Actor David Bradley has 132 credits to his name (according to IMDb) so odds are you've seen him somewhere. But where exactly? The British actor has been active since the 1970s but is probably best known for some of his more recent roles. Bradley appeared in all eight of the Harry Potter movies and was also featured as a key character on the HBO smash Game of Thrones.
His patience and persistence in the industry obviously paid off. But below are just a few of the other places you may have spotted Bradley on your television of cinema screen or just a few ideas for some future viewing.
Basil - The World's End
In the Edgar Wright comedy, Bradley appears alongside stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as they return to their home town to complete an epic bar brawl in a hilarious science fiction film. Bradley makes his appearance as the home town oddball who turns out to be far more knowledgable than he first appears.
Not many people would automatically peg Bradley as a comedic actor, but his appearance in The World's End should certainly put those people on notice.
Ronnie - Another Year
From slapstick comedy (as mentioned above) to serious drama, David Bradley can do it all. In Mike Leigh's Another Year, Bradley plays Ronnie, the brother to co-star Jim Broadbent, whose marriage over the course of a single year is the focus of the movie overall.
Ronnie is suffering from the recent loss of his wife despite the simple happiness his brother seems able to still enjoy with his own spouse. Bradley earned a nomination for Best Supporting Actor from the London Film Critics Circle for his part in the film.
Arthur Webley - Hot Fuzz
And again we return to comedy. Before World's End David Bradley has already partnered with director Edgar Wright and worked with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in the 2007 comedy Hot Fuzz. The movie sees Pegg and Frost as police officers trying to solve a series of mysterious murders (and playing off of general action film tropes for laughs).
As Arthur Webley, David Bradley is a farmer in the film who happens to own a huge stockpile of weapons in his home because, well, it makes for good comedy.
Frank - Prisoners Wives
Prisoners Wives was a 2012 BBC drama series centered around the four women who struggled with the fallout after their loved ones were put behind bars. David Bradley was cast as Frank, the father of one of the wives (and thus father in law to one of the prisoners).
His daughter is Francesca Miller, mother of two. Frank never approved of his daughter's marriage and tries very hard to support his two grandchildren, as well as remove them from the influence of their imprisoned father, Paul. Unfortunately, he is less than successful, but his performance on the program shows how far the actions of a single person can reach.
Will Sommers- The Tudors
Acting as the court fool to Henry VIII, David Bradley's performance was about far more than the jokes or merriment. His character also acted as friend and confidant to the king, often able to pull the king from a depressive mood with riddles and thought games.
He gave Henry whatever he wished, earning favor from the monarch but many other enemies at court. Bradley took the part on the Showtime series in 2009, two years before he was cast in the HBO series, Game of Thrones.
Jack Marshall - Broadchurch
In the first season of Broadchurch, starring David Tennant and Olivia Colman, Bradley portrayed shopkeeper, Jack Marshall over the course of five episodes. With a tragic and misunderstood backstory, Jack gets embroiled in a new mystery when a young boy is killed in the area.
He suffers from rumors and lies and is even greeted at his house by a mom before he can proclaim his innocence. As the police and the town continue to harass Marshall and dig into his past, the attention eventually proves too much for the man the bear.
Walder Frey - Game of Thrones
There are a lot of evil characters to hate over eight seasons of Game of Thrones, but David Bradley's Walder Frey stands out amongst quite a cohort of villains. The cranky Lord of the Crossing is father to more children than he can count and husband to far too many young wives over the years. He is probably best remembered for two scenes in particular.
It is at a wedding feast in his castle that the "Red Wedding," or the murder of the Stark army and "King in the North" Robb, takes place. Bradley only has to sit at his high table and smile as the massacre takes place. It is the "Red Wedding" that leads to Frey's other famous scene, where he is murdered by Arya Stark in disguise. As the young lady puts a knife to his throat after poisoning his family she tells him, "The North remembers." And so do fans.
Argus Filch - Harry Potter
The cantankerous caretaker of Hogwarts castle is played with utter relish by David Bradley. Often seen with a broom or his beloved cat, Mrs. Norris, the man has no magic in a school surrounded by nothing but, you might be bad-tempered as well.
Whether he's reminiscing about old tortures rather than simple detentions for troublemaking students, dancing with his cat at a ball, or trying to sweep up some of the many fallen stones after the castle almost crumbles in The Battle of Hogwarts, Filch is always good for a laugh.
Doctor Who/William Hartnell - An Adventure in Space and Time
Here we have one role that really counts as two. David Bradley has perhaps played the most interesting version of the Doctor when he starred as original Doctor actor, William Hartnell, in the docudrama An Adventure in Space and Time.
He sort of played an actor who also played the Doctor. This role would see him play the Doctor (really as the Doctor this time, not as William Hartnell playing the Doctor) again in two episodes of the actual Doctor Who program in 2017. So yes, he certainly counts as part of the franchise, and a talented one at that.