Richard Madden

Biography

Richard Madden (born 18 June 1986) is a Scottish actor. He was cast in his first role at age 11 and made his screen acting debut in 2000. He later began performing on stage whilst a student at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. In 2007, he toured with Shakespeare's Globe company as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, a role he reprised in The West End in 2016. Madden rose to fame with his portrayal of Robb Stark in the fantasy drama series Game of Thrones from 2011 to 2013.

Madden subsequently played Prince Kit in the romantic fantasy film Cinderella (2015) and Italian banker Cosimo de' Medici in the first season of the historical fiction series Medici (2016). In 2018, he gained acclaim for his performance as a police officer in the thriller series Bodyguard, for which he won a Golden Globe Award. 

The following year, Madden was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time, and he had supporting roles as music manager John Reid in the biopic Rocketman and a soldier in the war film 1917. He has since starred as Ikaris in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Eternals (2021) and as a spy in the action thriller series Citadel (2023).

Madden was born on 18 June 1986 in Elderslie, outside the city of Glasgow, where he grew up alongside his two sisters. His mother is a primary school teacher, and his father worked as a firefighter. At age 11, Madden joined PACE Youth Theatre to help overcome his shyness. At that same age, he was cast in his first role as young Andy in a film adaptation of Iain Banks's Complicity, which was released in 2000.

 Next, he played the lead role of Sebastian in the children's television series Barmy Aunt Boomerang, which aired from 1999 until 2000. In addition to being shy, Madden struggled with body insecurities as a child. He later stated that he also experienced bullying, especially in high school, which he attributed to his role in Complicity.