Blessed was born in South Yorkshire and, after completing national service in the RAF, enrolled at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He made his TV breakthrough in 1962 in Z Cars, before starring in I, Claudius in 1976, Flash Gordon in 1980 and in four of Kenneth Branagh’s six Shakespeare films. He is also a bestselling author, an experienced mountaineer who has been up Everest three times, and a trained astronaut. He has a daughter, Catherine, from his first marriage and a second daughter, Rosalind, from his second marriage to the actress Hildegarde Neil, who died last year. He lives in Windlesham, Surrey.
I wake at eight or nine and go straight out into my gargantuan garden. I love gardening and animals, so I’ll take my army of RSPCA rescue dogs onto the lawn and I’ll tend to the flowers. I’ve planted apples, strawberries and God knows what else, so there are hundreds of birds in the garden. And butterflies, hedgehogs and rabbits too.
I’m on my own now, as my wife, Hildegarde, died in September — we were married for 45 years — and it’s she who taught me how to love animals.
Breakfast for me will be yoghurt — I eat tons of the stuff. I love Bulgarian yoghurt, although eating alone takes some getting used to. I do feel quite lonely at times but I’ve got lots of friends to talk to. I had a lovely chat with Michael Palin recently at the Royal Geographical Society, as he lost his wife last year too. I still feel my wife’s presence and continue the adventurous life we used to enjoy together.
After breakfast, before I settle down to some writing, perhaps for my next book or maybe for my one-man show, which I’m touring, I’ll do a six or seven-mile walk, or even a gentle run.
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I’m always in training for something, whether it’s another expedition to the magnetic North Pole or Everest, and I bench-press 300lb. I’m a black belt in judo and I’ve always had huge strength. I’m abnormally fit and abnormally cheerful. What I find most intolerable is when people make a pact with old age. Don’t do it. I feel ageless.
My voice is as powerful as ever. The BBC once measured it when I was doing my famous King Lear war cry, and it was 117 decibels — louder than a jet engine. A day never goes by without someone asking me to bellow one of my lines from Flash Gordon.
It even happened on my North Pole expedition, when this Russian nuclear submarine came up through the ice and the captain got out and saw me and he said, “It’s him. Please say, ‘Gordon’s alive,’ ” so of course I shouted, “Gordon’s aliiiiiiiiiiive!”
For lunch I’ll have a cheese omelette and more yoghurts, then it’ll be back into my gymnasium to lift some heavy weights. Then I’ll go to my shed, where I might have invited a sporting or scientific champion over to have a chat.
I had Stephen Hawking in there once and he said to me, “They want to put me into space, Brian. What do you think?” And I replied, “Well, Stephen, you may as well f***ing go!” I have every intention of going to space too. I’m the oldest person to have trained at Moscow’s Star City to become a cosmonaut. The call could come any day.
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I eat dinner at about seven, something simple like soup, and then I’m often quite antisocial in the evening. I don’t have dinner parties, although I do see Kenneth Branagh a lot. We have a father-son relationship — I’m the son. But I love my own company. I’m a curious mixture of contradictions but I strongly believe that it’s important to be mad. To allow yourself to be a bit mad is very healthy.
At night I watch nature documentaries — there’s so much to learn. You’ll never find me watching Love Island. I don’t want to waste a second of life.
Before bed at midnight I’ll go out into the garden, look at the stars and meditate for half an hour with all the dogs around me. I look at the sky and get slowly more tired. In bed I sleep like stone and rise like a loaf.
Brian Blessed is speaking at the Kaleidoscope Festival, Alexandra Palace Park, London N22, on July 13; kaleidoscope-festival.com
Words of wisdom
Best advice I was given
Take every opportunity to choose the most adventurous route
Advice I’d give
Go for it. There’s no one like you. Follow your dreams and don’t let the bastards grind you down
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What I wish I’d known
Nothing. I have no regrets. I’m as balanced as I’ve ever been and I’m moving forward at delightful speed
