MAIN CHARACTERS of The Tudors

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Main Characters Historical Character Actor S 1 S 2 S 3 S 4 KING HENRY VIII Henry was the "Rock Star" of his time. He came to the throne of England as a handsome young man who played hard and left most of the governing to his ministers. Married to a dutiful and pious Spanish Princess who turned a blind eye to his philandering until he fell in love with a woman who refused to be a passing fancy. He would tear his kingdom apart to have her only to turn on her when she failed to produce the one thing he so desperately needed....a legitimate son and heir to continue his dynasty. Finally he found "the perfect" wife and mother who gave him a son, only to lose her in childbirth His fifth and youngest wife's betrayal would hit him the hardest. As he aged and his health deteriorated, his paranoia transformed him into a angry tyrant who left a trail of bodies in his wake. Jonathan Rhys Meyers CHARLES BRANDON, 1ST DUKE OF SUFFOLK Arrogant and handsome, Brandon was the consummate courtier. He was Henry's best and lifelong friend who managed to avoid his anger and the executioner's axe unlike many of Henry's other friends, wives and ministers. He would never question or go against Henry's wishes after doing it once by marrying Henry's sister and being banished. He learned his lesson and always did the King's bidding no matter what was asked of him. Henry Cavill KATHERINE OF ARAGON Daughter of two Spanish Monarchs, Katherine was born to be a queen and gracefully filled that role. She was 6 years older than her spoiled husband and despite providing him with a daughter, Mary, she failed to produce the longed for son. When Henry's young mistress Bessie Blount bore him a son and she saw the elation with which he celebrated the birth, she began to withdraw from court. With great sadness she watched as her place in Henry's esteem was taken by yet another one of her ladies. Henry then informed her that their marriage was null due to her earlier marriage to his dead brother, but she fought hard to retain her position. In the end she was banished from court and from seeing her child. She would live the longest of Henry's six wives and at the age of 50 died of what is believed today to have been cancer despite rumours that she had been poisoned by the Boleyns. Katherine of Aragon - Historical profile Maria Doyle Kennedy ANNE BOLEYN Although Anne was English born, as a young girl she had been schooled in the arts of courtly love and chivalry in the French court and on her return to England she would stand out in the English court. Soon she caught the roving eye of the King who had already had a dalliance with her older sister Mary. He was totally under the spell of this vivacious, intelligent young woman and pursued her relentlessly but she would not submit, making it clear that it was marriage or nothing. Henry would have her, no matter what and what ensued was an extraordinary time where one rather fickle man could think of no other woman for more than 6 years and it would start a reformation that would tear his kingdom apart. Those who supported this spirited ambitious woman would eventually turn on her and she would suffer the dire consequences. Natalie Dormer JANE SEYMOUR The Seymours, an English family that was every bit as ambitious as the Boleyns realized that the King had grown tired of yet another wife who could not produce the desired son and saw an opportunity. Jane was the total opposite of Anne in both looks and temperament. Her calm and compliant nature pleased the King. However, Jane learned from her predecessor and she too held out for marriage and marriage alone. Plans were underfoot to unseat the queen. Soon enough her downfall was complete and within 24 hours of the execution of Henry's second wife, Henry and Jane were betrothed and 10 days later, married. Unfortunately Henry's newly married bliss was to be short lived as his 'dear' Jane who had so dutifully provided him with a son fell gravely ill and left him a grieving widower. Annabelle Wallis and Anita Briem ANNE OF CLEVES When the king determined to marry a fourth time, it was thought that a political union would be the best solution. However, Henry still wanted to feel a "love connection" and sent his men to view the women being considered. To make further sure of the best looking bride, his brilliant court artist Holbein was sent to paint a portrait. The small Germanic Duchy of Cleves had two attractive eligible ladies and was part of a strong Protestant alliance. The king finally chose Anne whose portrait pleased him immensely. Unfortunately whatever his reasons were, the reality did not match his fantasy and this marriage would be the shortest lived of all his unions. Despite being rejected, Anne became a good friend to Henry whom he called his "sister" and bestowed riches on making her the richest woman in England in her own right. She became known for her kind and generous spirit. Joss Stone KATHERINE HOWARD As had happened several times before, Katherine caught the eye of the inconstant monarch while serving his 4th Queen as her lady in waiting, She was well connected to the great Howard family and cousin of the late second wife of the King. However, while sharing a similar attraction for Henry, she did not share the same education or astuteness for court life as her cousin. Her naivete made her no match for the games of courtly love that were regularly played out and she soon found herself being used by those who surrounded her for their own gain. Either through her own foolishness or being used as a pawn she would find herself suffering a similar fate to her cousin and being interred in the same grave for eternity. Tamzin Merchant CATHERINE PARR Daughter of two well known courtiers, the twice married Catherine was courted by Henry even before her 2nd husband's demise by sending her gifts but Catherine only had eyes for the dashing Seymour brother, Thomas. Henry conveniently sent him to Brussels on a permanent embassy and then began his pursuit in earnest. Realizing she had no choice, Catherine accepted the King's proposal. She was universally liked and saw it as her purpose in life to bring Henry's children back into the royal family fold which she successfully did. She also nurtured the young siblings intellect by overseeing their education. Her and her group of ladies' reformist leanings were not missed by the conservative catholic faction and there were soon plots underfoot to discredit her in the King's eyes to the point of an arrest warrant being issued. But the wily Catherine managed to survive both the warrant and Henry's own demise. Joely Richardson PRINCESS MARY TUDOR Born into the privileged lifestyle of the first born royal princess of Henry and Katherine of Aragon, Mary found herself doted on and the centre of attention. Henry called her the "Pearl" of the Kingdom but that would all change when it became evident that her mother would not be able to produce the desired male heir that he craved. She was sent from court while her parents struggled with "the great matter". Like her mother, her catholic faith would become an important source of support for her during the unsure times she lived in. Naturally, she would disapprove of her father's succeeding choice of wife after her parent's marriage was dissolved. She was fond of his third wife Jane, who would be instrumental in bringing her back into her father's favour and his last wife, Catherine despite her reformist ways. Ironically, despite all her father's efforts to have a male heir, she would become the first Queen Regnant of England. Sarah Bolger and Bláthnaid McKeown THOMAS CROMWELL, EARL OF ESSEX From humble beginnings, Cromwell would work his way up to become the King's right hand man and most competent minister with a record number of titles. England's coffers had been bled dry by the King's extravagance and lust for war. It was Cromwell who being a discreet evangelical reformer saw an opportunity to not only fill the coffers but also advance his cause. He was the architect of the dissolution of the monasteries making him become one of the most hated men in England. Unfortunately for Cromwell, at a time when Henry was displeased with his choice of Bride, the conservative Catholic faction moved against him and he would pay the ultimate price with a 'butcherly' beheading. James Frain CARDINAL THOMAS WOLSEY The young king came to the Throne ill equipped to rule but fortunately this man of the cloth was a shrewd politician and ruled for him. While the King spent his time in jousts, and hunts and courtly romance, Wolsey was the real power behind the throne without ever letting the King guess it. His undoing was in underestimating a young woman's hold on the king and dismissing her as a "silly girl". She introduced him to the idea of an absolute king without the need for a religious head like the Pope. She pointed out to the King that Wolsey's palace was larger than his own and soon enough Wolsey was scrambling to unreservedly give it to the King. His fall came so quickly that even his years of service and loyalty fell on deaf ears and did not save him. Sam Neill SIR THOMAS MORE After Wolsey's spectacular fall from grace, More became the King's most important counsellor. Henry enjoyed bouncing ideas off of this highly intelligent , moral family man. He was a traditional person whose Catholic faith was his most precious priority. This entailed him taking part in wearing hair shirts and burning heretics. More's conscience would not allow him to accept the king's plan to rid himself of the Pope's authority over him and his choice to annul his first marriage, Despite the obvious bad effects this would have on his family, More resigned his position. This was not enough for the king, he demanded sole allegiance which More could not give him. His last words would be that he died, "the king's good servant but God's first'. Jeremy Northam THOMAS BOLEYN, EARL OF WILTSHIRE Nick Dunning EDWARD SEYMOUR As brother to the King's third wife, Jane Seymour, Edward stood much to gain from Henry 8 and leveraged his ambition to rise to power as a member of the royal court. Upon the eventual death of King Henry, Edward's young nephew, Prince Edward Tudor, became King Edward VI of England, with Edward effectively ruling as Lord Protector. Max Brown HENRY HOWARD, EARL OF SURREY David O' Hara and Owen Day-Jones THOMAS WYATT Jamie King AKA Jamie Thomas King [[James King AKA Jamie Thomas King| ]] POPE PAUL III Peter O'Toole PRINCESS MARGARET TUDOR This young Princess was the apple of her father's eye and the favourite sister of her brother Henry. Said to be the most beautiful princess of her time, she was married off to an elderly king at the age of seventeen to seal an alliance only to be widowed a few weeks afterward. While still in Portugal she married the handsome Charles Brandon who she had fallen in love with, believing that Henry had promised before leaving for Portugal that she could have her own choice of husband for her seconnd marriage. They were sent into disgrace upon their arrival to England and slowly came back into the Kings good graces. Margaret also was a strong supporter of her sister-in-law and disapproved of her brothers dalliance with a certain Boleyn. *Based on Mary Tudor's (Henry's younger sister) history but with the name of Henry's elder sister* Gabrielle Anwar FRANCIS I Emmanuel Leconte CHARLES V Sebastian Armesto THOMAS HOWARD, DUKE OF NORFOLK Henry Czerny EDWARD STAFFORD, DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM Steven Waddington BISHOP JOHN FISHER Bosco Hogan THOMAS CRANMER Hans Matheson BISHOP STEPHEN GARDINER Simon Ward REGINALD POLE Mark Hildreth CARDINAL VON WALDBURG Max Von Sydow AMBASSADOR CHAPUYS Anthony Brophy PRINCESS ELIZABETH TUDOR Laoise Murray, Claire MacCauley and Kate Duggan PRINCE EDWARD TUDOR Eoin Murtagh and Jake Hathaway ANNE STANHOPE/Seymour, Lady Hertford Emma Hamilton THOMAS SEYMOUR Andrew McNair MARY BOLEYN Perdita Weeks JANE BOLEYN *no contemporary portrait* Joanne King GEORGE BOLEYN *no contemporary portrait* Padraic Delaney HENRY NORRIS *no contemporary portrait* Stephen Hogan MARK SMEATON *no contemporary portrait* David Alpay ROBERT ASKE *no contemporary portrait* Gerard McSorely JOHN CONSTABLE *no contemporary portrait* Kevin Doyle LORD DARCY *no contemporary portrait* Colm Wilkinson FRANCIS BRYAN *no contemporary portrait* Alan Van Sprang THOMAS CULPEPPER *no contemporary portrait* Torrance Coombs HANS HOLBEIN Peter Gaynor URSULA MISSELDON *Fictional character* Charlotte Salt THOMAS TALLIS Joe Van Moyland AKA Joe Lean WILLIAM COMPTON *no contemporary portrait* Kris Holden-Ried ANTHONY KNIVERT Part of Henry's ratag group of youthful men that loved to joust, dance and gamble Knivert was favoured highly by his king and remained a loyal friend. While others rose he stayed with his feet firmly on the ground and continued his youthful ways, eventually being made a Sir because of his prowess on the tiltyard. This very serious and patient man normally did not meddle with the kings affairs and was very neutral towards Henry's lovelife and matters of state as he knew it was left for other people to worry about. *no contemporary portrait* Callum Blue ELIZABETH "BESSIE" BLOUNT A lady-in-waiting to Katherine of Aragon and the daughter of a nobleman in Henry's court, the beautiful Elizabeth Blount caught Henry's eye. Said to be more beautiful than any of Henry's wives she quickly became pregnant and was sent away to await the birth of her child. Nine months passed and she gave birth to a healthy son who was appropriately named Henry (after his father) and was bestowed the last name FitzRoy. This happy event caused many celebrations. After giving birth to Henry's long-awaited son she was married off and her husband was bestowed many honors. Ruta Gedmintas