Doug Bradley
Encyclopedia
Douglas William "Doug" Bradley (born 7 September 1954) is an English
actor
best known for his roles in the Hellraiser film series.
, England
. He attended Quarry Bank High School.
Pinhead
in eight Hellraiser
films (the only exception being the hastily assembled Hellraiser: Revelations
), as well as the character of Captain Elliot Spencer in two of the films Hellbound: Hellraiser II
(1988) and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
(1992). He is one of only five actors to play the same horror character at least six consecutive times, the others being Sir Christopher Lee who portrayed Count Dracula
at least seven consecutive times, Robert Englund
who portrayed Freddy Krueger
eight consecutive times, Warwick Davis
who portrayed the Leprechaun (Leprechaun series) six consecutive times and Tobin Bell
who portrayed Jigsaw
in all seven Saw
films.
Bradley has appeared in an advertisement for direct line insurance in the UK (as a gym teacher) appearing on everything from T.V, the backs of buses, in tube stations and internet advertisement. He has performed narrations on several songs by Cradle of Filth
, an English extreme metal
band. The first was 2000s "Her Ghost in the Fog" (as well as "Death Magick For Adepts" and
"Tortured Soul Asylum"), however he could not appear in the music video and was replaced by actor David McEwen who would play the character of Kemper in Cradle of Fear
. Bradley also appeared on its sequel - "Swansong For A Raven" (as well as the album intro "Satyriasis"). In 2006, he lent his narrations to "Rise of the Pentagram" and "Tonight In Flames". Continuing in this vein, Bradley has contributed guest vocals to Cradle of Filth's 2008 album, Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder
, on most songs excluding "Tragic Kingdom". He seems to be playing the role of Gilles de Rais
, the person on which the album's concept is based.
Bradley has appeared in a lot of horror shorts including "Red Lines" and "On Edge". He is also a member of UK animation company Renga Media
, makers of the independent British CGI
Dominator
movies and shorts, dividing job roles between producer and voice actor. He also voiced the Loc-Nar in the short animated crossover Heavy Metal vs. Dominator, in which characters from the Dominator universe meet and fight with characters from the film Heavy Metal 2000.
Due to his eventual skill at application and removal of the Pinhead appliances, he has been credited in some of the Hellraiser
films as an assistant make-up artist named Bill Bradley, using his middle name. 2008 brought his welcome return to the Clive Barker cinematic universe by way of a featured appearance in Book of Blood. He also did a small guest star appearance in the 2008 black comic horror "the Cottage". In 2010 he stars also in the British/Spanish horror film
Exorcismus
and in March 2010 joined Shaun Robert Smith's Nazi Zombie horror The 4th Reich. 2011 sees him starring as "The Doctor" in British film noir Jack Falls
.
On June 14, 2011 it was announced that Doug would be doing a voiceover for the film Lucifer's Unholy Desire
, an independent film written and directed by Cody Knotts. Doug said he was "intrigued in this concept of appearing in a film but not appearing in the film."
. He is a longtime close friend of horror/fantasy novelist Clive Barker
, the two having met when they attended secondary school, and has worked with Barker in various capacities (from a theatre group to the Hellraiser films) since the early 1970s.
Bradley is also the author of an autobiography, as well as a volume Sacred Masks: Behind the Mask of the Horror Actor which explores the history of masks in society, and their applications in Horror Movies.
Contrary to his roles in many religiously themed films, such as The Prophecy
and the Hellraiser franchise, Bradley is an atheist.
It has been announced that Bradley will appear at the 2011 HorrorHound Weekend convention from November 11-13, 2011 in Sharonville, Ohio.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
best known for his roles in the Hellraiser film series.
Early life
Bradley was born in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He attended Quarry Bank High School.
Career
He is well known for playing the role of the CenobiteCenobite (Hellraiser)
The Cenobites are extradimensional beings who appear in the works of Clive Barker, including the novella The Hellbound Heart and the nine Hellraiser films...
Pinhead
Pinhead (Hellraiser)
Pinhead is a fictional character from the Hellraiser series. Created by Clive Barker and portrayed by Doug Bradley, Pinhead is a prominent figure in the series, mostly featured as the main antagonist....
in eight Hellraiser
Hellraiser (film series)
Hellraiser is a British horror franchise that consists of nine films, a series of comic books, and merchandise based on the series. The franchise is based on the novella The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker, who would go on to write and direct the adaptation of his story, titled Hellraiser...
films (the only exception being the hastily assembled Hellraiser: Revelations
Hellraiser: Revelations
Hellraiser: Revelations is a horror film written by Gary Tunnicliffe and directed by Víctor García. It is the ninth film in the Hellraiser film series, and the first entry in the series since Hellraiser: Bloodline to be based on an original script, instead of incorporating series antagonist Pinhead...
), as well as the character of Captain Elliot Spencer in two of the films Hellbound: Hellraiser II
Hellbound: Hellraiser II
Hellbound: Hellraiser II is a 1988 horror film directed by Tony Randel. It draws heavily upon, and was made by much of the same cast and crew as its precursor, Hellraiser.-Summary:...
(1988) and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth is a 1992 American horror film and third installment in the Hellraiser series, directed by Anthony Hickox and starring Terry Farrell, Doug Bradley, Paula Marshall and Kevin Bernhardt...
(1992). He is one of only five actors to play the same horror character at least six consecutive times, the others being Sir Christopher Lee who portrayed Count Dracula
Count Dracula
Count Dracula is a fictional character, the titular antagonist of Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula and archetypal vampire. Some aspects of his character have been inspired by the 15th century Romanian general and Wallachian Prince Vlad III the Impaler...
at least seven consecutive times, Robert Englund
Robert Englund
Robert Barton Englund is an American actor, voice-actor and director, best known for playing the fictional serial killer Freddy Krueger, in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in...
who portrayed Freddy Krueger
Freddy Krueger
Frederick Charles "Freddy" Krueger is a fictional, horrifying character from the Nightmare on Elm Street series of horror films. He first appears in Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street as a disfigured dream stalker who uses a glove armed with razors to kill his victims in their dreams,...
eight consecutive times, Warwick Davis
Warwick Davis
Warwick Ashley Davis is an English actor. He is most notable for playing the title characters in Willow and the Leprechaun film series, as well as for his roles in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and the Harry Potter movies. Davis currently stars in the sitcom Life's Too Short, written...
who portrayed the Leprechaun (Leprechaun series) six consecutive times and Tobin Bell
Tobin Bell
Tobin Bell is an American film and television character actor. After years of work doing stand-ins and background work on films, he got his first major acting job in Mississippi Burning and went on to star in made-for-television films and guest star in television shows throughout the 1990s.Bell...
who portrayed Jigsaw
Jigsaw Killer
John Kramer is a fictional character and the central character of the Saw franchise. Jigsaw made his debut as the primary antagonist in the first film of the series, Saw, and he's later portrayed as an antihero in Saw II, III, IV, V, VI and 3D...
in all seven Saw
Saw (film series)
Saw is a horror franchise distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment and produced by Twisted Pictures that consists of seven films and two video games, published by Konami. The franchise began with the 2003 short film which was created by Australian director James Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell...
films.
Bradley has appeared in an advertisement for direct line insurance in the UK (as a gym teacher) appearing on everything from T.V, the backs of buses, in tube stations and internet advertisement. He has performed narrations on several songs by Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
, an English extreme metal
Extreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. The term usually refers to a more abrasive, harsher, underground, non-commercialized style or sound nearly always associated with genres like black metal,...
band. The first was 2000s "Her Ghost in the Fog" (as well as "Death Magick For Adepts" and
"Tortured Soul Asylum"), however he could not appear in the music video and was replaced by actor David McEwen who would play the character of Kemper in Cradle of Fear
Cradle of Fear
Cradle of Fear is a 2001 horror film directed by Alex Chandon. Taking inspiration from the portmanteau films produced by Amicus in the 1970s it features three separate half-hour segments, linked by a fourth story. The main narrative involves imprisoned serial-killer Kemper wreaking vengeance on...
. Bradley also appeared on its sequel - "Swansong For A Raven" (as well as the album intro "Satyriasis"). In 2006, he lent his narrations to "Rise of the Pentagram" and "Tonight In Flames". Continuing in this vein, Bradley has contributed guest vocals to Cradle of Filth's 2008 album, Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder
Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder
Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder is the eighth studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. It was released on October 27, 2008 by Roadrunner Records. A special edition containing bonus material was also released...
, on most songs excluding "Tragic Kingdom". He seems to be playing the role of Gilles de Rais
Gilles de Rais
Gilles de Montmorency-Laval , Baron de Rais, was a Breton knight, a leader in the French army and a companion-in-arms of Joan of Arc. He is best known as a prolific serial killer of children...
, the person on which the album's concept is based.
Bradley has appeared in a lot of horror shorts including "Red Lines" and "On Edge". He is also a member of UK animation company Renga Media
Renga Media
Renga Media is a British multimedia and animation company located in Brighton. It was established in 1995, and is run by creator Tony Luke alongside producers Simon Moorhead and Doug Bradley...
, makers of the independent British CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
Dominator
Dominator (comics)
Dominator is a British comic character created by Tony Luke, and since his first appearance in 1988 Luke has been chronicling the ongoing adventures of the eponymous Demon God of Rock & Roll in many different forms...
movies and shorts, dividing job roles between producer and voice actor. He also voiced the Loc-Nar in the short animated crossover Heavy Metal vs. Dominator, in which characters from the Dominator universe meet and fight with characters from the film Heavy Metal 2000.
Due to his eventual skill at application and removal of the Pinhead appliances, he has been credited in some of the Hellraiser
Hellraiser
Hellraiser is a 1987 British and American horror film based upon the novella The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker, who also wrote the screenplay and directed the film. Hellraiser explores themes of sadomasochism and morality under duress and fear. The film spawned a series of sequels...
films as an assistant make-up artist named Bill Bradley, using his middle name. 2008 brought his welcome return to the Clive Barker cinematic universe by way of a featured appearance in Book of Blood. He also did a small guest star appearance in the 2008 black comic horror "the Cottage". In 2010 he stars also in the British/Spanish horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
Exorcismus
Exorcismus
Exorcismus is a 2010 Spanish horror film directed by Manuel Carballo and written by David Muñoz, it stars Sophie Vavasseur and Stephen Billington.-Plot:...
and in March 2010 joined Shaun Robert Smith's Nazi Zombie horror The 4th Reich. 2011 sees him starring as "The Doctor" in British film noir Jack Falls
Jack Falls
Jack Falls is a British independent feature film starring Simon Phillips, Jason Flemying, Dexter Fletcher, Alan Ford, Adam Deacon, Martin Kemp, Tamer Hassan, Olivia Hallinan, Doug Bradley, Jing Lusi and Zach Galligan and the third installment in the Jack Says Trilogy, the first ever British film...
.
On June 14, 2011 it was announced that Doug would be doing a voiceover for the film Lucifer's Unholy Desire
Lucifer's Unholy Desire
Lucifer's Unholy Desire is an upcoming independent Christian horror film produced by Grand Conspiracy Films LLC. This is the first film written and directed by Cody Knotts, Pennsylvania's 48th State House District 2010 Republican nominee, and publisher of The Weekly Recorder of Claysville,...
, an independent film written and directed by Cody Knotts. Doug said he was "intrigued in this concept of appearing in a film but not appearing in the film."
Personal life
Bradley lives in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He is a longtime close friend of horror/fantasy novelist Clive Barker
Clive Barker
Clive Barker is an English author, film director and visual artist best known for his work in both fantasy and horror fiction. Barker came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a series of short stories which established him as a leading young horror writer...
, the two having met when they attended secondary school, and has worked with Barker in various capacities (from a theatre group to the Hellraiser films) since the early 1970s.
Bradley is also the author of an autobiography, as well as a volume Sacred Masks: Behind the Mask of the Horror Actor which explores the history of masks in society, and their applications in Horror Movies.
Contrary to his roles in many religiously themed films, such as The Prophecy
The Prophecy
The Prophecy is a 1995 fantasy horror-thriller film starring Elias Koteas, Virginia Madsen, Christopher Walken, Eric Stoltz, and Viggo Mortensen. It was written and directed by Gregory Widen, and is the first motion picture of The Prophecy series including four sequels...
and the Hellraiser franchise, Bradley is an atheist.
It has been announced that Bradley will appear at the 2011 HorrorHound Weekend convention from November 11-13, 2011 in Sharonville, Ohio.
See also
- CenobiteCenobite (Hellraiser)The Cenobites are extradimensional beings who appear in the works of Clive Barker, including the novella The Hellbound Heart and the nine Hellraiser films...
- Clive BarkerClive BarkerClive Barker is an English author, film director and visual artist best known for his work in both fantasy and horror fiction. Barker came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a series of short stories which established him as a leading young horror writer...
- HellraiserHellraiserHellraiser is a 1987 British and American horror film based upon the novella The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker, who also wrote the screenplay and directed the film. Hellraiser explores themes of sadomasochism and morality under duress and fear. The film spawned a series of sequels...
- Lucifer's Unholy DesireLucifer's Unholy DesireLucifer's Unholy Desire is an upcoming independent Christian horror film produced by Grand Conspiracy Films LLC. This is the first film written and directed by Cody Knotts, Pennsylvania's 48th State House District 2010 Republican nominee, and publisher of The Weekly Recorder of Claysville,...