Meet Queue: Get Swept Away By ‘Into The Storm’ Star Richard Armitage

By Meghan O'Keefe

August 11, 2014 // 4:00pm
BBC & The Everett Collection

It’s entirely possible that you did decide to see Into The Storm this weekend. You probably had a lot of questions ranging from: Could a storm get this bad? Could this amount of footage of a catastrophic storm really be “found’? And, damn, who is this strapping Midwestern man and where have I seen him before?

The man in question is Richard Armitage. Like many American action movie heroes, he’s actually British in real life. Armitage may be best known to American audiences as the head dwarf in The Hobbit movies, but for the past decade, legions of Brits have been swooning over him and his prestigious television work. Whether you’re looking for a quick dossier on Armitage’s professional career or if you’re developing a crush on the strapping British star, we’ve compiled the five titles on streaming that are guaranteed to make you a Richard Armitage fan. It’s kind of like a “meet cute” in a romantic movie, but because it’s all streaming, we’re calling it your “meet queue.”

North & South (2004)

10 years ago, Richard Armitage became an overnight sensation in the UK. He starred in an immensely popular miniseries called North & South, which was kind of like Pride & Prejudice set during the Industrial Revolution. Armitage played the stubborn and ambitious mill owner, John Thornton, and pretty much became the first BBC miniseries hero to eclipse Colin Firth’s Mr. Darcy.

You can stream North & South on Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video.

The Vicar of Dibley: Christmas Specials (2006)

What do you do after you become Britain’s favorite leading man? You guest star on a popular British comedy’s Christmas special as the man of everyone’s dreams. The Vicar of Dibley is about an ebullient female vicar named Geraldine Granger (Dawn French). The show ended with her finally falling in love with the perfect man, who was perfectly played by Richard Armitage.

You can stream The Vicar of Dibley on Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime Instant Video.

Robin Hood (2006-2009)

Maybe you’re unimpressed with nice guys in sweaters and 19th century mill owners. Maybe you like campy bad guys in leather. Richard Armitage can do that, too. Armitage co-starred as Guy of Gisborne in the BBC’s action-packed take on Robin Hood. He wore a lot of black leather, did a lot of bad things and spent much of his on-screen time brooding.

You can stream Robin Hood on Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime Instant Video

MI-5 aka Spooks, Series 7-9 (2008-2010)

MI-5, or Spooks for you British TV purists, was the UK’s banner spy drama from 2002-2011. Armitage joined the cast for three seasons as Lucas North, an operative trying to get his groove back after being imprisoned in Russia for 8 years. The series gave Armitage a chance to dig into psychological pathos and to display his potential as an action star. Armitage famously underwent actual waterboarding for a flashback scene involving the torture technique.

You can stream MI-5 on Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Instant Video.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

Evidently, The Hobbit trilogy is more than just a super long adaptation of Tolkein’s one short and sweet book; it’s also chock full of up-and-coming hotties! Lee Pace might devour the scenery in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, but Richard Armitage smolders through his bulky prosthetics in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

To find out where you can watch The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, go visit GoWatchIt.