page_title: Brian Blessed
section_title: Other work
hierarchical_section_title: Brian Blessed / Career / Other work
caption_attribution_description: English: David Callaway,Brian Blessed,and Pasang Sherpa at Everest Base Camp
context_page_description: Brian Blessed OBE is an English actor, writer, television presenter and singer.
  Blessed is known for portraying PC "Fancy" Smith in Z-Cars, Augustus in the 1976 BBC television production of I, Claudius, Prince Vultan in the 1980 adaptation of Flash Gordon, Bustopher Jones and Old Deuteronomy in the 1981 original London production of Cats at the New London Theatre, Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter in the 1989 film adaptation of Henry V, Boss Nass in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and the voice of Clayton in Disney's Tarzan.
  In 2016, Blessed was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to the arts and charity.
context_section_description: Blessed was a keen boxer in his youth and claims to have sparred with the Dalai Lama.
  Blessed has attempted to climb Mount Everest three times without supplemental oxygen, reaching heights of 28,200 feet (8,600 m) in 1993 and 25,200 feet (7,700 m) in 1996, but without reaching the summit. He has reached the tops of Mount Aconcagua in Argentina and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. He is the oldest man to go to the North Magnetic Pole on foot, and has undertaken an expedition into the jungles of Venezuela, during which he survived a plane crash.
  Blessed holds a 3rd dan in Judo. 
  Blessed has completed 800 hours of space training at Star City in Russia. Blessed participated as a master of ceremonies at the British farewell ceremony marking the handover of Hong Kong.
  Blessed served as President of the Television and Radio Industries Club (TRIC) from 2007 to 2008 and presented the 2008 TRIC Awards at Grosvenor House, London.
  In 2004, Blessed appeared on Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes, impersonating the opera singer Luciano Pavarotti. Known for his football knowledge, he appeared as an expert and commentator on the satellite channel UKTV G2 during the 2006 World Cup. Blessed also appeared on A Question of Sport in 2006 and 2011, and was a guest host on the BBC's satirical quiz show Have I Got News for You in May 2008 and April 2013 (also making a surprise appearance in the 2008 Christmas special). In Blessed's first appearance on the programme, his exaggerated comic style resulted in a quick departure from the usual format, leading team captain Paul Merton to quip, "Does anyone remember what this programme used to be like?" Other guest appearances include the talk shows Loose Women (2006) and The Paul O'Grady Show (2008).
  In 2009, Blessed featured in the song "Army of the Damned" from the album Beneath the Veiled Embrace by British power metal band Pythia, reciting the poem "Suicide in the Trenches" by Siegfried Sassoon. Blessed also appeared on their 2014 album "Shadows of a Broken Past". He had previously contributed to the song "The Joust" by Christian band Eden Burning in 1994. Blessed also speaks in the Living Legend history presentation in Jersey alongside other celebrities such as Samantha Janus, Roger Lloyd Pack, Tony Robinson, and Kevin Whately.
  Downloadable content for the computer game War of the Roses featured narration by Blessed. In 2013, he received the Spirit of Hammer Award at the Metal Hammer magazine's Golden Gods Awards.
  On 14 August 2014, Blessed was the subject of an episode of the BBC documentary series Who Do You Think You Are?, tracing the lives of his ancestors.
  Brian Blessed is referenced in Lara Croft's first biography under Ambitions: "...She has also however, developed a personal regard for Brian Blessed's attempts to climb Everest. If he never succeeds, she is determined to piggy-back him up there."
caption: David Callaway, Blessed, and Pasang Sherpa at Everest Base Camp
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