David Bradley: 5 shows and movies you may have forgotten

Image Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc

David Bradley is best known in the Harry Potter fandom as Argus Filch, but what else can you catch the talented actor in?

Argus Filch is one of those characters you love to hate. While he was a grumpy, jealous guy, you wanted to like him because it was David Bradley. That’s especially the case now that he’s taken on the role of the first incarnation of The Doctor on Doctor Who, stepping in for the late William Hartnell.

Game of Thrones as Walder Frey

David Bradley as Walder Frey – Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO Acquired via HBO Media Relations.

If you’re an avid Game of Thrones fan, you shouldn’t forget this. However, there will be plenty out there who haven’t watched the series for various reasons. Yet, you have possibly heard the term “Red Wedding.” You can thank Bradley’s character Walder Frey for this.

The actor routinely takes on characters that you dislike or hate with a passion, and Walder Frey is one of them. Without spoiling it for those who haven’t watched the series but eventually plan on doing so when it’s all over, Walder is the patriarch of House Frey, with a goal of becoming powerful. He takes on multiple brides and will always make deals that benefit him.

The Tudors as the Court Fool

You’ll be forgiven for forgetting this one, even if you’ve watched The Tudors. He was only in one episode, but it was an important episode; a turning point for Henry VIII in his grief after losing Jane Seymour.

Bradley played the Court Fool, although at one point in the episode it looked like he was just a figment of Henry’s imagination. He was there to try to cheer Henry up from the grief of losing his third wife, while also a sounding block for some of the craziest of ideas.

Hot Fuzz as Arthur Webley

The first (and only) movie on the list is Hot Fuzz, which is the second move in the Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Bradley plays the role of Arthur Webley, who Pegg’s character needs a translator for to understand! The standout scene is when Webley is proving that his landmine doesn’t work by hitting it with his shotgun and it starts to tick.

If you haven’t seen the trilogy of movies and love ridiculous British comedies, this trilogy is definitely one to watch. You can start with any of them, as they don’t actually follow on from each other or have the same characters!

A Family at War as Colin Woodcock

This is one of Bradley’s earliest of works and the earliest that will appear on this list. Dating back to 1971, A Family at War was a series about lower class Liverpool families and how they were affected in the aftermath of World War II.

The series had a mixture of happy and sad tales. It’s one of those to watch when you want to see Bradley at a younger age and remember his earlier works. He was in seven episodes in the second season.

The Strain as Abraham Setrakian

THE STRAIN — CR: Russ Martin/FX

Apart from the mention of Doctor Who, this is Bradley’s most recent TV series. The Strain has now come to an end, but is a popular one for those who like a vampire story with a twist. Vampirism is a disease and Bradley’s Abraham Setrakian is the Van Helsing of the series—not in name, but in the knowledge and abilities.

It’s not often you get to see Bradley in a main role, so you’ll definitely want to see him in this. I don’t want to give too much away, but he’s a professor with knowledge of the Strigio and a Holocaust survivor, which does come into play in the series.

Next: Harry Potter: 11 Hilarious tweets about the boy wizard!

Did you know about these five roles Bradley has played? What have you seen him in that people tend to forget? Share in the comments below.

Don’t forget to follow Wizards and Whatnot on Twitter to stay up to date with the latest Wizarding World news and opinions.

Home/Harry Potter

Happy birthday, David Bradley: 5 shows and movies you may have forgotten

By Callum Gunn | Apr 17, 2018