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 2017 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	John Bradley West (1988-09-15) 15 September 1988 Wythenshawe, Manchester, England
Alma mater	Loreto College (2007) Manchester School of Theatre (BA (Hons), 2010)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2011–present

Early life and education

Bradley was born and 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]

In 2005, he began attending Loreto College in the Hulme area of Manchester, where he studied Drama and Theatre Studies. He graduated from Loreto in 2007.[4][5] He received a BA (Hons), Acting at the Manchester School of Theatre, graduating in 2010.[6][7]

Career

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.[1][6][8] His character is a friend of Kit Harington's Jon Snow and provides occasional comic relief, especially in season 1.[9][10] As the series progressed, Bradley's Tarly developed significantly.[11][12][13] One reviewer called him "a wonderful comedic and cowardly yin to Jon's dour yang".[14] George R. R. Martin said that the character that Bradley portrays is the character he would be, if he were on the show.[15]

In 2011, Bradley appeared in the Canal+ drama, Borgia, in the role of Pope Leo X, Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici.[1] In 2012, Bradley played the character Tyr Seward in the BBC production of Merlin in series 5, in the episode "A Lesson in Vengeance."[16] 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.[16] In 2015, Bradley played the role of Miloš Hrma in the BBC Radio Salford radio play production of Closely Observed Trains.[17]

In 2018 Bradley appeared as Scooter in the film Patient Zero, starring alongside Stanley Tucci and fellow Game of Thrones star Natalie Dormer.[18]

Personal life

Bradley is a Manchester United supporter[1] and plays the drums.[6][7][19]

Bradley has been in a relationship with entertainment journalist Rebecca April May since 2017.[20]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2012	Anna Karenina	Austrian Prince	Uncredited
2015	Traders	Vernon Stynes
2015	Man Up	Andrew	Uncredited
2016	Grimsby	Fan in Pub
2016	Roger	Roy	Short film
2017	American Satan	Ricky Rollins
2018	Patient Zero	Scooter
TBA	Marry Me	Collin Calloway	Post-production

Television

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"
2012	Shameless	Wesley	2 episodes
2016	The Last Dragonslayer	Gordon (adult)	Television film
2019	Saturday Night Live	Himself	Episode: "Kit Harington/Sara Bareilles"
2019	Robot Chicken	Gordon Ramsay, Eric (voice)	Episode: "Boogie Bardstown in: No Need, I Have Coupons"

Video games

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

References

1. Fire and Blood (3 June 2011). "Interview with John Bradley". Winter is Coming.
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". Loreto College.
5. "A "Game of Thrones"". Loreto College. 23 March 2011.
6. "From Wythenshawe to Westeros: Met Magazine meets the alumnus behind Game of Thrones character Samwell Tarley". Met Magazine. Manchester, England: Manchester Metropolitan University (3): 14–19. Spring 2017.
7. Ashdown, N (2010). "Manchester School of Theatre – Alumni – Graduates 2010 – John Bradley-West". Manchester School of Theatre.
8. Handler, Chelsea; Bradley West, John (23 July 2017). "John Bradley Explains Game of Thrones" (Video interview). Chelsea. Netflix.
9. Hoare, James (13 March 2012). "Game of Thrones Season 2: Samwell Tarly is "going to change"". SciFiNow.
10. Elio (11 March 2011). "Interview with John Bradley". Westeros.org.
11. Wigler, Josh (5 July 2016). "'Game of Thrones': John Bradley on the "Success Story" of Samwell Tarly". The Hollywood Reporter.
12. Collins, Sean T. (19 July 2017). "Game of Thrones' John Bradley on Sam's Morality, Cleaning Bedpans, and Fake Poop". Vulture.
13. Bradley, Bill (15 June 2015). "'Game Of Thrones' Actor John Bradley Calls Shocking Death 'Heartbreaking'". The Huffington Post.
14. Singh, Ti (21 June 2011). "Game of Thrones episode 10 review: Fire And Blood: season finale". Den of Geek.
15. 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.
16. "John Bradley Showreel 2016". Shepherd Management. 13 July 2016.
17. "Closely Observed Trains" (Radio play). BBC Radio Salford. 29 August 2015.
18. Bennion, Chris (4 April 2016). "Game of Thrones' Sam Tarly: 'This is the end for Jon Snow and Sam' - Q&A". The Daily Telegraph.
19. Scherzinger, Nicole; Dommet, Joel; Bradley West, John (28 October 2015). "Game of Thrones Star John Bradley Amazing Drumming | Bring The Noise" (Video). Bring the Noise. Sky 1.
20. Fox, Killian; Bromwich, Kathryn; Hogan, Michael (31 March 2019). "'It was madness': Game of Thrones stars on how it changed their lives". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 31 March 2019.

External links

• John Bradley on IMDb
• John Bradley on Twitter