Biography
Scottish actor Richard Madden found international fame playing Robb Stark on "Game of Thrones" (HBO, 2011-19) but proved himself to have staying power far beyond the landmark series. Born in Renfrewshire, Scotland, he began acting on stage while attending the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. In his early teens, he made his screen debut playing one of the leads on the family comedy "Barmy Aunt Boomerang" (BBC, 1999-2000). He added a small role in the thriller "Complicity" (2000) soon after. Besides an appearance on the crime drama "Taggart" (STV/ITV, 1983-2010), he spent the next several years concentrating on studies and stage roles, including playing Romeo in a Globe Theatre production of "Romeo and Juliet." In his early-20s, he took a role alongside Alex Kingston in "Hope Springs" (BBC, 2009) and starred in the sitcom "Sirens" (Channel 4, 2011). He also played musician Kirk Brandon in the Boy George biopic "Worried About the Boy" (2010). His break would come when he joined the cast of "Game of Thrones," the television adaptation of George R.R. Martin's fantasy novels that would become a cultural phenomenon. His Robb Stark, the eldest of the Stark children which included Sophie Turner's Sansa and Kit Harrington's Jon Snow. Like many of the show's characters, Madden's Robb eventually met a brutal end during the show's third season. While on "GoT," he appeared with Eddie Redmayne and Clemence Posey in the World War I drama "Birdsong" (BBC, 2012). Post Stark, the actor starred with Alan Rickman and Rebecca Hall in the romance "A Promise" (2013) and headlined the miniseries "Klondike" (Discovery, 2014). He found himself a part of fairy tale lore playing the Prince opposite Lily James' feisty "Cinderella" (2015). Madden made fans swoon, as well, with his role as Oliver Mellors in "Lady Chatterley's Lover" (BBC, 2015). On stage, he returned to the role of Romeo in a West End production of the Shakespeare tragedy. On the big screen, he teamed with Idris Elba for "The Take" (2016). The actor played the lead during the first season of the historical drama "Medici" (Rai 1, 2016- ). After appearing with Gillian Jacobs and Vanessa Bayer in the comedy "Ibiza" (Netflix, 2018), he earned rave reviews for his performance as a police detective assigned to protect Keeley Hawes' politician in "Bodyguard" (BBC, 2018- ). The role would earn Madden a Golden Globe award. He returned to playing a true life music industry figure when he portrayed agent John Ried in the Elton John biography "Rocketman" (2019). The actor also had a supporting role in the Sam Mendes WWI drama "1917" (2019). Madden stepped into the Marvel Cinematic Universe when he joined former "Game of Thrones" co-star Kit Harrington and Angelina Jolie for "The Eternals" (2020). The actor portrayed comic book hero Ikaris, a member of an ancient humanoid race with superpowers.
