Blake Adam Ritson (born 14 January 1978) is an English actor, film director, and screenwriter.

Early life and education Ritson was born on 14 January 1978 in London and attended the Dolphin School in Reading, Berkshire, until 1993, before going to St Paul's School in West London on an academic scholarship. He then attended Jesus College, Cambridge, where he studied English and medieval Italian, graduating in 2000. While a student he acted on both stage and screen, playing Paul Etheridge in White Chameleon, Fleance in Macbeth, and Augustus in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia (1996) at the National Theatre in productions directed by Richard Eyre and Trevor Nunn.

Career Acting Ritson is known in recent years for playing King Edward III in the television miniseries World Without End (2012), the Duke of Kent in Upstairs Downstairs (2010–2012), Mr Elton in the 2009 BBC adaptation of Emma, Edmund Bertram in the 2007 ITV adaptation of Mansfield Park,Company Pictures: Mansfield Park Giles Vicary in the BBC series Red Cap and for portraying sidekick Robert Presley in A Touch of Frost.ITV Home He also played the part of Justin in The League of Gentlemen, Idek in God on Trial, and the comic lead in For Elsie, which he also co-produced. He also portrayed the main antagonist in David Goyer's Da Vinci's Demons (2013).

In 2013, Ritson appeared as Colonel Brandon in Helen Edmundson's BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. in 2020, he starred in the Big Finish reboot of cult adventure series Adam Adamant Lives!. He had lent his voice to several other productions for the company.

In 2022, Ritson starred as Oscar Van Rhijn in The Gilded Age series on HBO.

Film directing and screenwriting Ritson writes and directs with his brother, Dylan. The brothers first directed the short film Out of Time. Starring Mark Heap and Raquel Cassidy, the film won the Global Audience Award at the first CON-CAN Movie Festival and was runner up at Minimalen and the Berlin Film Festival. It also screened at the London, São Paulo and Dresden film festivals.

Their second short film, More More More, starring The League of Gentlemen'''s Mark Gatiss, was a runner-up in the Turner Classic Movies Competition.

Their third film, shot in 2009, is entitled Love Hate, and stars Ben Whishaw and Hayley Atwell. It was chosen for the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Palm Springs Film Festival, London BFI Film Festival, Foyle, Omaha, Encounters, Berkshire International Film Festival, Sofia Film Fest (Bulgaria), Tofifest International Film Festival (Poland), West Hollywood International, LA Shorts Fest and Short Shorts Film Festival (Japan). It won the Jury Award at the Palm Springs International Shortsfest and won the Best International Short award at the Cinema St. Louis Film Festival.

The Ritson brothers have also shot a fourth short film, Good Boy, starring Jessica Hynes (née Stevenson), Reece Shearsmith, Nicholas Burns, Joanna Page and Blake Ritson's then-fiancée Hattie Morahan.

The Ritson brothers were selected for the front cover of Screen International magazine's Stars of Tomorrow 2009.

Personal life Ritson is married to actress Hattie Morahan, whom he met at university. They have a daughter, born in 2016 and a son born in 2020.

Ritson played the banjolele on Douglas Hodge's 2006 album Cowley Road Songs, which was recorded in four days at the Blue Moon Studios in Banbury. He describes the banjolele as "a hybrid instrument between a ukulele and a banjo; teamed up with the kazoo it's a winning combination".

Filmography Film Year Film Role Notes 1996 Different for Girls Young Prentice 1999 Titus Mutius 2001 Me Without You Tim 2002 AKA Alexander Gryffoyn 2008 RocknRolla Johnny Sloane 2009 Dead Man Running Jarvis 2011 For Elsie Glenn Short film 2012 Hyde Park on Hudson Butler 2014 Serena Lowenstein 2021 Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard Gunther

Television Year Film RoleNotes 1996 No Bananas Pete Episode: "Blitz" Breaking the Code Christopher Morcom Television film 1997–1998 Knight School Sir Roger de Courcey 3 episodes 1999 Shooting the Past Nick 3 episodes 2000 The League of Gentlemen Justin Smart 2 episodes 2001 London's Burning Dermot 2 episodes Urban Gothic Dave Matthews Episode: "The End" Red Cap Lt. Giles Vicary Television film 2003 Adventure Inc. Byron Haycroft Episode: "Angel of St. Edmunds" 2003–2004 Red Cap Giles Vicary 12 episodes 2005 If... Ben Swales Episode: "If...We Stopped Giving Aid to Africa" Strauss: The Waltz King Older Johann Strauss II Television film The Bill Gavin Murray Episode: "Honour" 2006 Casualty Daniel Tasker Episode: "Worlds Apart" The Inspector Lynley Mysteries Graham Marshall Episode: "Chinese Walls" A Touch of Frost D.C. Robert Presley Episode: "Endangered Species" 2007 Mansfield Park Edmund Bertram Television film The Commander: The Devil You Know John Littlewood Television film 2008 God on Trial Idek Television film 2009 Emma Mr. Elton 4 episodes 2010–2012 Upstairs Downstairs The Duke of Kent 8 episodes 2011 The Crimson Petal and the White Bodley 3 episodes The Romantics Percy Bysshe Shelley Episode: "Eternity Doctor Who: The Lost Stories Instructor Shibac (voice) Episode: "The Foe from the Future" Garrow's Law Charles Fox Episode #3.4 2012 World Without End King Edward III 8 episodes 2013–2015 Da Vinci's Demons Girolamo Riario 26 episodes 2015 The Embrace Dan 5 episodes 2016 Indian Summers Charlie Havistock 10 episodes Hooten & the Lady Yannaras Episode: "Egypt" 2018–2019 Krypton Brainiac 20 episodes 2019 Endeavour Gabriel Van Horne Episode: "Apollo" 2022–present The Gilded Age Oscar Van Rhijn 25 episodes 2022–2023 The Crown Andrew Gailey 4 episodes 2024 The Count of Monte Cristo Danglars 7 episodes Interview with the Vampire Morgan Ward Episode: "What Can the Damned Really Say to the Damned" 2025 Foundation Sunmaster-18 Season 3

Stage

Rope – Brandon (Almeida, dir. Roger Michell) Tender – (Donmar Warehouse, dir. Seth Sklar-Heyn) Violet – Mio (Royal Court, dir. Indu Rubasingham) Love Is Blind – Manolito Trevelez (Royal Court, dir. Nathalie Abrahami) The Importance of Being Earnest – Jack Worthing (ADC Theatre, 1999, dir. Phillip Breen) Arcadia – Septimus (Bristol Old Vic, dir. Rachel Kavanaugh) HappyTime Park – Xavier (Riverside Studios, devised and dir. Dylan Ritson) In Praise of Love – Joey (Theatre Royal Bath, dir. Deborah Bruce) Arcadia – Augustus (Theatre Royal Haymarket, – National Theatre/Michael Codron – dir. Trevor Nunn) Macbeth – Fleance (National Theatre, Olivier, dir. Richard Eyre) White Chameleon – Paul Etheridge (National Theatre, Cottesloe, dir. Richard Eyre) The Luke Files – Bartholomew (RT Productions, dir. Paul McKusker) Romeo and Juliet – Benvolio (Immersive, dir. Mark Rosenblatt)

Radio and audio drama The War of the Worlds – Robert (BBC Radio 4, dir. Marc Beeby) Publish and be Damn'd – Argyle (BBC Radio 4, Ellen Dryden) The Go-Between – Hugh Trimingham (BBC Radio 3, Matt Thompson) Gods And Monsters – Hurmzid (Big Finish, Ken Bentley) The Diary of Samuel Pepys – Edward Montagu (BBC Radio 4, Kate McAll) Doctor Who – Foe from the Future – Shibac (Big Finish, Ken Bentley) Freud: The Case Histories: The Wolf Man – Sergei Pankejeff (BBC Radio 4, Nadia Molinari) Richard II – Henry Bolingbroke (BBC Radio 4, Jessica Dromgoole and Jeremy Mortimer) Money – Evelyn (BBC Radio 3, Samuel West) The American Senator – John Morton (BBC Radio 4, Tracey Neale) Poetry Please – Various Roles (BBC Radio 4, Christine Hall) Death in Genoa – Dr. Carlo Bazzani (Independent Drama, written Thomas Wright) The Absolutist – Reader (BBC Book at Bedtime, dir. Heather Larmour) Saint Joan – Charles (BBC Radio 3, dir. Jonquil Panting) Sunk – Bert Selphin (BBC Radio 4, dir. Gemma McMullan) Leverage – David (BBC Radio 4, dir. Sasha Yevtushenko) A Month in the Country – Moon (BBC Radio 4, dir. David Hunter) The Far Pavilions – Ash (BBC Radio 4, dir. Jessica Dromgoole and Marc Beeby) With Great Pleasure – Reader (BBC Radio 4, dir. Christine Hall) The Ordeals of Sherlock Holmes – Christopher Thrale (Big Finish, Ken Bentley) Aunts Aren't Gentlemen – Reader (BBC Radio 4, Mark Beeby & Emma Harding) Billions – Mark (BBC Radio 4, Jonquil Panting) The Barchester Chronicles – Crosbie (BBC Radio 4, Gary Brown) The Shadow of Dorian Gray – John Gray (BBC Radio 4, Abigail Le Fleming) Bonnie Prince Charlie – Charles Edward Stuart (BBC Radio 4, Sasha Yevtushenko) The Trespasser's Guide to the Classics – Dorian Gray (BBC Radio 4, Sasha Yevtushenko) Artist Descending a Staircase – Beauchamp (BBC Radio 3, Gordon House) Two on a Tower – Swithin St.Cleeve (BBC Radio 4, dir. Stefan Escreet) Vincent Price and the Horror of the English Blood Beast – (BBC Radio 4, dir. Sam Hoyle) The Wings of the Dove – (BBC Radio 4, dir. Nadia Molinari) The Killing – (BBC Radio 4, dir. Sasha Yevtushenko) The Man Who Shot the 60s – (BBC4, dir. Linda Brusasco) The Embrace – Dan (BBC Radio 4, dir. Nadia Molinari) Sense and Sensibility – Colonel Brandon – (BBC Radio 4, adapted by Helen Edmundson) Six Windows of the Muslim World – (Crescent Films, dir. Ned Williams) Adam Adamant Lives! Volume 01: A Vintage Year for Scoundrels – Adam Adamant (Big Finish, written by Guy Adams)The Divine Comedy – Dante the Poet (BBC Radio 4, dir. Stephen Wyatt)Enduring Love – Joe (BBC Radio 4, dir. Amber Barnfather)

Video gamesDragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King – AngeloHarry Potter and The Goblet of Fire – Cedric DiggoryKillzone: Liberation – Colonel CobarXenoblade Chronicles – AlvisDark Souls – Griggs of VinheimFinal Fantasy XIV – AymericEl Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron – EnochThe Last Story – Jirall, additional voicesSoul Sacrifice – MagusarDark Souls II – Royal Sorcerer NavlaanThe Order: 1886 – Additional voicesDark Souls III – Hawkwood the DeserterXenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed – AlphaLies of P Overture'' - the Tracker

Awards and nominations Year Association Category Project Result Ref. 2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series The Gilded Age

References

External links

Jane Austen and Performance Breaking the Code: Alan Turing Scrapbook God on Trial: Blake Ritson Plays Idek Out of Time: Watch a scene of Ritson's film Voice Overs Blake Ritson The Big Interview: Blake Ritson, 2009