of the2022 specials, "The Power of the Doctor".[21][22]
From 2019 to 2022, Bradley played Ray Johnson, the demented father of Tony (Ricky Gervais) in theNetflix seriesAfter Life. In 2021, it was announced that Bradley would be joining the cast ofAllelujah, afilm adaptation ofAlan Bennett'splay of the same name directed byRichard Eyre, which will starJennifer Saunders,Bally Gill,Russell Tovey,Derek Jacobi, andJudi Dench.[23] In 2022, it was announced that Bradley would voice Fowler inChicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget.[24]
Bradley married his wife Rosanna in 1978. They have three children. His eldest son, George, is an architect, who has featured on the ITV seriesLove Your Home and Garden alongsideAlan Titchmarsh.[25] His daughter, Francesca, works in casting, having worked onMichael Bay's6 Underground.[26][27] He has said that it was his children who turned his attention to theHarry Potter film franchise and coached him for the role of Argus Filch.[28]
Bradley is the president of Second Thoughts Drama Group, which performs in and aroundStratford-upon-Avon.[29] He has receivedhonorary doctorates from theUniversity of Warwick (17 July 2012)[30] andYork St John University (19 November 2015).
He is an avid fan of football clubsAston Villa andYork City.[31][32] On 22 November 2014, he took part in a video paying tribute to Aston Villa on their 140th birthday.[33]
| † | Denotes works that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | The Frisco Kid | Julius Rosensheine | |
| 1987 | Prick Up Your Ears | Undertaker | |
| 1997 | Seeing Things | Short | |
| 1998 | Left Luggage | Concierge | |
| 1999 | Tom's Midnight Garden | Abel | |
| 2000 | The King Is Alive | Henry | |
| 2001 | Blow Dry | Noah | |
| Gabriel & Me | Grandad | ||
| Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Argus Filch | ||
| 2002 | This Is Not a Love Song | Mr. Bellamy | |
| Crossings | Yorkshire Farmer | Short | |
| The Intended | The Priest | ||
| Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | Argus Filch | ||
| Nicholas Nickleby | Nigel Bray | ||
| Pas de Trois | Porter | Short | |
| 2004 | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | Argus Filch | |
| Exorcist: The Beginning | Father Gionetti | ||
| 2005 | Red Mercury | Neil Ashton | |
| Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | Argus Filch | ||
| 2006 | Lycanthropy | Club Owner | |
| 2007 | Hot Fuzz | Arthur Webley | |
| Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Argus Filch | ||
| 2008 | The Daisy Chain | Sean Cryan | |
| I Know You Know | Mr. Fisher | ||
| 2009 | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | Argus Filch | |
| Harry Brown | Leonard Attwell | ||
| 2010 | Another Year | Ronnie | |
| 2011 | Lucy and the Attack of the Malevolon | Narrator | Short, voice role |
| Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 | Argus Filch | ||
| Captain America: The First Avenger | Church Keeper | ||
| The Holding | Cooper | ||
| 2013 | The World's End | "Mad" Basil | |
| 2016 | The Young Messiah | Old Rabbi | |
| Broadcast Signal Intrusion | James' Father | Short | |
| 2017 | The Lodgers | Bermingham | |
| Edmund the Magnificent | Farmer | Short | |
| 2018 | Await Further Instructions | Grandad | |
| 2020 | Doctors Assemble | The First Doctor | Short, voice role |
| 2021 | Roy | Roy | Short |
| Jolt | Gareth Fizel | ||
| Emily the Little Match Girl | Harry Smith | ||
| 2022 | Allelujah | Joe Colman | |
| Catherine Called Birdy | Lord Gideon Sidebottom | ||
| Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio | Geppetto | Voice role | |
| Your Christmas or Mine? | Jack | ||
| 2023 | Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget | Fowler | Voice role |
| Your Christmas or Mine 2 | Jack | ||
| Good Grief | Duncan | ||
| 2025 | Frankenstein | Blind Man |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Nearest and Dearest | 2nd Policeman | Episode: "Barefaced in the Park" |
| A Family at War | Colin Woodcock | Recurring role | |
| 1972 | ITV Sunday Night Theatre | Parker Street Goalie | Episode: "Another Sunday and Sweet F.A" |
| Thirty-Minute Theatre | The Evangelist | Episode: "That Quiet Earth" | |
| 1976 | Bill Brand | Peter Malone | Episode: "August for the Party" |
| 1978 | The Professionals | Tony Kristo | Episode: "Close Quarters" |
| 1980 | Coronation Street | Detective Sergeant Simms | 1 episode |
| 1981 | Play for Today | Communist speaker | Episode: "The Union" |
| BBC2 Playhouse | Wike | Episode: "Clapperclaw" | |
| Barman | Episode: "Findings on a Late Afternoon" | ||
| 1982 | Frost in May | Rambler | Episode: "The Lost Traveller" |
| 1983 | Tartuffe, or The Imposter | Cleante | TV film |
| 1985 | One by One | Mr. Fazakerly | Episode: "To Hear the Sea Maid's Music" |
| Theatre Night | Charron | Episode: "Molière" | |
| 1986 | King of the Ghetto | Ralph | Mini-series |
| 1989 | Shadow of the Noose | Edward Lawrence | Episode: "Gun in Hand" |
| The Play on One | Harry | Episode: "A Master of the Marionettes" | |
| 1992 | ScreenPlay | Mr. Preach | Episode: "Bad Girl" |
| Between the Lines | Sergeant Harry Ross | Episode: "Lies and Damned Lies" | |
| 1993 | Full Stretch | Don Naylor | Episode: "Deals on Wheels" |
| The Buddha of Suburbia | Helen's Father | Mini-series | |
| 1994 | Screen Two | Headmaster | Episode: "Criminal" |
| Performance | Barnadine | Episode: "Measure for Measure" | |
| Martin Chuzzlewit | David Crimple | Mini-series | |
| 1995 | The Vet | Dick Sims | Episode: "Relative Values" |
| Casualty | Stanmore | Episode: "Hit and Run" | |
| 1996 | A Touch of Frost | Les James | Episode: "Unknown Soldiers" |
| Band of Gold | Alf | Episode: "Hustling" | |
| Our Friends in the North | Eddie Wells | Series regular | |
| Wycliffe | Joe Mawnan | Episode: "Total Loss" | |
| In Your Dreams | Tutor | TV film | |
| Cracker | Frank Carter | Episode: "White Ghost" | |
| Kiss and Tell | Superintendent Hines | TV film | |
| 1997 | Reckless | Arnold Springer | Series regular |
| Bramwell | Charles Matthews | 1 episode | |
| The Moth | Dave Waters | TV film | |
| 1998 | Our Mutual Friend | Rogue Riderhood | Mini-series |
| Where the Heart Is | Derek Woodford | Episode: "She Goes On" | |
| Reckless: The Movie | Arnold Springer | TV film | |
| Vanity Fair | Sir Pitt Crawley | Mini-series | |
| The Canterbury Tales | January | Animated series, voice role | |
| 1999 | Doomwatch: Winter Angel | Angel | TV film, voice role |
| 2000 | The Wilsons | Ray Wilson | Series regular |
| Black Cab | Gerald | Episode: "Marriage Guidance" | |
| 2001 | Shades | Alan Roberts | Mini-series |
| Station Jim | Elliot | TV film | |
| Murphy's Law | Hatcher Snr. | TV film | |
| The Way We Live Now | Mr. Broune | Mini-series | |
| Sweet Dreams | Jim | TV film | |
| 2002–2004 | Wild West | Old Jake Trethowan | Series regular |
| 2003 | The Mayor of Casterbridge | Councillor Vatt | TV film |
| Midsomer Murders | Tom | Episode: "The Green Man" | |
| Charles II: The Power and the Passion | Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey | 1 episode | |
| Blue Dove | Max Turnbull | Mini-series | |
| Murphy's Law | Hatcher Snr. | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| 2004 | Blackpool | Hallworth | Mini-series |
| 2005 | Mr. Harvey Lights a Candle | Archie | TV film |
| 2006 | Sweeney Todd | Sweeney's Father | TV film |
| Taggart | Elijah Buckland | Episode: "Law" | |
| 2006–2008 | Ideal | Stemroach | Recurring role |
| 2007 | Thieves Like Us | Electric | Recurring role |
| True Dare Kiss | Stanley Tyler | Recurring role | |
| 2008 | The Colour of Magic | Cohen the Barbarian | Episode: "Part 2: The Light Fantastic" |
| The Invisibles | 'Knacker' Locke | Mini-series | |
| 2009 | The Tudors | Will (Court Fool) | Episode: "Problems in the Reformation" |
| Ashes to Ashes | Robin Elliot | 1 episode | |
| The Street | Joe | Episode: "Meet the Parents" | |
| 2010 | Arena | Various roles | Episode: "Harold Pinter: A Celebration" |
| Five Daughters | Patrick Palmer | Mini-series | |
| New Tricks | Simon Beswick/John Plummer | Episode: "Dead Man Talking" | |
| The Sarah Jane Adventures | Shansheeth Blue | Episode: "Death of the Doctor" | |
| 2011 | Waking the Dead | George Barlow | Episode: "Waterloo" |
| 2011–2017 | Game of Thrones | Walder Frey | Recurring role |
| 2012 | Doctor Who | Solomon | Episode: "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship" |
| Eternal Law | Mack Steen | 1 episode | |
| Benidorm | Stan Garvey | 1 episode | |
| The Hollow Crown | Gardener | Episode: "Richard II" | |
| Bad Education | Ennis | Episode: "School Trip" | |
| World Without End | Brother Joseph | Recurring role | |
| Bad Sugar | Ralphfred Cauldwell | TV film | |
| 2012–2013 | Prisoners' Wives | Frank | Recurring role |
| 2012–2014 | Mount Pleasant | Charlie | Series regular |
| 2013 | Broadchurch | Jack Marshall | Recurring role |
| An Adventure in Space and Time | William Hartnell | TV film | |
| 2014 | Silk | LJ Reynolds | 1 episode |
| 2014–2017 | The Strain | Abraham Setrakian | Series regular |
| 2016 | Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands | Gorrik | 1 episode |
| Medici | Bardi | Episode: "The Dome and the Domicile" | |
| 2017, 2022 | Doctor Who | First Doctor | 3 episodes ("Twice Upon a Time" and "The Power of the Doctor"); cameo in "The Doctor Falls"; replacedWilliam Hartnell |
| 2017–2018 | Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia | Merlin | Series regular, voice role |
| 2018 | Hang Ups | Frank Ellerby | 1 episode |
| 2018–2019 | Les Misérables | Gillenormand | Series regular |
| Britannia | Quane | Series regular | |
| 2019–2022 | After Life | Ray Johnson | Series regular |
| 2020 | Gangs of London | Jim | 1 episode |
| Wizards: Tales of Arcadia | Merlin | Animated series, voice role | |
| Mandy | Frank | Episode: "Meat" | |
| 2021 | Adventure Time: Distant Lands | OldFinn | Episode: "Together Again", voice role |
| 2022 | The Responder | Davey | 2 episodes |
| 2024 | Coma | Harry | 2 episodes |
| Year | Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Youth And Love | Jack Savoretti |
| 2023 | "Wish You the Best" | Lewis Capaldi |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Doctor Who: Time Fracture | First Doctor | Pre-recorded video |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
