Has Richard Armitage reached peak sexy?

Now for a little distraction. One of the times I saw Ocean’s 8 this week, I was struck at how attractive Armitage is at the beginning of the Met Gala sequences, specifically at this point:

Richard Armitage as Claude Becker in Ocean’s 8.

I thought, “I may never have seen him look THAT sexy before.”

Which made me ask: is Richard Armitage getting better?

And made me decide to do a bit of a poll. When do you think Armitage was sexiest, or is he sexiest now, or are even sexier days coming? (The mind pales.)

So here are some pictures to prompt you. None are definitive — there are others from these periods obviously that I couldn’t put in here — but I did pick ones I really like.

I. LAMDA / RSC stage (1998-2002)

I’d call this callow and still with rounded edges, although with occasional moments of sharper focus.

Richard Armitage as Felix in The Normal Heart while at LAMDA. Date unknown but after 1995 and before the end of 1998. Multiple sources, including tweet by LAMDA.

Richard Armitage in This Year’s Love (1999).

II. Early TV phase (Ultimate Force, Between the Sheets, Sparkhouse, Cold Feet — 2002-2004)

The early sex appeal emerges through, especially with those eyes.

Richard Armitage as Ian Macilwain in Ultimate Force.

Richard Armitage as John Standring in episode 3 of Sparkhouse.

Promo shot from 2003 in conjunction with Cold Feet.

III. TV breakthrough phase (North & South, The Golden Hour, The Impressionists –2004-5)

We finally get the added value of the intense smolder.

Richard Armitage Mr. Thornton in North & South, episode 4.

Another Magazine spring 2005 photoshoot.

IV. UK TV peak phase (Robin Hood, Spooks, Strike Back — 2006-2010)

The point at which I fell in love — very much with someone who I felt was a man on the make, wanting to be seen as others saw him, hoping for greater success.

Richard Armitage as Guy of Gisborne in Robin Hood 2.10.

Richard Armitage as Lucas North, promotional photo for series 7 of Spooks.

Richard Armitage and Andrew Lincoln, Strike Back premiere, spring 2010.

Richard Armitage, BAFTA TV awards red carpet, 2010.

V. Thorin Oakenshield phase (2010-2014)

This is the end of the inchoate Armitage appearance for me. Maybe it was that he played one character for a long time, but he took on a more definitive form at this point.

Richard Armitage, NYC premiere of Captain America, summer 2011.

Richard Armitage, red carpet look, world premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected journey, Wellington, November 27, 2012.

 

Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) sees Fili in Azog’s grasp, in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Screencap.

Richard Armitage, World’s End premiere, summer 2013. NAPE CURLS!!!!

 

VI. John Proctor phase (The Crucible, Urban and the Shed Crew –2014)

In some ways Proctor built on that definitive quality that Thorin Oakenshield gave him for the first time.

Richard Armitage, image for poster for The Crucible, spring 2014.

Richard Armitage as Chop, screencap.

VII. Penultimate phase (Hannibal, Pilgrimage, Love, Love, Love, Berlin Station 1 & 2, Ocean’s 8 — 2015-2017)

Hard to say anything coherent here, except that he always seemed to be losing weight or trying to gain muscle.

Richard Armitage as Raymond de Merville in Pilgrimage. Screencap.

Richard Armitage, October 2016, Berlin Station promo.

VIII. Current appearance (Their Lost Daughters, Berlin Station 3)

The mature Armitage? Or is there more to come?

Richard Armitage photographed in conjunction with Their Lost Daughters, May 2018.

Richard Armitage and Mina Tander, posted by Tander, July 2018.

 

What say you?

 

~ by Servetus on July 28, 2018.