Richard Madden, a Scottish actor born on June 18, 1986, began his acting career at the tender age of 11, making his screen debut in 2000. As a student at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, he simultaneously honed his skills on stage, performing in various productions.
One of his notable stage roles was as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, which he reprised in the West End in 2016, having initially toured with Shakespeare's Globe company in 2007. Madden's breakthrough role came when he portrayed Robb Stark in the fantasy drama series Game of Thrones from 2011 to 2013, catapulting him to fame.
He subsequently appeared in the romantic fantasy film Cinderella (2015) as Prince Kit and in the historical fiction series Medici (2016) as Italian banker Cosimo de' Medici. In 2018, Madden received widespread acclaim for his performance as a police officer in the thriller series Bodyguard, earning a Golden Globe Award in the process.
The following year, he was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine and appeared in supporting roles as music manager John Reid in the biopic Rocketman and a soldier in the war film 1917. Madden has since taken on more prominent roles, starring as Ikaris in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Eternals (2021) and a spy in the action thriller series Citadel (2023).
