John Bradley (English actor)

John Bradley West (born 15 September 1988)[1] is an English actor, best known for his role as Samwell Tarly in the HBO fantasy TV series Game of Thrones.[2]

John Bradley
Bradley at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con
Born
John Bradley West

(1988-09-15) 15 September 1988 (age 36)
Alma mater
OccupationActor
Years active2011–present

Early life

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Bradley was born on 15 September 1988.[1] He grew up as a Catholic in the Wythenshawe district of south Manchester and attended St Paul's Roman Catholic High School.[3] He has a sister who is 13 years older than he is.[1]

From 2005 to 2007, he studied law, psychology, English language, and drama and theatre studies at Loreto College in the Hulme area of Manchester.[4][5] He received a BA in acting at the Manchester School of Theatre, part of Manchester Metropolitan University, graduating in 2010.[6]

Career

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Three months after he graduated from drama school, in his first audition Bradley won the part of Samwell Tarly in the 2011 HBO fantasy TV series Game of Thrones, whom he would play for all 8 seasons of the show.[1][7] His character is a friend of Kit Harington's Jon Snow and provides occasional comic relief, especially in season 1.[8][9] As the series progressed, Bradley's Tarly developed significantly.[10][11][12] One reviewer called him "a wonderful comedic and cowardly yin to Jon's dour yang".[13] George R. R. Martin said that the character that Bradley portrays is the character he would be, if he were on the show.[14]

In 2011, Bradley appeared in the Canal+ drama, Borgia, in the role of Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, the future Pope Leo X.[1] In 2012, he played the character Tyr Seward in the BBC production of Merlin in series 5, in the episode "A Lesson in Vengeance".[15] The same year, he appeared on the Channel 4 TV series Shameless in the role of Wesley, Frank Gallagher's boss, in two episodes of series 10.[15] In 2015, Bradley played the role of Miloš Hrma in the BBC Radio 4 radio play production of Closely Observed Trains.[16]

In 2018, Bradley appeared as Scooter in the film Patient Zero, with fellow Game of Thrones performer Natalie Dormer.[17] In 2022, he was one of the leads in the Roland Emmerich disaster film Moonfall and played a supporting role in the romantic comedy Marry Me, starring Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson.[18]

Personal life

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Bradley is a supporter of Manchester City F.C.[1]

Bradley plays the drums.[6][19]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2012 Anna Karenina Austrian Prince Uncredited
2015 Traders Vernon Stynes
Man Up Andrew Uncredited
2016 Grimsby Derrick Fellner/Fan in Pub
Roger Roy Short film
2017 American Satan Ricky Rollins
2018 Patient Zero Scooter
2022 Moonfall Dr. KC Houseman
Marry Me Collin Calloway
The Railway Children Return Richard Perks

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2011–19 Game of Thrones Samwell Tarly Main role; 48 episodes
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2011, 2013–15)
2011 Borgia Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici 5 episodes
2012 Merlin Tyr Seward Episode: "A Lesson in Vengeance"
Shameless Wesley 2 episodes
2016 The Last Dragonslayer Gordon (adult) Television film
2019 Saturday Night Live Himself Episode: "Kit Harington/Sara Bareilles"
Robot Chicken Gordon Ramsay, Quint, Eric (voice) Episode: "Boogie Bardstown in: No Need, I Have Coupons"
2020 Urban Myths Young Les Dawson 6 episodes
2023 North Shore Max Drummond Main role
2024 3 Body Problem Jack Rooney 3 episodes

Audio

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Year Title Role Notes
2024 The Mysterious Affair at Styles Lawrence Cavendish Audible original[20]

Video games

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Year Title Voice role Notes
2018 World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth Apprentice Marten Webb

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Interview with John Bradley". Winter is Coming. 3 June 2011.
  2. ^ Wigler, Josh (17 July 2017). "'Game of Thrones': John Bradley Describes Shooting Premiere's Filthiest Scene". The Hollywood Reporter.
  3. ^ "Former Pupils: John Bradley West". Saint Paul's Catholic High School. Archived from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  4. ^ "Alumni". Loreto College.
  5. ^ "A 'Game of Thrones'". Loreto College. 23 March 2011. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  6. ^ a b Ashdown, N (2010). "Manchester School of Theatre – Alumni – Graduates 2010 – John Bradley-West". Manchester School of Theatre.
  7. ^ Handler, Chelsea; Bradley West, John (23 July 2017). "John Bradley Explains Game of Thrones" (Video interview). Chelsea. Netflix.
  8. ^ Hoare, James (13 March 2012). "Game of Thrones Season 2: Samwell Tarly is "going to change"". SciFiNow.
  9. ^ Elio (11 March 2011). "Interview with John Bradley". Westeros.org.
  10. ^ Wigler, Josh (5 July 2016). "'Game of Thrones': John Bradley on the "Success Story" of Samwell Tarly". The Hollywood Reporter.
  11. ^ Collins, Sean T. (19 July 2017). "Game of Thrones' John Bradley on Sam's Morality, Cleaning Bedpans, and Fake Poop". Vulture.
  12. ^ Bradley, Bill (15 June 2015). "'Game Of Thrones' Actor John Bradley Calls Shocking Death 'Heartbreaking'". The Huffington Post.
  13. ^ Singh, Ti (21 June 2011). "Game of Thrones episode 10 review: Fire And Blood: season finale". Den of Geek.
  14. ^ Hall, Matthew T. (28 July 2014). "If George R.R. Martin were in 'Game of Thrones,' this is how he'd die". The San Diego Union-Tribune.
  15. ^ a b "John Bradley Showreel 2016". Shepherd Management. 13 July 2016.
  16. ^ "Closely Observed Trains" (Radio play). BBC Radio Salford. 29 August 2015.
  17. ^ Bennion, Chris (4 April 2016). "'Game of Thrones' Sam Tarly: 'This is the end for Jon Snow and Sam' - Q&A". The Daily Telegraph.
  18. ^ Bianchini, Elisabetta (12 May 2022). "'Game of Thrones' star John Bradley needed rom-com 'Marry Me,' ready for 'House of the Dragon' comparisons". Yahoo! News.
  19. ^ Scherzinger, Nicole; Dommet, Joel; Bradley West, John (28 October 2015). "Game of Thrones Star John Bradley Amazing Drumming" (Video). Bring the Noise. Sky 1.
  20. ^ Shafer, Ellise (2 October 2024). "Peter Dinklage, Jessica Gunning, Himesh Patel and More to Star in Audible Adaptation of Agatha Christie's 'The Mysterious Affair at Styles' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
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