| Julian Bleach | |
| Birth Date: | 1963 12, df=y |
| Birth Place: | Bournemouth, England |
| Nationality: | English |
| Alma Mater: | London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art |
| Occupation: | Actor, singer, playwright |
| Years Active: | 1990–present |
Julian Bleach (born 29 December 1963)[1] is an English actor, singer and playwright, who is known as co-creator and "MC" of Shockheaded Peter, a musical entertainment based on the works of Heinrich Hoffmann,[2] which won the 2002 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment.[3] He is also known for playing Davros in the 2005 revival of Doctor Who (in 2008, 2015, and 2023).
Bleach was born in Bournemouth. He was educated at Summerbee School and studied drama at Bournemouth and Poole College. After that he trained at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.[4]
Bleach's other theatre work includes playing Ariel to Patrick Stewart's Prospero in the RSC's 2007 production of The Tempest,[5] directed by Rupert Goold, and Mr. Sowerberry (to Louise Gold's Mrs. Sowerberry) and Dr. Grimwig in the 2009 Theatre Royal Drury Lane production of the musical Oliver!.
On television, he has starred as "The Monster" in the 2007 ITV adaptation of Frankenstein.[6] He played the Grand Master from the second series of children's drama M.I.High and guest-starred as the villainous "Ghostmaker" in Peter J. Hammond's "From Out of the Rain" in the second series of Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. Bleach was later cast by the parent series as Davros, enemy of The Doctor and creator of the Daleks, in "The Stolen Earth" and "Journey's End", the two-part season finale of the 2008 series,[7] and live at the Doctor Who Prom,[8] before returning to the role in the 2015 series opener, "The Magician's Apprentice", and its conclusion, "The Witch's Familiar". In 2010, it was announced that he would star as the eponymous character in The Nightmare Man, the opening story of Series 4 of The Sarah Jane Adventures. This makes him one of only two actors (the other being Paul Marc Davis) to appear in not only Doctor Who, but two of its spin-offs, Torchwood and The Sarah-Jane Adventures. In 2011, he appeared as Niccolò Machiavelli in the Showtime series The Borgias.
In 2016 Bleach appeared as Barkilphedro in the critically acclaimed new musical The Grinning Man at Bristol Old Vic which transferred in late 2017 to Trafalgar Studios. In the same year he also appeared in Rory Mullarkey's new play Saint George and the Dragon at the Royal National Theatre.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | The Fool | ||
| 1994 | Beg! | Dr. Rogers | |
| 1999 | Topsy-Turvy | Mr. Plank | |
| 2002 | Ghost Child | Leo | |
| 2005 | The Brothers Grimm | Letorc | |
| 2006 | The Fall | Mystic/Elderly Patient | |
| 2008 | Lecture 21 | Aristocrat | |
| 2009 | Badinage | Franklin Gothic | |
| 2011 | Anonymous | ||
| 2012 | Lord Horror: The Dark and Silver Age | Lord Horror | |
| Les Misérables | Claquesous | ||
| 2013 | The Fallen Word | Franklin Gothic | |
| 2015 | Ballet Instructor | ||
| MindGamers | Preacher | ||
| Remainder | Pianist | ||
| Word Made Flesh: Sir Peter Blake | Mad Hatter | Short film | |
| 2016 | Mother | Crematorium Technician | Short film |
| Suicide Note | The Man | Short film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Gist | David Luscombe | TV movie | |
| 2005 | Riot at the Rite | Violinist | TV movie | |
| 2007 | The Afternoon Play | Stefan | Episode: "Come Fly With Me" | |
| Frankenstein | TV movie | |||
| 2008–13 | M.I. High | The Grand Master | ||
| 2008 | Torchwood | The Ghostmaker | Episode: "From Out of the Rain" | |
| 2008, 2015, 2023 | Doctor Who | 4 episodes, 1 mini episode | ||
| 2008 | Criminal Justice | Gaoler | Series 1, Episode 3 | |
| 2009 | Doctor Who at the Proms | Davros | ||
| 2010 | The Sarah Jane Adventures | The Nightmare Man | Serial: The Nightmare Man | |
| Psychoville | Doctor/Eddie | Episode: "Halloween Special" | ||
| 2011–13 | The Borgias | |||
| 2012 | Ripper Street | Cecil Creighton | Episode: "I Need Light" | |
| 2014 | This is Jinsy | Undertaker | Episode: "Population 791" | |
| 2016 | Close to the Enemy | Geoffrey Salter | TV miniseries | |
| 2017 | Emerald City | 4 episodes | ||
| 2019 | Heirs of the Night | Dracula | ||
| 2022 | Halo | x episodes | ||
| 2022 | Jerome McClintock | 2 episodes |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Macbeth | Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham | ||
| 1993 | Dracula | London Bubble Theatre Company | ||
| 1995 | Gormenghast | Flay/Barquentine | David Glass New Mime Ensemble | |
| 1996 | The Government Inspector | Zemlyanika | Leeds Playhouse | |
| 1997 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | English Shakespeare Company | ||
| 1998–05 | Shockheaded Peter | Shockheaded Peter | ||
| 2002 | Cabaret | Chichester Festival Theatre | ||
| 2003 | The Firework-Maker's Daughter | Hamlet the Elephant | Crucible Theatre | |
| 2005 | The Importance of Being Earnest | Lane/Merriman | Oxford Playhouse | |
| 2006 | Antony and Cleopatra | Clown/Alexas | Royal Shakespeare Company | |
| 2006 | The Tempest | Royal Shakespeare Company | ||
| 2008–09 | Oliver! | Mr. Sowerberry/Dr. Grimwig | Theatre Royal, Drury Lane | |
| 2010 | Every Good Boy Deserves Favour | Ivanov | Royal National Theatre | |
| 2016–18 | The Grinning Man | Barkilphedro | Bristol Old Vic/Trafalgar Studios | |
| 2016 | Raising Martha | Roger Duffy | Park Theatre | |
| 2017 | Saint George and the Dragon | The Dragon | Royal National Theatre | |
| 2022 | Into the Woods | The Mysterious Man | Theatre Royal, Bath |