Background

Richard Madden was born on June 18, 1986, in Elderslie, Renfrewshire, Scotland to Pat and Richard. His mother works as a classroom assistant, while his father is employed with the fire brigade. Madden was raised along with his sisters.

Education

Richard Madden attended a local school in Paisley. He has revealed that he was a fat and shy kid during his rather difficult high school days. In order to overcome his shyness, Madden attended a youth theatre program organized by the ‘Paisley Arts Centre.’

His acting talent was noticed in BBC1’s ‘Barmy Aunt Boomerang,’ in 1999. Madden played an important role in the series, appearing in 20 episodes. In 2000, he made his feature film debut, when he appeared in Iain Banks novel’s film adaptation ‘Complicity.’ In 2007, he graduated from ‘The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’ in Glasgow.

Career

After an acting stint as a teenager, Madden made his comeback as a 23-year-old actor, appearing as Dean McKenzie in ‘Hope Springs.’ He appeared in eight episodes of the British TV comedy-drama series. In 2010, he played Kirk Brandon in a television film titled ‘Worried About The Boy’ and then appeared as Ripley Collins in a thriller drama film, ‘Chatroom,’ which was directed by popular Japanese filmmaker Hideo Nakata. In 2011, he played Ashley Greenwick in a television series titled ‘Sirens’ and then appeared as Elliot in a short film titled ‘Strays.’ In the same year, Madden received his breakthrough role in one of the most popular television series in the world, ‘Game of Thrones.’

In 2012, he played Captain Michael and Weir in the two-part British television drama, ‘Birdsong.’ The next year, he was cast in a French romantic drama film, ‘A Promise.’ In 2015, he received his second-most popular role as Prince Kit in the super hit romantic fantasy film, ‘Cinderella.’ In the same year, he appeared in a short film and a television film titled ‘Group B’ and ‘Lady Chatterley's Lover’ respectively. In 2016, he played a major role in the American-French action film, ‘Bastille Day.’ The year 2016 also saw him playing the titular role of Cosimo de' Medici in the Italian-British TV drama series, ‘Medici: Masters of Florence.’

In 2017, Madden was roped in to play Peter Leigh in the pilot episode (Oasis) of an intended British television series, based on the 2014 novel, ‘The Book of Strange New Things.’ In the same year, he appeared in one of the episodes of a science fiction anthology series titled ‘Electric Dreams,’ which was based on Philip K. Dick’s collection of short stories. In 2018, he played Leo West in the American romantic comedy film ‘Ibiza.’ The film was released on Netflix on May 25, 2018. In 2018, he was also offered the lead role of Sergeant David Budd in the British television drama series ‘Bodyguard.’

His performance in ‘Bodyguard’ impressed the creators of the world-renowned ‘Bond’ film series, so much so that they are currently in talks with Madden to play the iconic role of James Bond, thereby succeeding Daniel Craig as the latest ‘Agent 007.’

Apart from feature films and television series, Richard Madden is also known for his work in theatre. During his time as a student at ‘The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland,’ Madden worked with theatres like ‘Glasgow Repertory Company’ and ‘The Arches.’

He was also cast in a popular play titled ‘Tom Fool,’ which was played out at ‘The Citizens Theatre.’ The play became so famous that it was transferred to London. While playing his part in ‘Tom Fool’ at a theatre in London, Richard Madden was noticed by the famous ‘Globe Theatre,’ which then cast him as Romeo in its production of ‘Romeo and Juliet.’In 2008, he played Callum McGregor in the stage production of ‘Noughts and Crosses.’ Richard Madden has also worked as a voice-over artist. In 2013 and 2014, he lent his voice for the popular video game series, ‘Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.’

In 2019, Madden portrayed music manager John Reid in the Elton John biopic Rocketman.

Achievements

• 

  Madden's breakthrough role came in 2011, as Robb Stark in HBO's fantasy drama Game of Thrones, for which he received the Screen International Award for Star of Tomorrow. In 2018, Madden gained critical acclaim for his leading role as a troubled war veteran in the BBC thriller series Bodyguard, the UK's most-watched television drama since current records began, for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2019. He was named one of Screen International's Stars of Tomorrow in 2011.
  
  From 2011 to 2013, Madden was nominated in three prestigious award shows for his work in the ‘Game of Thrones.’ He also won the ‘Star of Tomorrow’ award at the 2011 ‘Screen Awards.’ In July 2019, Madden received an Honorary Doctorate of Drama from his alma mater, The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow.
  
  

Works

More photos

• movie

  • A Promise

    (Alan Rickman stars in this simmering early 20th-century l...)

    2013
  • The Take

    (A CIA agent in Paris hunts an American pickpocket running...)

    2016
  • Complicity

    (Cameron Colley is a young Scottish journalist, with an in...)

    2000
  • Chatroom

    (5 teenagers are introduced to each other in a chatroom ca...)

    2010
  • Rocketman

    (This one-of-a-kind musical biopic embarks on the spectacu...)

    2019
  • Cinderella

    (Disney's Cinderella shines with beauty, imagination...and...)

    2015

• TV series

  • Game of Thrones

    (Nine noble families fight for control over the mythical l...)

    2011
  • Bodyguard

    (A contemporary thriller featuring the Royalty and Special...)

    2018

Views

Richard Madden has spoken out against the "unrealistic" demands he and his fellow actors face regarding their weight and body image. "I've done numerous jobs where you're told to lose weight and get to the gym," he told British Vogue. "It doesn't just happen to women, it happens to men all the time as well."

Madden said he and his actor friends had found themselves bemoaning the "barely eating, working-out-twice-a-day, no-carbing thing" required for certain scenes.

Quotations: "Doing jobs that are completely different to the last thing I did pushes me as an actor to change as much as I can. It would be easy for me to stay in a similar vein of characters or jobs, but I'm drawn to challenging myself."

"I try to live honestly in every aspect of my life, which can make things a bit more complicated, right?"

"You act at being a man, and before you know it, you are one."

"I'm an actor and my job is to interpret."

"I like clothes and fashion. It's a hobby for me and I really enjoy being part of it, so it's nice when people say: 'He can dress quite well.'"

"It's nice to have recognition for doing a good job, but at the end of the day, I'm just an actor and I'm doing my job and I'm always trying to get better at doing that job."

"I hate all the red carpet stuff. It's weird, because it's part of what's expected of you now."

"I kind of started 'Game of Thrones' as a really young actor and not a lot on my CV."

"I believe in love at first sight and hindsight."

"The costume affects your posture, affects your walk, how you hold yourself, and how you breathe. The costumes make you deliver."

Personality

Richard Madden doesn’t mind going for a comfortable look as well but he does like to look good and he does enjoy a nice wardrobe that allows him to remain fashionable and helps to keep up his image.

One of Richard’s favorite hobbies is running. Although suffering an ankle injury a couple of years ago, he has now reassured fans he is back to “doing what he loves” and is “back on his feet” by running half-marathons.

Physical Characteristics: Height: 5 ft 9½ in (177 cm)

Weight: 169 lbs (77 kg)

Hair color: dark brown

Eye color: blue

Richard Madden admits that he was quite overweight for much of his adolescence and during his time in Drama School. This changed when he got a part in a play which required him to be naked, at which point he realized that he didn't want to be fat and naked on stage.

Interests

• Favorite animated Disney movie: Aladdin (2019)
  
  Favorite movies: Jurassic Park and Betty Blue

• Sport & Clubs

  Running

• Music & Bands

  Elton John

Connections

Richard Madden is not married.

Father:

Richard Madden

Richard is a former fireman. But now, he is a director of Cameron Water Coolers and works at Roundhill Project Management, a company providing consultancy services and software products. Madden told that his dad read all the Game of Thrones books but put them aside for a couple of months after reading the Red Wedding. Once, Richard revealed that his son dreamt about playing James Bond.

Mother:

Pat Madden

Pat is a classroom assistant who calls her famed son Little Dick. The actor shares that his mom feels awkward when she sees his sex scenes.

Sister:

Cara Madden

Cara, the eldest of three siblings, is a civil servant at Department for Work and Pensions. She is married and has two kids.

Sister:

Lauren Madden

Friend:

Lily James

(born 5 April 1989)

She is an English actress.

Friend:

Kit Harington

(born 26 December 1986),

He is an English actor and producer.

Friend:

Alfie Allen

(born 11 September 1986)

He is an English actor.

Friend:

Michelle Fairley

She is a Northern Irish actress, best known for her roles as Catelyn Stark in the HBO series Game of Thrones (2011–2013), Dr. Ava Hessington in multiple episodes of USA Network series Suits (2013), and as terrorist Margot Al-Harazi, a main antagonist in 24: Live Another Day (2014).

colleague:

Maisie Williams

(born 15 April 1997)

She is an English actress.

colleague:

Isaac Hempstead-Wright

(born April 9, 1999)

He is an English actor.

colleague:

Sophie Turner

(born 21 February 1996)

She is an English actress.

References

• INTERVIEW MAGAZINE ISSUE 525 SPRING 2019 RICHARD MADDEN COVER -NEW COPIES EXCLUSIVELY AVAILABLE FROM MAGAZINES AND MORE
• British GQ Magazine
• Richard Madden Success Coloring Book
• The Hollywood Reporter Magazine (June 5, 2019) Drama Actor Roundtable Hugh Grant, Diego Luna, Billy Porter, Sam Rockwell, Richard Madden and Stephan James