Julian Bleach (born 29 December 1963) is an English actor, singer and playwright, who is known as co-creator and "
MC" of ''
Shockheaded Peter
''Der Struwwelpeter'' ("shock-headed Peter" or "Shaggy Peter") is an 1845 German children's literature, children's book by Heinrich Hoffmann (author), Heinrich Hoffmann. It comprises ten illustrated and rhymed stories, mostly about children. Ea ...
'', a musical entertainment based on the works of
Heinrich Hoffmann Heinrich Hoffmann or Hoffman may refer to:
Hoffmann
* Heinrich Hoffmann (photographer) (1885–1957), German photographer
*Heinrich Hoffmann (author) (1809–1894), German psychiatrist and author
* Heinrich Hoffmann (sport shooter) (1869–?), Germ ...
, which won the 2002
Olivier Award
The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known as ...
for Best Entertainment. He is also known for playing
Davros
Davros () is a character from the long-running British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was created by screenwriter Terry Nation, originally for the 1975 serial ''Genesis of the Daleks''. Dav ...
in the 2005 revival of ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'' (in 2008 and 2015).
Early life
Bleach was born in
Bournemouth
Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
. He was educated at Summerbee School and studied drama at
Bournemouth and Poole College
The Bournemouth and Poole College (BPC) is a well established educational provider which delivers further education, higher education and community based courses in Bournemouth and in Poole on the south coast of England. It is one of the ...
. After that he trained at
London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London. It is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools.
LAMDA's Principal is ...
.
Career
Bleach's other theatre work includes playing
Ariel
Ariel may refer to:
Film and television
*Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award
* ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki
* ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', 1989 and 1991 anime video series based on the novel series ...
to
Patrick Stewart
Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor who has a career spanning seven decades in various stage productions, television, film and video games. He has been nominated for Olivier, Tony, Golden Globe, Emmy, and Screen Actor ...
's Prospero in the
RSC
RSC may refer to:
Arts
* Royal Shakespeare Company, a British theatre company
* Reduced Shakespeare Company, a touring American acting troupe
* Richmondshire Subscription Concerts, a music society in Richmond, North Yorkshire, England
* Rock Ste ...
's 2007 production of ''
The Tempest'', directed by
Rupert Goold
Rupert Goold (born 18 February 1972) is an English director who works primarily in theatre. He is the artistic director of the Almeida Theatre, and was the artistic director of Headlong Theatre Company (2005–2013).
Early years
Goold was ...
, and Mr. Sowerberry (to
Louise Gold
Louise Gold (born 1956) is an English puppeteer, actress and singer whose career has spanned more than four decades. She is best known for her work as a puppeteer on television and for roles in musical theatre in the West End.
Gold was raised ...
's Mrs. Sowerberry) and Dr. Grimwig in the 2009
Theatre Royal Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dru ...
production of the musical
Oliver!
''Oliver!'' is a coming-of-age stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens.
It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before op ...
.
On television, he has starred as "
The Monster" in the 2007
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
adaptation of ''
Frankenstein
''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ex ...
''.
He played the Grand Master from the second series of children's drama ''
M.I.High
''M.I. High'' is a British action television series produced by Kudos for CBBC and created by Keith Brumpton. The series focuses on a team of undercover teenage spies working for a fictional version of the secret intelligence agency MI9 who have ...
'' and guest-starred as the villainous "Ghostmaker" in
Peter J. Hammond
Peter J. Hammond (born c. 1930s; sometimes credited as P. J. Hammond) is a British television writer and novelist.
Career
Hammond's television career began in the 1960s, when he began by working on BBC police dramas such as ''Dixon of Dock Gree ...
's "
From Out of the Rain
"From Out of the Rain" is the tenth episode of the second series of the British science fiction television series ''Torchwood''. It was broadcast on BBC Three on 12 March 2008, and repeated on BBC Two one week later. In the episode, the Ghostm ...
" in the second series of ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'' spin-off series ''
Torchwood
''Torchwood'' is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing ...
''.
Bleach was later recruited by the parent series as
Davros
Davros () is a character from the long-running British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was created by screenwriter Terry Nation, originally for the 1975 serial ''Genesis of the Daleks''. Dav ...
, enemy of
The Doctor and creator of the
Daleks
The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrials in fiction, extraterrestrial race of mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction on television, science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by write ...
, in "
The Stolen Earth
"The Stolen Earth" is the twelfth episode of the fourth series and the 750th overall episode of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One on . The episode was written by show runner and head ...
" and "
Journey's End
''Journey's End'' is a 1928 dramatic play by English playwright R. C. Sherriff, set in the trenches near Saint-Quentin, Aisne, towards the end of the First World War. The story plays out in the officers' dugout of a British Army infantry comp ...
", the two-part season finale of the
2008 series, and live at the
Doctor Who Prom,
before returning to the role in the
2015 series opener, "
The Magician's Apprentice
''The Magician's Apprentice'' is a fantasy novel by author Trudi Canavan. It was published in February 2009, and is a stand-alone prequel telling a story occurring hundreds of years before her bestselling ''The Black Magician (novel series), Bla ...
", and its conclusion, "
The Witch's Familiar
"The Witch's Familiar" is the second episode of the ninth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 26 September 2015. It was written by Steven Moffat and directed by Hettie MacD ...
". 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
''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' is a British science fiction television programme that was produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies, and starring Elisabeth Sladen. The programme is a spin-off of the long-running BBC sc ...
''. This makes him one of only two actors (the other being
Paul Marc Davis
Paul Marc Davis (born 16 April 1974) is a British actor who has appeared on ''Doctor Who'' (the episode "Utopia") and three of its spin-off series: ''Torchwood'' ("Exit Wounds"), ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' (as recurring villain " The Trickst ...
) 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
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli ( , , ; 3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527), occasionally rendered in English as Nicholas Machiavel ( , ; see below), was an Italian diplomat, author, philosopher and historian who lived during the Renaissance. ...
in the Showtime series ''
The Borgias''.
In 2016 Bleach appeared as Barkilphedro in the critically acclaimed new musical ''
The Grinning Man
"The Grinning Man" is a feature-length and the twenty-sixth episode of the BBC crime drama series ''Jonathan Creek'', first broadcast on 1 January 2009. The episode marked the series' return to television following a five-year hiatus and saw the r ...
'' at
Bristol Old Vic
Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a fin ...
which transferred in late 2017 to
Trafalgar Studios
Trafalgar Theatre is a new West End theatre in Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster, London. It is set to open in spring 2021 following a major multi-million Pound sterling, pound restoration project aiming to reinstate ...
. In the same year he also appeared in
Rory Mullarkey Rory Mullarkey (born 1987) is a Canadian playwright and librettist.
Early life
Mullarkey was born in Pembroke, Ontario. He was raised in a military family and spent his childhood in Davenport, Greater Manchester, Davenport and Bramhall, both in Gre ...
's new play Saint George and the Dragon at the
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...
.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
Theatre
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bleach, Julian
1963 births
Living people
Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
20th-century English male actors
21st-century English male actors
English male stage actors
English male television actors
English male musical theatre actors
English male Shakespearean actors
English dramatists and playwrights
English male dramatists and playwrights
Actors from Bournemouth
Royal Shakespeare Company members