Julian Bleach | |
---|---|
Born | Bournemouth, England | 29 December 1963
Nationality | English |
Alma mater | London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art |
Occupation(s) | Actor, singer, playwright |
Years active | 1990–present |
Julian Bleach (born 29 December 1963) [1] is an English actor, singer and playwright, who is known as co-creator and "MC" of Shockheaded Peter , a musical entertainment based on the works of Heinrich Hoffmann, [2] which won the 2002 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment. [3] He is also known for playing Davros in the 2005 revival of Doctor Who (in 2008, 2015, and 2023).
Bleach was born in Bournemouth. He was educated at Summerbee School and studied drama at Bournemouth and Poole College. After that he trained at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. [4]
Bleach's other theatre work includes playing Ariel to Patrick Stewart's Prospero in the RSC's 2007 production of The Tempest , [5] directed by Rupert Goold, and Mr. Sowerberry (to Louise Gold's Mrs. Sowerberry) and Dr. Grimwig in the 2009 Theatre Royal Drury Lane production of the musical Oliver!.
On television, he has starred as "The Monster" in the 2007 ITV adaptation of Frankenstein . [6] He played the Grand Master from the second series of children's drama M.I.High and guest-starred as the villainous "Ghostmaker" in Peter J. Hammond's "From Out of the Rain" in the second series of Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood . [4] Bleach was later cast by the parent series as Davros, enemy of The Doctor and creator of the Daleks, in "The Stolen Earth" and "Journey's End", the two-part season finale of the 2008 series, [7] and live at the Doctor Who Prom, [8] before returning to the role in the 2015 series opener, "The Magician's Apprentice", and its conclusion, "The Witch's Familiar". In 2010, it was announced that he would star as the eponymous character in The Nightmare Man , the opening story of Series 4 of The Sarah Jane Adventures . This makes him one of only two actors (the other being Paul Marc Davis) to appear in not only Doctor Who, but two of its spin-offs, Torchwood and The Sarah-Jane Adventures. In 2011, he appeared as Niccolò Machiavelli in the Showtime series The Borgias .
In 2016 Bleach appeared as Barkilphedro in the critically acclaimed new musical The Grinning Man at Bristol Old Vic which transferred in late 2017 to Trafalgar Studios. In the same year he also appeared in Rory Mullarkey's new play Saint George and the Dragon at the Royal National Theatre.
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1990 | The Fool | ||
1994 | Beg! | Dr. Rogers | |
1999 | Topsy-Turvy | Mr. Plank | |
2002 | Ghost Child | Leo | |
2005 | The Brothers Grimm | Letorc | |
2006 | The Fall | Mystic/Elderly Patient | |
2008 | Lecture 21 | Aristocrat | |
2009 | Badinage | Franklin Gothic | |
2011 | Anonymous | Sir Richard Pole | |
2012 | Lord Horror: The Dark and Silver Age | Lord Horror | |
Les Misérables | Claquesous | ||
2013 | The Fallen Word | Franklin Gothic | |
2015 | Avengers: Age of Ultron | Ballet Instructor | |
MindGamers | Preacher | ||
Remainder | Pianist | ||
Word Made Flesh: Sir Peter Blake | Mad Hatter | Short film | |
2016 | Mother | Crematorium Technician | Short film |
Suicide Note | The Man | Short film |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2002 | The Gist | David Luscombe | TV movie |
2005 | Riot at the Rite | Violinist | TV movie |
2007 | The Afternoon Play | Stefan | Episode: "Come Fly With Me" |
Frankenstein | The Monster | TV movie | |
2008–13 | M.I. High | The Grand Master | |
2008 | Torchwood | The Ghostmaker | Episode: "From Out of the Rain" |
2008, 2015, 2023 | Doctor Who | Davros | 4 episodes, 1 mini episode |
2008 | Criminal Justice | Gaoler | Series 1, Episode 3 |
2009 | Doctor Who at the Proms | Davros | |
2010 | The Sarah Jane Adventures | The Nightmare Man | Serial: The Nightmare Man |
Psychoville | Doctor/Eddie | Episode: "Halloween Special" | |
2011–13 | The Borgias | Niccolò Machiavelli | |
2012 | Ripper Street | Cecil Creighton | Episode: "I Need Light" |
2014 | This is Jinsy | Undertaker | Episode: "Population 791" |
2016 | Close to the Enemy | Geoffrey Salter | TV miniseries |
2017 | Emerald City | Roquat | 4 episodes |
2019 | Heirs of the Night | Dracula | |
2022 | Halo | Mercy | x episodes[ quantify ] |
2022 | The English | Jerome McClintock | 2 episodes |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Lego Dimensions | Davros | Uncredited |
Davros is a fictional character from the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He was created by screenwriter Terry Nation, originally for the 1975 serial Genesis of the Daleks. Davros is a major enemy of the series' protagonist, the Doctor, and is the creator of the Doctor's deadliest enemies, the Daleks. Davros is a genius who has mastered many areas of science, but also a megalomaniac who believes that through his creations he can become the supreme being and ruler of the Universe. The character has been compared to the infamous dictator Adolf Hitler several times, including by the actor Terry Molloy, while Julian Bleach defined him as a cross between Hitler and the renowned scientist Stephen Hawking.
Oliver! is a stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.
Genesis of the Daleks is the fourth serial of the twelfth season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was written by Terry Nation and directed by David Maloney, and originally broadcast in six weekly parts from 8 March to 12 April 1975 on BBC1.
Sheridan Caroline Sian Smith OBE is an English actress, singer and television personality. Smith came to prominence after playing a variety of characters on sitcoms such as The Royle Family (1999–2000), Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps (2001–2009), Gavin & Stacey (2008–2010), and Benidorm (2009). She co-starred as Joey Ross in the drama series Jonathan Creek between 2009 and 2013, and went on to receive acclaim for starring in a succession of television dramas, such as Mrs Biggs (2012), Cilla (2014), The C Word (2015), Black Work (2015), The Moorside (2017), Cleaning Up (2019), and Four Lives (2022). Her film credits include Tower Block (2012), Quartet (2012), The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016), and The Railway Children Return (2022).
John Scot Barrowman is a Scottish-American actor, author, presenter, singer and comic book writer. He is known for his roles as Captain Jack Harkness in Doctor Who and its spin-off Torchwood (2006–11), and as Malcolm Merlyn in the Arrowverse (2012–19).
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Murray Jonathan Gold is an English composer for stage, film, and television and a dramatist for both theatre and radio. He is best known as the musical director and composer of the music for Doctor Who from its revival in 2005 until 2017. In 2023, he was announced to be returning to the series. Gold's other television work includes Queer as Folk, Last Tango in Halifax and Gentleman Jack. He has been nominated for five BAFTAs.
Freema Agyeman is an English actress. She rose to fame with her role as the Doctor's companion Martha Jones in the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who (2007–2010) and its spin-off Torchwood (2008), and received further recognition for playing Crown Prosecutor Alesha Phillips in the ITV crime procedural Law & Order: UK (2009–2012), Amanita Caplan in the Netflix science fiction drama Sense8 (2015–2018) and Dr. Helen Sharpe in the NBC medical drama New Amsterdam (2018–2023).
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Shockheaded Peter is a 1998 musical using the popular German children's book Struwwelpeter (1845) by Heinrich Hoffmann as its basis.
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