Red Eye star Richard Armitage’s life off-screen: from family and love life to career away from acting

Richard Armitage leads the forged of ITV’s newest authentic thriller, Purple Eye, which follows police detective DC Hana Li (Jing Lusi) who’s tasked with accompanying homicide suspect Dr Matthew Nolan, performed by Richard, on a red-eye flight from London to China, the place his alleged crime came about.

However when a homicide happens onboard, and extra deaths comply with, DC Li begins to suspect foul play and shortly finds herself embroiled in a harmful conspiracy.

WATCH: Richard Armitage stars within the ITV thriller Purple Eye

Richard is not any stranger to our TV screens, having not too long ago appeared in Netflix’s smash hit Harlan Coben adaptation Idiot Me As soon as, amongst different main exhibits and movies similar to Obsession, Hannibal, and naturally, The Hobbit trilogy. However how a lot are you aware about his life away from the cameras?

Richard Armitage and Jing Lusi in Red Eye — Richard Armitage stars alongside Jing Lusi in Purple Eye

Richard Armitage’s household life

Richard, who hails from Leicester, is the youngest son of Margaret, a faculty secretary, and John Armitage, a nuclear engineer.

Chatting about his childhood in a earlier interview, the North & South actor praised his “amazingly supportive” mother and father and revealed that his mum, who handed away in 2019, labored as a secretary to fund his training at Pattinson Faculty, a performing arts college in Coventry. “Each penny of her wages went to my training,” he instructed The Telegraph.

Richard Armitage stars Obsession — Richard Armitage is the youngest of two sons

The actor expanded on his shut relationship with household while chatting with Martine McCutcheon, who guest-edited HELLO!’s Christmas Digital Difficulty in 2021.

Explaining that he appreciated to spend high quality time along with his dad, who died final 12 months, and older brother Chris over the vacation interval, Richard mentioned on the time: “I have a tendency to present Christmas over to everyone else as a result of I’ve spent a lot of the 12 months away from family and friends. So I simply give it over.

“I’m going to see my brother, go to see my dad and do no matter they wish to do. Nevertheless it’s normally the identical because the 12 months earlier than.”

Richard Armitage's parents John and Margaret — Richard’s late mother and father, John and Margaret, on their wedding ceremony day

Whereas he clearly shares a detailed bond along with his household, Richard does not have a tendency to look at his exhibits and movies along with his family members.

When requested if his family and friends watched him star in Netflix’s erotic thriller sequence Obsession, he instructed us in 2023: “I am not going to sit down down and watch it with individuals as a result of I do not have a tendency to do this anyway.”

Richard Armitage’s love life

Richard is notoriously personal about his love life and so his present relationship standing is unknown. Nevertheless, in 2020 the actor revealed he was in a “good” relationship throughout an interview with The Telegraph.

Richard Armitage as William Farrow in Obsession. — Richard in Netflix’s Obsession

When requested if he wish to begin a household sooner or later, the 52-year-old mentioned: “I would wish to do it in a manner which was both by way of adoption or surrogacy, due to the character of my relationship.

“I would have to sit down down very pragmatically and work it out.”

Richard’s profession away from performing

A person of many skills, Richard is a broadcast creator in addition to a profitable actor.

In 2022, the Keep Shut star launched his debut thriller audiobook, Geneva.

richard armitage geneva — Richard launched an audiobook in 2022

Chatting with HELLO! on the time, Richard revealed how he discovered the transition from performing to writing, giving an perception into his course of when making ready for a job. “It is less complicated than I believed as a result of every time I have been making ready for a job as an actor, I at all times do a number of writing,” he mentioned. “I create a biography for every of my characters, which might be two pages, or typically it may be a whole guide of notes and ideas.

“I am a literary researcher and I do all of that work forward of time. It was actually a query of doing that, the identical work for these characters after which simply persevering with to discover them on the web page.”

Richard’s dwelling life

Whereas it is not identified the place Richard resides, he tends to spend so much of time travelling for work.

Richard Armitage selfie in Marseille, France, where he filmed Obsession — Richard pictured in Marseille, France, the place he filmed Obsession

On how he copes with the fixed jetlag, he beforehand instructed HELLO!: “It is tough, you simply need to pressure your self to do it nevertheless it is among the privileges of my job. I am not an excellent vacationer though I like going to work someplace since you actually get to know the place. You get to know native individuals, you are not taken on the vacationer path and you discover little gems all around the globe.”

Purple Eye airs on ITV1 and ITVX on Sunday 21 April at 9pm.

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