The following year, Madden was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time, and he had supporting roles as music manager John Reid in the biopic Rocketman and a soldier in the war film 1917.
He has since starred as Ikaris in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Eternals (2021) and as a spy in the action thriller series Citadel (2023–present).
1986
Richard Madden (born 18 June 1986) is a Scottish actor.
Madden was born on 18 June 1986 in Elderslie, outside the city of Glasgow, where he grew up alongside his two sisters.
His mother is a primary school teacher, and his father worked as a firefighter.
At age 11, Madden joined PACE Youth Theatre to help overcome his shyness.
1999
Next, he played the lead role of Sebastian in the children's television series Barmy Aunt Boomerang, which aired from 1999 until 2000.
In addition to being shy, Madden struggled with body insecurities as a child.
He later stated that he also experienced bullying, especially in high school, which he attributed to his role in Complicity.
Madden attended Castlehead High School.
2000
He was cast in his first role at age 11 and made his screen acting debut in 2000.
He later began performing on stage whilst a student at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
At that same age, he was cast in his first role as young Andy in a film adaptation of Iain Banks' Complicity, which was released in 2000.
2007
In 2007, he toured with Shakespeare's Globe company as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, a role he reprised in the West End in 2016.
He studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, in Glasgow, graduating in 2007.
He worked with The Arches and the Glasgow Repertory Company during his studies; he also performed in Franz Xaver Kroetz's play Tom Fool at the Citizens Theatre.
After receiving positive reviews, the Tom Fool production transferred to London, where Madden was spotted by a team from Shakespeare's Globe.
In his final year at the conservatoire, he was cast as Romeo in the play Romeo and Juliet at the modern Globe Theatre in London, followed by a tour of the production during the summer of 2007.
In her review, Susan Elkin of The Stage deemed the actor's portrayal of Romeo "gravelly Glaswegian" and "almost childlike".
That same year, Madden played Callum McGregor in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Malorie Blackman's Noughts & Crosses, which ran from December 2007 to February 2008.
2009
He then starred as Mark McNulty in the National Theatre of Scotland's production of the play Be Near Me in 2009, which The Times's Benedict Nightingale described as a "skilful adaptation" of the Andrew O'Hagan novel of the same name.
Susan Mansfield of The Scotsman wrote that Madden had caught critics' attention, reporting additional positive reviews of his performances by The Daily Telegraph and The Observer.
He later gained the lead role of Dean McKenzie in the 2009 BBC comedy-drama series Hope Springs, followed by his respective roles as Ripley and Theatre of Hate singer Kirk Brandon in the 2010 films Chatroom and Worried About the Boy.
2011
Madden rose to fame with his portrayal of Robb Stark in the fantasy drama series Game of Thrones from 2011 to 2013.
Madden starred as Robb Stark in the HBO fantasy drama series Game of Thrones, based upon the series of novels titled A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, from 2011 to 2013.
His work as Stark propelled him to prominence.
Madden later spoke about being broke and even contemplating moving back in with his parents prior to his casting.
Throughout his time on the series, the ensemble cast garnered Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2011 and 2013.
During this period, he also appeared in the Channel 4 comedy-drama series Sirens and the BBC drama series Birdsong.
2014
Madden first obtained his Screen Actors Guild (SAG) card for the 2014 miniseries Klondike, in which he played Bill Haskell, a real-life adventurer who participated in the Klondike Gold Rush.
Madden portrayed Prince Kit in Cinderella, a romantic fantasy film and live action adaptation of the animated film of the same name.
While terrified of playing a classical fairy tale character, the actor found comfort in how audiences knew very little about the prince in the animated film and how he was able to create "a real young man."
2015
Madden subsequently played Prince Kit in the romantic fantasy film Cinderella (2015) and Italian banker Cosimo de' Medici in the first season of the historical fiction series Medici (2016).
Released in March 2015, Cinderella was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $542 million.
The following year, Madden starred as Romeo in a West End production of Romeo and Juliet, which opened at the Garrick Theatre on 25 May, reuniting with his Cinderella co-star Lily James, who starred as Juliet, and director Kenneth Branagh.
Michael Billington of The Guardian praised Madden's articulation of Romeo's "challenge to fate", while Variety's Matt Trueman criticised his speeches as "flat and regimented".
He departed the production in July after suffering an ankle injury.
2016
In 2016, Madden appeared as an American pickpocket in the thriller film Bastille Day.
He played the lead role of Cosimo de' Medici, a member of the House of Medici banking family during the Italian Renaissance, in the first season of the Italian-British television drama series Medici, subtitled Masters of Florence, which aired that same year.
2018
In 2018, he gained acclaim for his performance as a police officer in the thriller series Bodyguard, for which he won a Golden Globe Award.
