This is courtesy of the wonderful page Richard Armitage Bulgaria on FB . . .
“So, girls, I have small new-year present for you. As most of you know, 1995-1998 Richard enrolled on a three-year Acting course at the London Academy of Music and… Dramatic Art (LAMDA).This is his photo, along with pictures of other famous alumni on the walls in the lobby of LAMDA. I know the quality is not very good[it’s taken by one very big Russian fan of Richard Armitage by the phone and i post here with her kind permission and lots of my photoshop work ], but the picture is rare and i don’t think you can find another one in Internet. Happy New Year!”
I can’t read the information under the photo but the date does appear to be 1998, so our Richard would have been 27. Looks like he has his hair from “This Year’s Love,” doesn’t it?
And people thought John Barrymore was beautiful and “The Great Profile.” Oh, Richard . . . and you just keep getting better, my love. Stronger and more assured in your craft, more comfortable in your own skin and ever more captivating to us. And aging like the finest of wines.
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Good grief. That’s a fabulous find. Love it. And maaaaaaaan – I always thought he was less handsome when young, but *whoa*… Thanks for posting that, Angie, and what a great start to the new year!!!
Sure made me smile when it popped up on FB earlier. *thud* We even get glimpses of the beautiful hand AND a knee! I have tended to think the same– a good-looking young man but not with that startling beauty we see now, but this made me re-think things a bit. He’s got matinee idol written all over him here. Definitely a great gift to start off 2014!! 😀 Yippee for Russian fans with a camera on their phones and presence of mind to snap a photo!
Indeed – those Russian fans are brilliant. They dig up a lot of really cool stuff! Spassiba to them!
So many images and other things related to RA have surfaced due to their work and determination. Kudos!
Yes,Большое Спасибо! for Russian fans and thank you very much ,Angie :*
” Look at you, you’re a beautiful boy !” 🙂 😉
I’ve had heart burn all day…Now he’s burning my heart up!!! OMG is he the hots or what? Guylty we need a rescue mission….
True – I’d love to emergency *ooof* that – but the picture quality is just a little bit too difficult… Nonetheless I applaud the fan who spotted it and had the wherewithall to snap it!!
And from what I understand, Eni (of RA Bulgaria) did a fair amount of tweaking on it as it is . . . you’d really need a better quality image to properly *ooof* it. Yes, she was truly on the ball!
Yep – I am afraid I couldn’t do it any justice now! Thanks to Eni, though!
Gorgeous picture and a lovely find, Angie! 1998 would make it the year before “Staged” iirc. Is it the longer hair that makes the difference? He doesn’t look as boyish. I too have always thought that his stunning looks really only developed in his 30’s, but this certainly puts paid to that idea! *thud*
Your right Mezz, he really is stunning there! I think the hair length has a lot to do with it and it seems really thick. He really is “a beautiful young man” Angie!! Is that a bath robe (or what I still call a dressing gown!) he is wearing? Sets the mind off in so many tangents with that glimpse of the hand and the knee! 😉 *fans self* I wonder what role he was playing at the time? Thanks RA Bulgaria! Such a treat to begin the year with. 🙂
I was too busy looking at his face, but now you mention it, Teuchter, yes, I do think he is wearing a bathrobe, especially since his knee is bare……
The hair begs to have you run your fingers right through it, doesn’t it?? So lush. *sigh* It is definitely a bathrobe/dressing gown he’s got on–if I could only read what’s under the photo, we’d know what the production was, but when I blow it up, I still can’t read it. 😦 Yes, the mind does get busy. Makes you wonder just what he’s got on, uhm *underneath* said robe . . . Happy New Year, indeed!!!
Could there even be a hint of chest hair or is my imagination running away with me? He does tend to have that effect on one. 😉
It’s hard to tell because of the reflection from the glass–but surely there was some–he wasn’t likely waxing back then. Oh, it’s easy for one’s imagination to run completely wild where he is concerned . . . 😉
Especially with a picture like this… when I imagine the reality it suggests, OMG…
Sorry Teuchter, I think he’s wearing a t-shirt. Showing some chest hair would be just a little too much for this rubber ducky, given that he’s wearing a bathrobe and his legs appear to be bare underneath…..between you and Angie, I am not getting my housework done! 😉
Yeah, I think you are probably right about the T-shirt. Too bad we can’t see the photo in person . . . a T-shirt and undies? Hmmmm, what kind, I wonder . . . Mezz, you know the housework will always be there waiting for you. 😉
Black Porters Angie. *runs off to clean bathroom*
I love it! *giggles like a naughty schoolgirl*
Despite getting the iPad on maximum zoom, the chesticle area is just a blur to me. It could be a t shirt or it could be a hairy chest – so until we have CONCRETE evidence to the contrary I am imagining him naked underneath that robe…
Thud.
I say that is your prerogative, Bolly. Go for it!! 😀 I also think this is another reason we need someone to visit this in person–to carefully study every aspect of the photo AND read the inscription under it.
Good thinking there Bolly! 😉 Mind you I’m quite happy to settle for the “Black John Porter’s”! *swoon*
Maybe they had to blur out the chest hair because of the large number of ladies swooning in the lobby.
It became an OH & S issue.
Darn it! 😦 You’re probably right! Carry on cleaning! 🙂 Somehow that doesn’t have the same ring to it as Carry on Richarding, does it? *pouts* A girl can dream though, so I’ll just *pretend* he isn’t wearing one. A t-shirt that is. 😉
Oh stuff the cleaning! And the t-shirt and the John Porters! I’m with you Bolly!
It’s too hot here to clean anyway.
Even more so now I’ve seen that photo.
“It’s getting hot, Richie, so take off all your clothes . . . ” It doesn’t help any knowing just what he looks like sans garments, does it?! Greek god-like creature that he is . . . *gulp* Oh, yeah. It’s actually quite damp and chilly here but suddenly things have warmed up!
I think that’s a neckline you can see at the base of his neck, right hand side.
I had *so* hoped it was just a shadow!
I’ve been looking and thinking some more (always a dangerous combination) and I don’t see why he would be wearing a t-shirt *and* a robe! Can I go back to dreaming now of chest hair now?
Dream on, I say, my darling Teuchter, you can devise any scenario you may wish, since we can’t be CERTAIN what (if anything) he has on under that rather cozy-looking robe . . .
Oh goodness – I see I wrote “now” twice! He sure does addle my already befuddled brain! 😦 The shawl collar of that robe made me think of the chunky knit cardi/jacket he wore at Waterstones. No wonder my brain was affected! 😉 *sigh*
I thought the same thing about the cardi, Teuchter. That collar just plays up that lovely long throat . . . *sigh*
I give credit to RA Bulgaria and their Russian friend for being so enterprising! Yes, I am thinking the hair might be a big factor. Reminds me of Harry and of course, “Smug Man at Party.” ;)Throw in some liner and stubble and it could be young Guy . . . thud, indeed!
Thank you Angie, and RA Bulgaria for this wonderful treat!
I’m hatching a plan…can anyone go into the lobby of LAMDA? Could we send one of London based members to have a good look at the inscription?
Great plan!! Sadly I’m thousands of miles and an ocean away or I would volunteer. 😉
I might know of someone who can help us out. 😉
I believe she would accept the mission, Angie, and she does take a good photo. 😀
That’s what I am thinking, Leigh. 😀
What a beautiful picture. Thanks for the great New Year’s gift.1512603_688071244558021_1849445923_n
What the??? How did these numbers got in there?
NO worries, Heike, not sure what happened 😉
Thank You for posting this picture a New Year gift to all.
Reblogged this on Me + Richard Armitage and commented:
I get in a car and look what pops up! I think I’m driving 5 hours through snow more often. Picture of Armitage from 1998. Comments there please!
Excellent gift for the new year — like finding a rare jewel! Thanks
That is what I think of this old photos, video snippets, etc. as–true gems. 😀
Oh… My… My,my,my,my,my….Oh,my….MMercy…..Mmmm… Well… I’ll just take myself RIGHT on over to the Naughty Corner. (Though it looks kinda crowded tonight ;))Don’t anybody bother ’bout me ’til I become vaguely resonsive (maybe some time tomorrow? …but I’m not making ANY promises, understand…) Whew! Am I ever glad I was already lying down!… (exhales, blinks repeatedly) Did somebody say he was wearing clothes? (I’ll want to notice that eventually…)Where ARE my manners tonight? (probably the same place my brains went… which, I think we’ll all agree, is a particularly lovely spot) A sincere and VERY WARM thank you to all involved in starting 2014 so memorably!
Feeling overwhelmed, are we, Verbosa? 😉 You are welcome, and welcome to the blog. 😀
However gorgeous he looks in that picture, to me it does not compare to what he looks like now. What really comes to the fore is a sensual softness that radiates from his countenance. Does it send a message that he’s ready to open his heart to a new love? I would love to know that he has someone in his life to share his deepest emotional feelings with. Isn’t that the true sense of life?
He has reached an age where all the lovely stuff going on inside shines out through his features, his demeanor. That inner beauty is what makes the exterior even more captivating. I think most, if not all of us, truly want to think there is that someone special in his life, someone with whom he has a deep connection. I can’t imagine life without my dear Benny, and I want that sort of relationship for those I love. ❤
Elated to see Richard won the Best British Artist of the year 2013 award on the Anglophile Channal! Competing against the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch and Colin Firth. Lovely trophy too!
Me, too. His well-wishers definitely turned out in droves to support him. 😀
What wonderful timing–we ran out of oil this morning and there’s a winter storm on the way!
You need the warm-up, right? Please try to stay safe and warm with Hercules bearing down on you! *hugs*
If we wouldn’t know (for sure!) that this pic is taken 1998, my first guess would’ve been the time around 2007, when he was filming RH. He doesn’t look so particularly young here, as he has later in some of his early film appearances. Gosh, def I would have noticed that man, if our paths would’ve crossed at that time!!! I’m besotted. Really!
Linda, that is what I was thinking. He looks more like the Richard we know from the RH days. He would have certainly have caught MY eye!
*Thud* What we have lost, my dear! I only come to know Richard when He is thirty four .This is a gem. So it’s very understandable this fan have kept this photo only for her for so many years.Lucky lady that managed to come so close to him to get take this picture. Why I have not such luck!
Tereza, this is not a photo a fan took of Richard in person, but a photo the fan snapped of a photo of RA on display in the lobby of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. So *she* didn’t actually get that close to him in person (don’t we all wish for such an event to happen?!)
Well, we did get some oil–thank God, it’s only going to get up to 24 today and the wind is already blowing a gale! Richard is a jewel–so glad i had this wonderful photo of him to keep me warmer most of today until the truck came.