Early life and education

Armitage was born in Leicester, England, the younger son of Margaret, a secretary, and John Armitage, an engineer. Richard has an older brother named Chris. He attended Huncote Community Primary School in Huncote, Blaby District, Leicestershire and began middle school at the local comprehensive school, Brockington College in Enderby. At Brockington, Armitage pursued his interest in music - playing the cello in school and local orchestras, and learning how to play the flute. But by fourteen, having secured a grant from the Leicestershire Authority, he successfully persuaded his mother to allow him to transfer to Pattison College in Coventry, an independent boarding school specializing in the Performing Arts so that he could focus on drama and dance. Armitage has expressed gratitude for the lessons and opportunities Pattison College provided, saying "It...instilled me with a discipline that has stood me in good stead - never to be late, to know your lines and to be professional." By the time he graduated, he gained not only A Levels in music and English, but also acting experience in local amateur and professional productions such as Showboat, Half a Sixpence, Orpheus and the Underworld (as Bacchus) and The Hobbit (as an elf) at the New Alexandra Theatre (aka "The Alex"), Birmingham.

Career

1988-2003: Early work

After completing the programme at Pattison College in 1988, Armitage joined the Nachtcircus in Budapest for six months to obtain his Equity Card, a requirement at the time for entertainment professionals to work in the UK. Returning to England, he pursued a career in musical theatre - working as an assistant choreographer to Kenn Oldfield and performing in various productions, including the ensembles of 42nd Street, My One and Only, Nine, Annie Get Your Gun and as Admetus and Macavity in Cats. Armitage was also pursuing acting in dramatic theatre productions, including The Real Thing, Six Degrees of Separation and Death of a Salesman.

By 1992, he began to doubt if musical theatre was the right career path, so he enrolled at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) in 1993 to further study acting. "I needed to do something a bit more truthful than musical theatre. For me it was a bit too theatrical and all about standing on stage and showing off. I was looking for something else, so that’s why I went back to drama school."

After completing LAMDA's three-year programme, he returned to the stage as a supporting player with the Royal Shakespeare Company's productions of Macbeth and The Duchess of Malfi, as well as Hamlet and Four Alice Bakers with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre while taking a series of small roles in television and films. In 2002 he starred in the Charm Offensive's production of Use Me As Your Cardigan.

That same year Armitage appeared in his first major television role, as John Standring in the BBC drama Sparkhouse (2002). "It was the first time I went to an audition in character. It was a minor role but it was something I really got my teeth into... I couldn't go back. I knew I had to approach everything the same way." After this he took supporting roles in the TV productions of Between the Sheets, Cold Feet (series 5), and Ultimate Force (Series 2).

2004-2010: Television success

In Spring 2004, Armitage landed his first leading role as textile mill owner John Thornton in the BBC adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's North & South. The director and producers took a chance casting a little-known actor for their leading man (he was the first actor to audition for the role and the last person cast), but their instincts proved correct. North & South was an unexpected success and Armitage became an overnight sensation in the UK. The BBC message boards crashed shortly after the telecast as a result of chatter about him and he was hailed as the new "Mr. Darcy" (referring to Colin Firth's "Mr Darcy" whom many regard as the definitive romantic leading man). Armitage never perceived John Thornton as the ideal romantic leading man role and was surprised by the overwhelming response. Instead, he said that he felt personally drawn to the role, as his father's family had been weavers. He cited Thornton's dualism as drawing him to the character. "The dichotomy between the powerful, almost monstrous, entrepreneur and this kind of vulnerable boy is exciting for me to look at."

In 2005, he played Peter MacDuff in Macbeth in the BBC's ShakespeaRe-Told series and appeared as a recovering gambling addict in one episode of Inspector Lynley Mysteries. He starred in The Impressionists, playing the young Claude Monet, and as Dr Alec Track in ITV's The Golden Hour, a medical series based on the London Air Ambulance. His first substantial role in movies was in the independent film Frozen.

In 2006, Armitage was cast as Guy of Gisborne in the BBC series Robin Hood, which was filmed entirely in Hungary. "In order to sustain the character of Guy, you have to find the conflict within him. He's constantly pulled between good and evil, between who he wants to be and who he actually is. He could have been a good man, but he is forever dragged down by his fatal flaw - that he wants glory at all costs." Approaching the third series, he said, "I do love playing him, but with a character like Gisborne, if you give him what he needs, then in a way, it's over. That character is only interesting when he isn't getting what he wants, whether it's power, money or the girl." The third and final series of Robin Hood started on 28 March 2009.

Armitage appeared in a two-part 2006/07 Christmas/New Years special of The Vicar of Dibley, as Harry Kennedy, the vicar's new love interest (and eventual husband). He reprised the role in 2007 for Red Nose Day. On 8 April 2007, he played biker Ricky Deeming in the detective drama George Gently with Martin Shaw and Lee Ingleby. On 9 May 2007, he appeared in the BBC Four production of Miss Marie Lloyd - Queen of The Music Hall playing Marie Lloyd's first husband, Percy Courtenay. He also appeared in the Granada TV production of Agatha Christie's novel Ordeal by Innocence as the character Philip Durrant.

Armitage joined the cast of Spooks as the character Lucas North for series 7, which began on 27 October 2008 in the UK. Armitage notes that the character, who spent eight years in a Russian prison, has a personable exterior, but is psychologically damaged. "I love films with a combination of action and good characters. That's why Lucas is interesting as I get to play someone with a complex psychology who goes out there and tries to save the world." During the filming of series 7 Armitage allowed himself to be subjected to waterboarding to film a flashback sequence. In July 2010, Armitage completed filming of series 9, his final series. In this last series, his character's real name was revealed as John Bateman, who had murdered the real Lucas North shortly before North began employment with MI5. Bateman had stolen North's identity and taken his place.

On 20 May 2009, Armitage appeared in the BBC1 drama Moving On as John Mulligan.

In May 2010, Armitage starred as former S.A.S. trooper John Porter in Strike Back (also known as Chris Ryan's Strike Back) for Sky1. Filmed in South Africa, Armitage found the main challenge of the role was to show how the character resolved being a trained killer with having a family and home life. "In the end it was the character I was attracted to, the story of a man who makes a decision under pressure and that decision has a knock-on effect on his whole life," he said. "He goes in search of atonement still believing he did the right thing even though it cost the lives of three of his friends... There's anger and there's injustice. It's like, 'I did the right thing, with the wrong outcome.'" By the time Sky1 and Cinemax decided to commission a second series of Strike Back called Strike Back: Project Dawn, Armitage had already committed to The Hobbit and was unable to continue in the series. However, he appeared as a guest star in the first episode to resolve John Porter’s fate.

Ironically, it was his role as John Porter that led to his casting in Captain America: The First Avenger. US casting agents noticed posters of him as John Porter all over London. Although unknown to them, they offered him the role of Nazi spy Heinz Kruger because he looked the part. Armitage accepted and shot his scenes in the autumn of 2010, after filming wrapped on Spooks, series 9. (The film was released in July 2011).

2010-present: Film success and beyond

On 21 October 2010, Peter Jackson announced Armitage was cast as Thorin Oakenshield in the three-film production of The Hobbit. Principal photography in New Zealand ran from March 2011 to July 2012 (broken into three filming blocks with breaks in-between) and pick-ups were shot in the summer of 2013 . All three films were released in December, starting with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in 2012, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in 2013 and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies in 2014. Armitage thought it was a wonderful opportunity, as he grew up reading the books. Coincidentally, one of his first stage roles was playing an elf in a production of The Hobbit at the "Alex" Theatre in Birmingham. He describes the character of Thorin as being complex and flawed, "somebody that had doubts and that had fears, and there was a gentle side to him and a very perhaps lonely side to him." He notes the scene with Balin in Bag End shows the character's inner sensitivity and fear of failure, "failing where his father and his grandfather had failed as well."

Immediately after filming wrapped on The Hobbit, Armitage flew to Detroit, Michigan to film Into the Storm from July to September 2012. He starred as Gary Fuller, a high school Vice Principal with two teenage sons. The film from New Line was released in August 2014.

In March 2014, Armitage began the eight-week shoot of an adaptation of Bernard Hare's memoir Urban Grimshaw and the Shed Crew in Leeds, UK. He played "Chop" (the author's nickname), an ex-social worker, drunk and drug addict in Britain's lowerclass who befriends the hardened young delinquent Urban. Armitage explained his attraction to this role: “it ticks a few boxes for me: it’s based on a really interesting piece of literature, but also based on living people, who have been working with us on set.” Urban and the Shed Crew premiered at the Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF) on 7 November 2015.

Armitage next appeared as John Proctor in The Old Vic's production of Arthur Miller's The Crucible. Directed by Yaël Farber and performed in the round, the play ran from 21 June to 13 September 2014. The production drew an unprecedented amount of 5-star reviews and was a commercial success. For his performance, Armitage was awarded Best Leading Actor in a New Production of a Play by Broadway World:UK Awards 2014 and a Best Actor nomination for an Olivier Award. Due to overwhelming worldwide demand to see the production, Digital Theatre captured the live performance to bring The Crucible to cinemas and for digital download. It was screened at cinemas on 4 and 7 December 2014 in the UK and Ireland, with further screenings in other selected territories in February and March 2015. (Copyright issues prevented the film from being screened at North American cinemas.) Digital Theatre made the digital download available worldwide on 17 March 2015.

In a September 2014 interview, Armitage revealed he would film his cameo role of King Oleron in Alice Through the Looking Glass in London after The Crucible closed. The Disney film was released in May 2016.

Armitage spent four weeks in October 2014 filming Sleepwalker in the greater Los Angeles area. In this psychological thriller, Armitage plays Dr. Scott White, a senior MD at a sleep research center. No release date has been set.

DeLaurentiis Company tweeted on 13 January 2015 that Armitage was cast as Francis Dolarhyde (aka "The Tooth Fairy") in their acclaimed TV production of Hannibal, written and co-produced by Bryan Fuller. Dolarhyde is a serial killer, a character type which Armitage had expressed interest in portraying. He filmed the series in Toronto, Canada from January to April. and the series aired from 4 June to 29 August 2015 . Armitage appeared in the last six episodes of Season 3 to high praise and wide acclaim. He also won the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards in the category of Best TV Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Dolarhyde.

Immediately after wrapping on Hannibal in late April 2015, Armitage joined his fellow Pilgrimage castmates who had already begun filming in Connemara, Ireland two weeks prior. He plays Sir Raymond De Merville, a 13th-century French Norman who is intent on foiling a group of monks escorting a sacred relic from Ireland to Rome. The cast and crew later moved to the Ardennes region of Belgium to complete filming, with Armitage wrapping one week earlier than the official film wrap at the end of May.

News broke on 13 May 2015 that Armitage would star in Clearance, the first English language film by Finnish director Aku Louhimies and set to film in South Africa in November 2015. It is an action drama about a hardened mine expert named Ray (Armitage) and his pregnant partner (Naomi Harris) who are kidnapped in South Sudan. Sources differ on whether Ray is forced to cross a vast minefield to gain his freedom or if Ray and his partner make their escape across a vast minefield.

In a June 2015 interview, Armitage mentioned his next projects included an Edith Wharton film and a true Irish tragic drama. Per agent David Higham, Bridget Cleary is likely the Irish drama.

On 12 July 2015, Armitage revealed he was about to start filming Brain on Fire in Vancouver, Canada. Subsequent news outlets provided more details about his role as 'Big Man' Tom Cahalan, father of the protagonist in the true-life story of young journalist Susannah Cahalan's sudden descent into inexplicable madness and the eleventh-hour diagnosis by one doctor. Filming began 13 July 2015.

Armitage landed the lead role of Daniel Miller in Berlin Station, an original spy series for Epix. His character, a cerebral analyst from Langley, is a newly anointed undercover CIA officer tasked with finding a mole in Berlin. Filmed in Berlin from November 2015 to April 2016, with some additional filming in the Canary Islands, the series premieres on Epix in the fall of 2016.

Narration

Armitage was first introduced to voice work while working on the TV drama Robin Hood in 2006. The BBC was publishing novels of the first four episodes of series one and asked Armitage to record the audiobook versions. In recent years, Armitage has also performed a great deal of voice work, such as reading poetry for various radio programmes and starring as Robert Lovelace in BBC Radio 4's production of Clarissa: A History of a Young Lady in April 2010. He has recorded eleven audio books: six based on BBC's "Robin Hood", Bernard Cornwell's The Lords of the North, three Georgette Heyer novels for Naxos AudioBooks (Sylvester, or the Wicked Uncle, Venetia, and The Convenient Marriage) and Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: A Novel. He has narrated television documentaries such as Homes From Hell, Empire's Children, Too Poor for Posh School?, The Great Sperm Race, Forest Elephants: Rumble in the Jungle, Surgery School, and Elsa: The Lioness That Changed the World. In 2011, he provided the narration for a series about the Royal Navy flagship HMS Ark Royal, 125 Years of Wimbledon: You Cannot Be Serious, and Fraud Squad. He has also provided the voice over for many TV and radio advertisements.

Richard III connection

Armitage was hoping to star in a drama based on Richard III. Armitage was born on the anniversary of the Battle of Bosworth Field, where Richard III was killed and has said "I believe it is a great story, a socio-political thriller, a love story and a dynastic tragedy". He thinks the story has the potential to be told as a twenty-episode miniseries. A script has been in development since 2010 and "a lot of people... are interested, but there is no one that will step on the gas." Recently Armitage stated that he is still interested in the project, though he has reservations that he might be too tall and too old to play Richard III.

Acting style

Armitage has described himself as a method actor. "Yeah, I suppose I am. In a way it's slightly lazy because it means you don't have to pretend - you just have to believe. As much as it's possible to be like that I suppose I kind of do step in and out, I'm not one of these people that can't talk to other people because I'm in my character, but I kind of do stay with the character, yeah. He's always there. It's like marinating something - you're sitting in a marinade the whole time." He has also spoken of dreaming in character while playing John Porter and Thorin Oakenshield. However, recently he rejected the label of "method actor". "I think I'm a concentrating actor. So in order to do my work in the course of a day, particularly with a character like this I have to concentrate. So it's about staying in the scene, staying with my head in the scene and attempting to keep the character with me. It doesn't mean I can't have a conversation or go and make a cup of coffee. But I actually stay with the character for 18 months."

He frequently speaks of developing and being drawn to dualism in his characters. "If I’m offered the role of the hero, I immediately look for the antihero within!... I see everything in terms of an outer skin and an inner skin." He creates "character diaries" with entire biographies for the characters he plays. "It was important to me to put in a background for my character that would be useful for the whole journey. A lot of that is secret and no one gets to read that. It's what is useful to me. If you are playing something long running and a role that has a future, it's almost like you have to plant a garden which you will need to come back to at some point. If you don't put in early, it can jar with you."

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1999	Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace	Naboo fighter pilot
1999	Staged	Daryl Newman	Short film. Student project.
1999	This Year's Love	Smug Man at Party
2005	Frozen	Steven
2011	Captain America: The First Avenger	Heinz Kruger
2012	The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey	Thorin Oakenshield
2013	The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug	Thorin Oakenshield
2014	Into the Storm	Gary Fuller
2014	The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies	Thorin Oakenshield	Win—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor in a film
2014	The Crucible	John Proctor	film capturing live stage performance of the production at The Old Vic
2015	Urban and the Shed Crew	Chop
2016	Alice Through the Looking Glass	King Oleron
2015	Sleepwalker	Dr Scott White
2016	Pilgrimage	Sir Raymond De Merville
2016	Brain on Fire	Tom Cahalan
2016	Clearance	Ray

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1992	Boon	Man in pub	Series 7, Episode 6: 'Message in a Bottle'. Uncredited
1999	Cleopatra	Epiphanes	Television film
2001	Doctors	Dr. Tom Steele	Series 4, Episodes 58 & 59: 'Good Companions' & 'Cat's Out of the Bag'
2001	Casualty	Craig Parker	Series 16, Episode 17: 'Playing with Fire'
2001	Macbeth	Angus	Television film
2002	Spooks	Armed police officer	Series 1, Episode 4: 'Traitor's Gate'
2002	Sparkhouse	John Standring	BBC drama, television film
2003	Cold Feet	Lee	Series 5, Episodes 1-6
2003	Ultimate Force	Capt. Ian Macalwain	Series 2, Episodes 2-6
2003	Between the Sheets	Paul Andrews	ITV mini-series
2004	North & South	John Thornton	BBC mini-series
2005	The Inspector Lynley Mysteries	Philip Turner	Series 4, Episode 1: 'In Divine Proportion'
2005	Malice Aforethought	William Chatford	ITV drama, television film
2005	The Golden Hour	Dr. Alec Track	Series 1. (4 episodes)
2005	ShakespeaRe-Told	Peter Macduff	Episode 2: 'Macbeth'
2006	The Impressionists	Young Claude Monet	BBC docudrama, mini-series
2006-2009	Robin Hood	Guy of Gisborne	Series 1, 2 & 3. (37 episodes)
2006-2007	The Vicar of Dibley	Harry Kennedy	Christmas Special (2 episodes) and Comic Relief Specials (1 episode)
2007	Inspector George Gently	Ricky Deeming	Pilot episode: 'Gently Go Man'
2007	Miss Marie Lloyd - Queen of The Music Hall	Percy Courtenay	BBC drama, television movie
2007	Agatha Christie's Marple	Philip Durrant	Series 3, Episode 2: 'Ordeal by Innocence'
2008-2010	Spooks	Lucas North	Series 7, 8 & 9. (25 episodes).
2009	Moving On	John Mulligan	Series 1, Episode 3: 'Drowning not Waving'
2010	Chris Ryan's Strike Back	John Porter	Series 1. (6 episodes)
2011	Strike Back: Project Dawn	John Porter	Series 2, Episode 1.
2015	Hannibal	Francis Dolarhyde	Season 3, Episodes 8-13
2016	Berlin Station	Daniel Miller	Season 1. (10 episodes)

Theatre (selection)

Year	Title	Role	Playwright	Venue	Notes	Ref.
1995	The Long and the Short and the Tall	Macliesh	Willis Hall	Actors' Centre's Tristram Bates Theatre
1995	The Real Thing	Henry	Tom Stoppard	Old School Manchester
1995	Six Degrees of Separation	Flan	John Guare	Old School Manchester
1995	Death of a Salesman	Biff	Arthur Miller	Old School Manchester
1998	Hamlet	Bernardo	William Shakespeare	Birmingham Repertory Theatre	Opened on 22 September 1998 for three-week run.
1999	The Four Alice Bakers	Young Richie Baker	Fay Weldon	Birmingham Repertory Theatre	Ran from 23 February to 13 March 1999.
1999-2000	Macbeth	Angus	William Shakespeare	Swan Theatre (Stratford); Theatre Royal, Brighton; Theatre Royal, Bath; The Globe Tokyo; Young Vic; Long Wharf Theatre	Royal Shakespeare Company Opened 2 November 1999 in Stratford; Brighton (24-29 Jan 2000); Bath (1-5 Feb 2000); Toyko (24 March to 8 April 2000); London (10 April to 3 June 2000); New Haven, USA (15-25 June 2000).
2000-2001	The Duchess of Malfi	Delio	John Webster	Barbican Theatre; various UK theatres; Royal Shakespeare Theatre	Royal Shakespeare Company Opened 10 November 2000 in London; UK tour; Stratford (6 February to 3 March 2001).
2002	Use Me As Your Cardigan	Jez	Samantha Ellis	Jacksons Lane	Ran from 19 February to 9 March 2002.
2010	The Twenty Four Hour Plays Celebrity Gala: The Third Wish	Dennis/himself	Stephen Beresford	The Old Vic	Fundraising event. The first of six short plays performed on 21 November 2010.
2014	Pinter/PROUST: Remembrance of Things Past	Swann, Journalist, Brothel Patron	Harold Pinter and Marcel Proust	92nd Street Y Unterberg Poetry Center	Staged reading. Performed on 16 January 2014 as part of the centenary celebrations commemorating the publication of Swann's Way.
2014	The Crucible	John Proctor	Arthur Miller	The Old Vic	Ran from 21 June to 13 September 2014. Win—Broadway World:UK Awards for Best Leading Actor in a New Production of a Play

Discography

Year	Title	Role	Author	Notes	Ref.
2006	Robin Hood: Will You Tolerate This?	Narrator	Kristy Neale	First published 13 October 2006 by BBC Audiobooks
2006	Robin Hood: Sheriff Got Your Tongue?	Narrator	Kay Woodward	First published 6 November 2006 by BBC Audiobooks
2006	Robin Hood: Who Shot The Sheriff?	Narrator	Jacqueline Rayner	First published 6 November 2006 by BBC Audiobooks
2006	Robin Hood: Parent Hood	Narrator	Mandy Archer	First published 6 November 2006 by BBC Audiobooks
2007	The Lords of the North	Narrator	Bernard Cornwell	First published July 2007 by Chivers Audiobooks
2009	Robin Hood: The Witch Finders	Narrator	Rebecca Levene	First published April 2009 by Big Finish Productions
2009	Robin Hood: The Siege	Narrator	Simon Guerrier	First published 30 June 2009 by Big Finish Productions
2009	Sylvester	Narrator	Georgette Heyer	First published 1 July 2009 by Naxos Audiobooks
2010	Venetia	Narrator	Georgette Heyer	First published 1 April 2010 by Naxos Audiobooks
2010	The Convenient Marriage	Narrator	Georgette Heyer	First published 2 August 2010 by Naxos Audiobooks
2014	Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: A Novel	Narrator	A. J. Hartley and David Hewson (author)	First released 20 May 2014 by Audible.com Win—Audible Award for Best Audiobook of the Year
2015	Classic Love Poems	Narrator	William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and more	First released 9 February 2015 by Audible.com
2015	The Chimes	Narrator	Charles Dickens	First released 11 December 2015 by Audible.com
2016	David Copperfield	Narrator	Charles Dickens	First released 9 February 2016 by Audible.com

Other credits

• 2006: CBeebies: Bedtime Hour (9-13 October 2006)
• 2007: Channel 4: Empire's Children, narrator (2 July 2007)
• 2007: BBC Radio 4: The Ted Hughes Letters, as Ted Hughes (29 October 2007)
• 2007: BBC Radio 2: A War Less Ordinary, narrator (10 November 2007)
• 2009: ITV1: Homes from Hell, as narrator (3 March 2009)
• 2009: Channel 4: The Great Sperm Race, as narrator (23 March 2009)
• 2010-2011: Voice-over for Santander TV and radio adverts
• 2010: BBC 2: The Natural World, Forest Elephants: Rumbles in the Jungle, as narrator
• 2010: BBC Radio 4: Clarissa: The History of a Young Lady, as Robert Lovelace (14 March 2010)
• 2010-2011: Voice-over for Sky Sports HD TV and radio adverts
• 2010: Voice-over for General Election 2010 Leaders' Debates radio adverts
• 2010: Voice-over for BBC Winter Olympics TV and Radio Adverts
• 2010: Voice-over for Alfa Romeo Mito TV advert
• 2010: Voice-over for John Bull Jewelers radio adverts
• 2010: ITV: Surgery School, as narrator
• 2010: BBC Radio 3: Words and Music: Symphony of a City as narrator (12 September 2010).
• 2010: Voice-over for Hyundai ix20 TV advert
• 2010: BBC: Lost Land of the Tiger, as narrator.
• 2011: BBC: Elsa: The Lioness That eChanged the World, as narrator.
• 2010: Voice-over for ActionAidUK TV advert
• 2011: Voice-over for Pilsner Urquell TV advert
• 2011: Discovery Channel UK: HMS Ark Royal, as narrator
• 2011: Eden Channel: Trouble in Lemur Land: Phantoms of the Forest, as narrator
• 2011: BBC2: 125 Years of Wimbledon: You Cannot Be Serious, as narrator.
• 2011: Voice-over for LG Optimus 3D Smartphone TV advert
• 2011: ITV: Fraud Squad, as narrator
• 2011: National Geographic Wild: Leopards of Dead Tree island, as narrator.
• 2012: ITV: Fraud Squad, series two, as narrator

Awards and nominations

Year	Work	Award	Category	Result	Ref.
2009	Spooks	Golden Nymph Awards	Outstanding Actor - Drama Series	Nominated
2009	Spooks	TV Quick Awards	Best Actor	Nominated
2011	Venetia	Audie Awards	Best Audiobook Adaptation	Nominated
2013	The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey	SFX Awards	Best Actor	Nominated
2014	The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug	Empire Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Nominated
2014	Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: A Novel	Audible Best of 2014	Audiobook of the Year	Won
2014	The Crucible	Broadway World: UK Awards	Best Leading Actor in a New Production of a Play	Won
2015	The Crucible	What's On Stage Awards	Best Actor in a Play	Nominated
2015	The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies	SFX Awards	Best Actor	Nominated
2015	The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies	Empire Awards	Best Actor	Nominated
2015	Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: A Novel	Audie Awards	Best Solo Narration - Male	Nominated
2015	The Crucible	Olivier Awards	Best Actor	Nominated
2015	The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies	Saturn Awards	Best Supporting Actor in a film	Won
2016	Hannibal	Critics' Choice Awards	Best Guest Actor/Actress in a Drama Series	Nominated
2016	Hannibal	Fangoria Chainsaw Awards	Best TV Supporting Actor	Won
2016	Classic Love Poems	Audie Awards	Best Male Narrator	Nominated
2016	Hannibal	Saturn Awards	Best Supporting Actor on a television series	Pending

[ Source: Wikipedia ]