Richard Brake
| Richard Brake | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Richard Colin Brake 30 November 1964 Ystrad Mynach, Hengoed, Wales, United Kingdom |
| Residence | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Nationality | Welsh American |
| Education | Western Reserve Academy |
| Alma mater | Duke University |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1993–present |
Richard Colin Brake (born 30 November 1964)[1] is a Welsh-American actor, known for portraying Joe Chill in Batman Begins and the Night King in Game of Thrones in the fourth and fifth season.
Early life
Brake was born in Ystrad Mynach, Hengoed, to Welsh parents, and grew up in the US states of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Ohio. In 1967, he and his family immigrated to the United States, where they first settled in Atlanta. He attended Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio, and trained in The Science of Acting[2] under the technique's founder, and founding Principal of The Academy of the Science of Acting and Directing,[3][4] Sam Kogan. He also studied acting in New York City at the Michael Chekhov Studio under Beatrice Straight.
Acting career
Having appeared in numerous productions (including brief appearances in Cold Mountain and Munich), Brake achieved his first significant role in mainstream cinema being cast as Joe Chill in Christopher Nolan's 2005 film, Batman Begins. As in most versions of the Batman comic series, his character is the criminal who murdered Bruce Wayne's parents, effectively starting him on his path to becoming Batman.
Following this, Brake appeared as the warped Portman in Doom, with Karl Urban and The Rock. Brake also made a cameo appearance in the video for Muse's "Knights of Cydonia", playing a villainous sheriff in a strange futuristic western. He then played released convict Bobby DeWitt in The Black Dahlia, and appears in Hannibal Rising as Enrikas Dortlich, one of the war criminals who murders young Hannibal Lecter's sister.[5]
In September 2007, Brake appeared on stage at the Young Vic in The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers. The production was directed by Matthew Dunster.
Returning to film, his next starring role was that of Prior in Outpost from director Steve Barker.[6] Brake starred in Craig Singer's Perkins' 14, which was featured in the After Dark Horrorfest film festival.[7] In 2009, Brake appeared as Gary Scott in Rob Zombie's Halloween II,[8] a sequel to his remake of Halloween – a role he garnered based on a personal recommendation to Rob Zombie from Sid Haig.[9]
He has also appeared in several British television shows including M.I. High, Keen Eddie and Jeeves and Wooster, as well as the American television show Cold Case.
Brake portrayed a captain in the einherjar in the superhero film Thor: The Dark World.[10] In March 2015 Rob Zombie casted Brake as Doom-Head, the main antagonist in the horror film 31, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2016.[11] Brake's performance was universally lauded by commentators.[12]
Beginning in 2014, Brake portrayed the Night King in the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones, appearing in the show's fourth and fifth seasons, notably in the episode "Hardhome", which won numerous awards. Due to scheduling conflicts, Brake was unable to film for the show's sixth season, and was replaced by Vladimir Furdik in the role.
Personal life
Brake and his ex-wife Rachel have two sons; Ryan (born 1999) and Henry (born 2002). After meeting actor Eddie Marsan at the Academy of the Science of Acting and Directing, the two became close friends.[13] He is the godfather of Marsan's children.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Death Machine | Scott Ridley | |
| 1996 | Subterfuge | Pierce Tencil | |
| 1996 | Virtual Terror | Steve Baker | |
| 1997 | Deus Volt | Bishop Von Match | |
| 2003 | Cold Mountain | Nym | |
| 2005 | Batman Begins | Joe Chill | |
| 2005 | Doom | Corporal Dean Portman | |
| 2005 | Munich | Belligerent American | |
| 2006 | The Black Dahlia | Bobby DeWitt | |
| 2007 | Hannibal Rising | Enrikas Dortlich | |
| 2008 | Outpost | Prior | |
| 2009 | Cuckoo | Lone Wolf | |
| 2009 | Halloween II | Gary Scott | |
| 2009 | Perkins' 14 | Ronald Perkins | |
| 2010 | Legacy | Scott O'Keefe | |
| 2011 | Detention | Mr. Nolan | |
| 2011 | Good Day for It | Norman Tyrus | |
| 2011 | The Incident | Harry Green | Also known as Asylum Blackout |
| 2011 | Water for Elephants | Grady | |
| 2013 | The Counselor | Second Man | |
| 2013 | The Numbers Station | Max | |
| 2013 | Thor: The Dark World | Einherjar Captain | |
| 2014 | Set Fire to the Stars | Mr. Unlucky | |
| 2015 | Kingsman: The Secret Service | The Interrogator | |
| 2015 | Spy | Solsa Dudaev | |
| 2015 | The Cannibal in the Jungle | Dr. Timothy Darrow | |
| 2015 | The Chameleon | Detective Brady | |
| 2016 | 31 | Doom-Head | |
| 2017 | Bitter Harvest | Medved | |
| 2017 | Payne & Redemption | Lenny | filming |
| 2017 | Perfect Skin | Bob | post-production |
| 2018 | Extinction | Wrath | pre-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Jeeves and Wooster | Reporter | Episode: "Lady Florence Craye Arrives in New York (or, the Once and Future Ex)" |
| 2004 | Keen Eddie | "Dutch" Mike Vanderlay | Episode: "Sticky Fingers" |
| 2009 | Cold Case | Rich Kiesel | Episode: "Mind Games" |
| 2009 | M.I. High | Georgi | Episode: "Family Tree" |
| 2009 | NCIS: Los Angeles | John Bordinay | Episode: "Ambush" |
| 2010 | The Deep | McIndoe | 3 episodes |
| 2011 | Above Suspicion | Joseph Marshall / Alexander Fitzpatrick | 3 episodes |
| 2013 | Mob City | Terry Mandel | 5 episodes |
| 2014 | The Assets | Agent Waters | Episode: "Trip to Vienna" |
| 2014 | Crossing Lines | Alexander Fuster / Winston Smith | Episode "The Kill Zone" |
| 2014 | Transporter: The Series | Dezdu Magyar | Episode "2B or Not 2B" |
| 2014–15 | Game of Thrones | The Night King | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Grimm | Nigel Edmund | Episode: "Bad Luck" |
| 2015 | The Bastard Executioner | Baron Edwin Pryce | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands | Arak | Episode 8 |
| 2016 | Hawaii Five-0 | Henry Garavito | Episode: "Ka Pono Ku'oko'a" (The Cost of Freedom) |
| 2016 | Peaky Blinders | Anton Kaledin | Episode 1 |
| 2016 | Barbarians Rising | Geiseric | Episode: "Ruin" |
| 2016 | Ray Donovan | Vlad | 4 episodes |
Video Game
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Juiced | T. K. | |
| 2017 | Squadron 42 | TBA | post-production |
Music Video
| Year | Title | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Knights of Cydonia | Muse | Played the role of Sheriff Baron Klaus Rottingham |
References
- ↑ Richard Brake at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ Kogan, Sam (2010). Helen Kogan, ed. The Science of Acting. Routledge. p. Dust Jacket. ISBN 978-0-415-48812-9.
- ↑ "The Academy of the Science of Acting and Directing.".
- ↑ "The Academy of the Science of Acting and Directing – an introduction.".
- ↑ Richard Brake – Hannibal Rising
- ↑ Hanley, Ken W. (24 September 2012). "Casting Round-up: "31"". Fangoria.com. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
- ↑ ""31" Gives a Glimpse of Doom-Head!". Fangoria. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- ↑ "Here's Doom Head – Rob Zombie's 31". BD. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- ↑ "Rob Zombie Casts His "Doom-Head" In '31′". BD. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- ↑ Patten, Dominic (24 September 2012). "'Thor: The Dark World' Adds Pair To Cast". Deadline.com. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
- ↑ "Richard Brake Brings Doom Head to Rob Zombie's 31". DC. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- ↑ "Rob Zombie turns to Welsh actor and Dylan Thomas for Halloween horror film 31". Evening Post. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
- ↑ "How We Met: Eddie Marsan & Richard Brake". Independent. Retrieved 25 August 2016.