Ninety years after his birth, Brian Blessed is being celebrated by a who’s who of the British arts and adventure worlds, who have come forward to honor his career and indomitable spirit. From stage legends to rock icons, tributes highlight an actor whose vitality remains undimmed.
Emma Thompson recalled their time filming Kenneth Branagh’s Henry V, when Blessed kept his dressing room windows open despite the freezing temperatures. “I tried to speak but my jaw had frozen in its sockets,” Thompson said, remembering how Blessed bundled her into heated corridors to recover. She credited his early embrace of cold exposure for inspiring her own daily cold showers, describing him as “a mighty wind” and “a great tree of life.”
Derek Jacobi, who shared a dressing room with Blessed at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 1960, remembered the veteran performer’s larger-than-life personality even in his twenties. “He was not particularly restrained – not when it came to pissing in the sink!” Jacobi laughed. He praised Blessed’s sensitivity beneath the bluster and offered a toast: “Get to 100 and we’ll all be there applauding!”
Dexter Fletcher, then an 18-year-old Royal Shakespeare Company actor, credited Blessed with steering his career toward film. After Fletcher received an offer for the movie Revolution alongside Al Pacino, Blessed urged him to take the role. “The movie world is small and when you get into it, if you make a success of it, you’re in,” Fletcher recalled Blessed saying. Fletcher now views that advice as a huge favor that launched his film career.
Melody Anderson, who acted alongside Blessed in Flash Gordon, remembered his Shakespearean voice echoing through the studio. She noted that his improvisational nature often enhanced scenes; on one occasion, a playful pinch during a take provided exactly the authentic reaction she needed for her role as Dale Arden. “It’s not an ego thing: it’s a life force,” Anderson said of his commanding presence.
Queen guitarist Brian May remembered Blessed’s first TV appearance in Z-Cars and their later collaboration on the Flash Gordon soundtrack, where Blessed’s voice became part of the musical fabric. Beyond entertainment, May highlighted Blessed’s activism, noting he frequently appeared at badger conservation protests and recorded vocals for their campaign video. “He cares deeply and passionately about animals,” May said.
Mountaineer Alan Hinkes, who summited Everest alongside Blessed 30 years ago, marveled at the actor’s stamina. While Hinkes reached the summit, Blessed turned back at 7,700 meters, yet his energy never flagged. “I’ve seen him in private – I spent two-and-a-half months with him and he didn’t seem to conk out,” Hinkes said, adding that Blessed often exaggerates his gratitude, claiming Hinkes saved his life on the mountain.
Adrian Lester described Blessed as a “rare, brilliant, kind-hearted giant,” noting that his booming voice and charismatic performances are rooted in honest, powerful life rather than mere showmanship. Together, these accounts paint a portrait of a man whose enthusiasm for life, theatre, and activism has made him a beloved figure across generations.
So he urinated in the sink back in 1960 and we’re still talking about it? Classic Blessed energy indeed.
Frozen jaw in sockets? Legendary. I need that kind of stamina, or at least the cold showers.