Jonas Armstrong
Encyclopedia
Jonas Armstrong is an Irish
-actor, raised in Lytham St Annes
, Lancashire
, best known for his appearances on television in the United Kingdom, where he played the title role in the BBC One
drama series Robin Hood.
, in 2003 Armstrong appeared in Quartermaine's Terms
at the Royal Theatre in Northampton
as Derek Meadle. And in March 2004 he played Henry in The Skin of Our Teeth
at the Young Vic theatre in the London Borough of Lambeth
. In 2004 he appeared in six episodes of the fourth series of the British television
comedy-drama
, Teachers
on Channel 4
, as Anthony Millington. In January 2005 he appeared as Richard in Rutherford & Son at the Royal Exchange
in Manchester
. Later in 2005 he appeared again on Channel 4 in the crime drama series The Ghost Squad
as Pete Maitland. In December 2006 he starred in the two-part crime drama Losing Gemma
on ITV
.
His first major television role came in October 2006 when he played Robin of Locksley, in the BBC's modern adaptation of the Robin Hood
story. During filming of the second series, (which aired in 2007) Armstrong broke a metatarsal bone
in his foot during a staged fight
scene.
Armstrong was a guest panelist on the BBC comedy
panel game
show Never Mind the Buzzcocks
on 28 February 2007.
In August 2008, the BBC confirmed that Armstrong would be leaving Robin Hood at the end of the third season, which aired on June 27, 2009, with him saying that he was "looking for new challenges" and the BBC saying "he'll be desperately missed". In 2008 he appeared in the horror film
Book of Blood which is based on a short story by Clive Barker
.
He appeared in Episode 3 of the third series of BBC serial The Street broadcast on 27 July 2009, playing the role of TA soldier Private Nick Calshaw who returns from Afghanistan with a facial disfigurement and a prosthetic hand after being injured by a suicide bomber whom he was unable to shoot.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
-actor, raised in Lytham St Annes
Lytham St Annes
Lytham St Annes is a conurbation in the Fylde district of Lancashire, England. The neighbouring towns of Lytham and St-Anne's-on-the-Sea have grown together and now form a seaside resort...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, best known for his appearances on television in the United Kingdom, where he played the title role in the BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
drama series Robin Hood.
Career
After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic ArtRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school located in London, United Kingdom. It is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1904.RADA is an affiliate school of the...
, in 2003 Armstrong appeared in Quartermaine's Terms
Quartermaine's Terms
Quartermaine's Terms is a play by Simon Gray which won The Cheltenham Prize in 1982.-Plot:The play takes place over a period of two years in the 1960s in the staffroom at a Cambridge school for teaching English to foreigners...
at the Royal Theatre in Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
as Derek Meadle. And in March 2004 he played Henry in The Skin of Our Teeth
The Skin of Our Teeth
The Skin of Our Teeth is a play by Thornton Wilder which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It opened on October 15, 1942 at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, before moving to the Plymouth Theatre on Broadway on November 18, 1942...
at the Young Vic theatre in the London Borough of Lambeth
London Borough of Lambeth
The London Borough of Lambeth is a London borough in south London, England and forms part of Inner London. The local authority is Lambeth London Borough Council.-Origins:...
. In 2004 he appeared in six episodes of the fourth series of the British television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
, Teachers
Teachers (UK TV series)
Teachers is a British television sitcom, originally shown on Channel 4. The series follows a group of secondary school teachers in their daily lives....
on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, as Anthony Millington. In January 2005 he appeared as Richard in Rutherford & Son at the Royal Exchange
Royal Exchange, Manchester
The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed Victorian building in Manchester, England. It is located in the city centre on the land bounded by St Ann’s Square, Exchange Street, Market Street, Cross Street and Old Bank Street...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. Later in 2005 he appeared again on Channel 4 in the crime drama series The Ghost Squad
The Ghost Squad
The Ghost Squad was a 2005 British crime drama series produced by Company Pictures, for Channel 4. The show was created by Tom Grieves. Inspired by the real life "Ghost Squad" that existed between 1994 and 1998, secretly investigating police corruption, the premise of the series is that the squad...
as Pete Maitland. In December 2006 he starred in the two-part crime drama Losing Gemma
Losing Gemma
Losing Gemma is a two part British television drama based on the debut novel by Katy Gardner. The series was written by Robert Murphy, was directed by Maurice Phillips and starred Jonas Armstrong, Alice Eve, Jason Flemyng and Rachel Leskovac...
on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
.
His first major television role came in October 2006 when he played Robin of Locksley, in the BBC's modern adaptation of the Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
story. During filming of the second series, (which aired in 2007) Armstrong broke a metatarsal bone
Metatarsus
The metatarsus or metatarsal bones are a group of five long bones in the foot located between the tarsal bones of the hind- and mid-foot and the phalanges of the toes. Lacking individual names, the metatarsal bones are numbered from the medial side : the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth...
in his foot during a staged fight
Stage combat
Stage combat is a specialized technique in theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat without causing harm to the performers. It is employed in live stage plays as well as operatic and ballet productions. The term is also used informally to describe fight choreography for other...
scene.
Armstrong was a guest panelist on the BBC comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
panel game
Panel game
A panel game or panel show is a radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participates. Panelists may compete with each other, such as on The News Quiz; facilitate play by guest contestants, such as on Match Game/Blankety Blank; or do both, such as on Wait Wait.....
show Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game television show with a pop music theme, currently without a permanent presenter. It stars Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding as team captains. The show is produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, and is usually aired on BBC Two...
on 28 February 2007.
In August 2008, the BBC confirmed that Armstrong would be leaving Robin Hood at the end of the third season, which aired on June 27, 2009, with him saying that he was "looking for new challenges" and the BBC saying "he'll be desperately missed". In 2008 he appeared in the 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...
Book of Blood which is based on a short story by 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...
.
He appeared in Episode 3 of the third series of BBC serial The Street broadcast on 27 July 2009, playing the role of TA soldier Private Nick Calshaw who returns from Afghanistan with a facial disfigurement and a prosthetic hand after being injured by a suicide bomber whom he was unable to shoot.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Teachers Teachers (UK TV series) Teachers is a British television sitcom, originally shown on Channel 4. The series follows a group of secondary school teachers in their daily lives.... |
Anthony Millington | TV series (6 episodes) |
| 2005 | The Ghost Squad The Ghost Squad The Ghost Squad was a 2005 British crime drama series produced by Company Pictures, for Channel 4. The show was created by Tom Grieves. Inspired by the real life "Ghost Squad" that existed between 1994 and 1998, secretly investigating police corruption, the premise of the series is that the squad... |
Pete Maitland | TV series (7 episodes) |
| 2006 | Losing Gemma Losing Gemma Losing Gemma is a two part British television drama based on the debut novel by Katy Gardner. The series was written by Robert Murphy, was directed by Maurice Phillips and starred Jonas Armstrong, Alice Eve, Jason Flemyng and Rachel Leskovac... |
Steve | TV movie |
| Robin Hood | Robin Hood Robin Hood Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes.... |
TV series (39 episodes: 2006-2009) | |
| 2009 | Book of Blood | Simon McNeal | |
| The Street The Street (TV series) The Street is a British television drama series created by Jimmy McGovern and produced by Granada Television for the BBC. The series follows the lives of various residents of an unnamed street in Manchester and features an all-star cast including Timothy Spall, Jim Broadbent, Jane Horrocks, Bob... |
Nick | TV series (3 episodes) | |
| 2010 | Marple: The Secret of Chimneys Miss Marple (TV series) Miss Marple is a British television series based on the Miss Marple murder mystery novels by Agatha Christie. It starred Joan Hickson in the title role, and aired from 1984 to 1992. All twelve original Miss Marple Christie novels have been dramatised. The screenplays were written by T. R... |
Anthony Cade | TV movie |
| The Glass House | Elek Cohen | post-production | |
| 2011 | The Whiskey Robber | Batori | pre-production |
| The Field of Blood | Terry Hewitt | TV series (2 episodes) | |
| Rage of the Yeti | Bill | post-production | |
Theatre
- Quartermaine's TermsQuartermaine's TermsQuartermaine's Terms is a play by Simon Gray which won The Cheltenham Prize in 1982.-Plot:The play takes place over a period of two years in the 1960s in the staffroom at a Cambridge school for teaching English to foreigners...
(Royal Theatre, Northampton 2003) - The Skin of Our TeethThe Skin of Our TeethThe Skin of Our Teeth is a play by Thornton Wilder which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It opened on October 15, 1942 at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, before moving to the Plymouth Theatre on Broadway on November 18, 1942...
(Young Vic Theatre, London 2004) - Rutherford & Son (Royal Exchange, Manchester 2005)