Brian Blessed (October 9, 1936) is an English actor who portrayed Boss Rugor Nass in Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. He also appeared as Prince Vultan in the 1980 cult film Flash Gordon.
Blessed rose to fame for portraying PC "Fancy" Smith in the long running BBC police drama Z-Cars. He portrayed Roman Emperor Augustus in the 1976 television series I, Claudius. Blessed appeared in the 1988 miniseries War and Remembrance, in which Kenneth Colley also appeared. He is also known for playing King Yrcanos in the Doctor Who story Mindwarp (having once been offered the role of the Second Doctor) and having a recurring role in the first series of Blackadder as the fictional King Richard IV.
Blessed is known for a booming voice and a loud personality that has made him a popular choice in animation, both on television in programs such as Peppa Pig and The Amazing World of Gumball, as well as films such as Disney's Tarzan.
During a conversation with Blessed, director George Lucas stated that the actor's energy was needed for The Phantom Menace, and that he himself thought of casting Blessed as one of the Jedi but he was "much too powerful" for the part.
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