Richard Armitage

Richard Armitage is a British stage and screen actor best known for playing Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit trilogy and John Thornton in North & South. He recently appeared as King Herod in a guest engagement in Jesus Christ Superstar, at the London Palladium in the summer of 2026.

About Richard Armitage

Richard Armitage is a British actor who built his early career in British television and theatre before achieving international recognition for his role as Thorin Oakenshield in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit film trilogy. He is also widely known for his television work, including his role as John Thornton in the BBC’s North & South, and as Lucas North in the long-running spy drama Spooks. Armitage has continued to move fluidly between prestige television, Hollywood film, and the stage throughout his career, and is currently filming the ITV and PBS crime drama Winter, in which he plays a forensic pathologist.

Theatre Credits

Armitage is a classically trained stage actor with an acclaimed body of work spanning Chekhov, Arthur Miller, and Shakespeare. Some career highlights include:

Played Doctor Astrov in Ian Rickson’s acclaimed revival of Uncle Vanya at the Harold Pinter Theatre
Played John Proctor in The Crucible at the Old Vic
Appeared in The Duchess of Malfi and Macbeth for the Royal Shakespeare Company
Played the title role in Hamlet at the Birmingham Rep
Played King Herod in a guest engagement in Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Palladium

Film and Television Credits

Notable film and television credits include The Hobbit trilogy (Warner Bros/New Line), North & South (BBC), Spooks (BBC), Hannibal (NBC), The Stranger (Netflix), Obsession (Netflix), Fool Me Once (Netflix), Berlin Station (EPIX), Winter (ITV/PBS).

Richard Armitage Links & Socials

IMDB