Blake Ritson

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Blake Ritson
Blake Ritson.PNG
Blake Ritson at New York Comic-Con (2014)
Born
Blake Adam Ritson

(1978-01-14) 14 January 1978 (age 47)
London, England
Occupation(s)Actor, director
Years active1996–present
Partner Hattie Morahan
Children2

Blake Adam Ritson (born 14 January 1978) [1] is an English actor.

Contents

Early life

Ritson was born on 14 January 1978 in London and attended the Dolphin School in Reading, Berkshire until 1993, before going to St Paul's School in West London on an academic scholarship. He then attended Jesus College, Cambridge, [2] where he studied English and Medieval Italian, graduating in 2000. [3] While a student he acted on both stage and screen, [4] playing Paul Etheridge in White Chameleon, Fleance in Macbeth, and Augustus in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia (1996) at the National Theatre in productions directed by Richard Eyre and Trevor Nunn. [3]

Career

Ritson is best known in recent years for playing King Edward III in the TV miniseries World Without End (2012), the Duke of Kent in Upstairs Downstairs (2010–2012), Mr Elton in the 2009 BBC adaptation of Emma, Edmund Bertram in the 2007 ITV adaptation of Mansfield Park, [5] Giles Vicary in the BBC series Red Cap and for portraying sidekick Robert Presley in A Touch of Frost . [6] He also played the part of Justin in The League of Gentlemen , Idek in God on Trial , and the comic lead in For Elsie , which he also co-produced. He also portrayed the main antagonist in David Goyer’s Da Vinci’s Demons (2013).

In 2013, Ritson appeared as Colonel Brandon in Helen Edmundson's BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility . [7] in 2020, he starred in the Big Finish reboot of cult adventure series Adam Adamant Lives! . [8] He had lent his voice to several other productions for the company.

In 2022, Ritson starred as Oscar Van Rijn in The Gilded Age on HBO.

Ritson writes and directs with his brother, Dylan. [9] The brothers first directed the short film Out of Time . Starring Mark Heap and Raquel Cassidy, the film won the Global Audience Award at the first CON-CAN Movie Festival [10] and was runner up at Minimalen and the Berlin Film Festival. It also screened at the London, São Paulo and Dresden film festivals. Their second short film, More More More, starring The League of Gentlemen's Mark Gatiss, was a runner-up in the Turner Classic Movies Competition. Their third film, shot in 2009, was entitled Love Hate, and starred Ben Whishaw and Hayley Atwell. It was chosen for the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Palm Springs Film Festival, London BFI Film Festival, Edinburgh International Film Festival, Foyle, Omaha, Encounters, Berkshire International Film Festival, Sofia Film Fest (Bulgaria), Tofifest International Film Festival (Poland), West Hollywood International, LA Shorts Fest and Short Shorts Film Festival (Japan). It won the Jury Award at Palm Springs International Shortsfest and won the Best International Short award at Cinema St. Louis Film Festival.

The Ritson brothers have also shot a fourth short film, Good Boy, starring Jessica Hynes (née Stevenson), Reece Shearsmith, Nicholas Burns, Joanna Page and Blake Ritson's fiancée Hattie Morahan. [11] The Ritson Brothers were selected for the front cover of Screen International's Stars of Tomorrow 2009.

Personal life

Ritson is engaged to actress Hattie Morahan, whom he met at university. They have a daughter, born in 2016 and a son born in 2020

Ritson played the banjolele on Douglas Hodge's 2006 album Cowley Road Songs, [12] which was recorded in four days at the Blue Moon Studios in Banbury. He describes the banjolele as "a hybrid instrument between a ukulele and a banjo; teamed up with the gazoo it’s a winning combination." [3]

Filmography

Film

YearFilmRoleNotes
1996 Different for Girls Young Prentice
1999 Titus Mutius
2001 Me Without You Tim
2002 AKA Alexander Gryffoyn
2008 RocknRolla Johnny Sloane
2009 Dead Man Running Jarvis
2011 For Elsie GlennShort film
2012 Hyde Park on Hudson Butler
2014 Serena Lowenstein
2021 Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard Gunther

Television

YearFilmRoleNotes
1996 No Bananas PeteEpisode: "Blitz"
Breaking the Code Christopher Morcom Television film
1997–1998 Knight School Sir Roger de Courcey3 episodes
1999 Shooting the Past Nick3 episodes
2000 The League of Gentlemen Justin Smart2 episodes
2001 London's Burning Dermot2 episodes
Urban Gothic Dave MatthewsEpisode: "The End"
Red Cap Lt. Giles VicaryTelevision film
2003 Adventure Inc. Byron HaycroftEpisode: "Angel of St. Edmunds"
2003–2004 Red Cap Giles Vicary12 episodes
2005 If... Ben SwalesEpisode: "If...We Stopped Giving Aid to Africa"
Strauss: The Waltz KingOlder Johann Strauss II Television film
The Bill Gavin MurrayEpisode: "Honour"
2006 Casualty Daniel TaskerEpisode: "Worlds Apart"
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries Graham MarshallEpisode: "Chinese Walls"
A Touch of Frost D.C. Robert PresleyEpisode: "Endangered Species"
2007 Mansfield Park Edmund Bertram Television film
The Commander: The Devil You KnowJohn LittlewoodTelevision film
2008 God on Trial IdekTelevision film
2009 Emma Mr. Elton4 episodes
2010–2012 Upstairs Downstairs The Duke of Kent 8 episodes
2011 The Crimson Petal and the White Bodley3 episodes
The Romantics Percy Bysshe Shelley Episode: "Eternity
Doctor Who: The Lost Stories Instructor Shibac (voice)Episode: "The Foe from the Future"
Garrow's Law Charles FoxEpisode #3.4
2012 World Without End King Edward III 8 episodes
2013–2015 Da Vinci's Demons Girolamo Riario 26 episodes
2015The EmbraceDan5 episodes
2016 Indian Summers Charlie Havistock10 episodes
Hooten & the Lady YannarasEpisode: "Egypt"
2018–2019 Krypton Brainiac 20 episodes
2019 Endeavour Gabriel Van HorneEpisode: "Apollo"
2022–2023 The Gilded Age Oscar Van Rhijn17 episodes
The Crown Andrew Gailey4 episodes
2024 The Count of Monte Cristo Danglars
Interview with the Vampire Morgan WardEpisode: "What Can the Damned Really Say to the Damned"

Stage

Radio and audio drama

Video games

Awards and nominations

YearAssociationCategoryProjectResultRef.
2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series The Gilded Age Pending [13]

References

  1. "All England & Wales, Birth Index, 1916–2005 results for Blake Adam Ritson". ancestry.co.uk. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  2. "Blake and Dylan Ritson (Writer-Directors)". PFD. Archived from the original on 6 November 2007.
  3. 1 2 3 "Congregations of the Regent House on 29 June, 30 June, and 1 July 2000: Jesus College". Cambridge University Reporter. 12 July 2000.
  4. "Blake Ritson, Class of 1991". Dolphin School. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008.
  5. Company Pictures: Mansfield Park Archived 18 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ITV Home [ dead link ]
  7. "BBC – Sense And Sensibility – Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk.
  8. "Adam Adamant Lives! - News - Big Finish".
  9. "Blake Ritson & Dylan Ritson". Preview Room. Archived from the original on 19 October 2006.
  10. "CON-CAN Movie Festival, Internet Short Movie Festival". con-can.com. Archived from the original on 10 December 2005.
  11. Jones, Alice (28 July 2008). "Modern miss: Hattie Morahan is ditching bonnets in favour of cutting-edge theatre work". The Independent. London.
  12. "DougHodge.com". www.doughodge.com.
  13. "Nominations Announced for the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®" (Press release). Screen Actors Guild. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.