David Bradley

David John Bradley is an English actor, born on 17th April, 1942. His most famous characters played on-screen are – Argus Filch in Harry Potter, Abraham Setrakian in The Strain and Walder Frey in Game Of Thrones. He is an eminent theatre artist as well, having won the Laurence Olivier Award for his performance in the play, King Lear. David Bradley was born in York. He attended the Catholic St George’s Secondary Modern school, where he joined the choir and was an active member of it. Before leaving the school, he completed a five-year apprenticeship with the firm optical instruments maker Cooke, Trough ton & Simms and he remained with the firm until 1986. He then shifted to London to begin his training in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

He is the acting President of the theatre group, Second Thoughts Drama Group. They perform shows around the Stratford area. He follows the football clubs – York City and Aston Villa, avidly. He joined a tribute to the Aston Villa’s 140th anniversary on 22nd November, 2014. He is regularly seen before football games, talking with the Midlands Club (SOTC). He began working with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1970 and did a performance at the Laurence Olivier’s National Theatre Company.

His debut on TV was in 1971, performing a cop in the comedy show, Nearest And Dearest. He received the Laurence Olivier Award for his character of the Fool in the play, King Lear, at Royal National Theatre. In 1996 he appeared as a gangster Alf Black in Band Of Gold. He played Jake in the BBC show, Wild West, between 2002-2004. In 2004, he acted in musical drama serial Black Pool on BBC One. Bradley has undoubtedly had a great career, working in mega hits shows like Game Of Thrones, ‘Broadchurch’, Doctor Who, and Our Friends In The North.

He was also part of super-hit movies like the Harry Potter series, Captain America: The First Avenger and Hot Fuzz. There was an announcement in 2013, that he would be portraying the character of William Hartnell in the BBC drama, An Adventure In Space And Time. It was going to be a documentary about the story of the 1963 creation of the Doctor Who character, especially for its 50th anniversary celebrations. His recent awards, won and nominated, are the BAFTA Award in 2014 for Best Supporting Actor for “Broadchurch” (2013).

Other award nominations are the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA in 2015 for Best Supporting Actors in television series for “The Strain” (2014). Another one is Critic’s Choice Television Awards in 2014, being nominated for the Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries for “An Adventure In Space And Time” (2013). Also, he was nominated for the Best Villain in a well-known series - Game of Thrones, i.e., IGN summer movie awards and Online Film & Television Association in 2013.