Richard Madden
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Richard Madden (born 18 June 1986) is a Scottish actor. Born and raised in Renfrewshire near Glasgow, Madden rose to prominence in 2011 for his portrayal of Robb Stark in the first three seasons of the fantasy drama series Game of Thrones.
In 2018, he gained acclaim for his performance as a war veteran and Principal Protection Officer in the BBC thriller series Bodyguard, for which he won a Golden Globe Award.
Madden made his screen debut as a child actor and later began performing on stage whilst a student at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. In 2007, he toured with Shakespeare’s Globe company as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, a role he reprised in the West End in 2016. His other television and film credits include the lead role of Cosimo de’ Medici in the first season of the historical fiction series Medici (2016), Prince Kit in the romantic fantasy film Cinderella (2015), John Reid in the biopic Rocketman (2019), and a lieutenant in the epic war film 1917 (2019).
Madden starred as Robb Stark in the HBO fantasy drama series Game of Thrones, based upon the series of novels titled A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, from 2011 to 2013. Madden’s performance in the series propelled him to prominence. During this period, he also starred in the Channel 4 comedy-drama series Sirens and the BBC drama series Birdsong. Madden first obtained his Screen Actors Guild (SAG) card for the 2014 miniseries Klondike, in which he played Bill Haskell, a real-life adventurer who participated in the Klondike Gold Rush. He then portrayed Prince Kit in the Disney live-action romantic fantasy film Cinderella, which was released in March 2015. The film became a commercial and critical success, receiving positive reviews and grossing over $542 million.
In 2016, Madden starred as Romeo in a West End production of Romeo and Juliet, which opened at the Garrick Theatre on May 25, reuniting with his Cinderella co-star Lily James, who played Juliet, and director Kenneth Branagh. Michael Billington of The Guardian stated that Madden was “especially good at articulating Romeo’s challenge to fate”, while Variety’s Matt Trueman criticized Madden’s speeches as “flat and regimented”. He was replaced in July 2016 after suffering an ankle injury. He then played the leading role of Cosimo de’ Medici, the son of the founder of the Medici Bank during the Italian Renaissance, in the first season of the Italian-British television drama series Medici, subtitled Masters of Florence. In the same year, Madden portrayed American pickpocket Michael Mason in the action film Bastille Day, starring alongside Idris Elba. He next played a DJ in the Netflix romantic comedy film Ibiza, appearing alongside Gillian Jacobs, Vanessa Bayer and Phoebe Robinson.
In 2018, Madden garnered acclaim and recognition for his portrayal of Sergeant David Budd, a war veteran and Principal Protection Officer, in the BBC thriller series Bodyguard. Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Madden portrayed Budd “with aplomb”, while The Atlantic’s Sophie Gilbert praised his “success at conveying superb instincts, his cool head under fire, and his complex psyche”. The series went on to become the UK’s most watched television drama since current records began, which led to its release to a worldwide audience on Netflix in October 2018. Madden’s performance earned him the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama; however, critics and viewers alike highlighted the fact that Madden did not receive a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his performance, deeming it a snub.
In 2019, Madden portrayed music manager John Reid in the Elton John biopic Rocketman, which was released in May, and appeared as a lieutenant in Sam Mendes’ war film 1917, which was released in December. From December 2020 to January 2021, he starred in the science fiction podcast series From Now, voicing Edward, a survivor of a spaceship that returns 35 years after vanishing. Madden will star as Ikaris in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Eternals, directed by Chloé Zhao, which is scheduled for a November 2021 release. He is also set to portray a leading role in an upcoming Amazon Studios “multi-series” titled Citadel, executively produced by Anthony and Joe Russo, alongside Priyanka Chopra.
