20 Reasons Why Brian Blessed Is The Ultimate Adventurer

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Written by: Jack Clayton

Last Updated: 05 Sep 2016

Who is Brian Blessed? Well, in a nutshell, he’s a national treasure. Born in 1936, Blessed is an English actor famous for playing a number of iconic characters during his long and successful career (including the legendary role of Prince Vultan in Flash Gordon – “GORDON’S ALIVE!”, and Richard IV in the first series of Blackadder). Blessed’s beard is widely considered to be a gift from the ancient gods of Greece, and his booming voice has been known to cause seismic shifts in the earth’s tectonic plates. But did you know that Brian Blessed is also really into outdoor and adventure? In fact, step aside Bear Grylls, we think he might just be the ultimate adventurer. Here’s why…

1) He once delivered a baby under a tree, and bit off the umbilical cord with his teeth.

   

2) He has attempted to climb Mount Everest three times (reaching heights of 8,600m in 1993, and 7,700m in 1996).

3) He’s summited Mount Aconcagua in Argentina.

 

4) He’s summited Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

5) He is the oldest man to trek to the North Magnetic Pole on foot.

 

6) He has been on expeditions to the heart of the Venezuelan jungle.

7) He survived a plane crash during the Venezuelan expedition.

 

8) He’s swam across the Amazon with Pemon Indians, and been nibbled on by piranhas.

9) He once said: “I feel strongly that we are the children of stardust and we don’t just belong here – we have a yearning for the stars.”

 

10) He is the oldest man to get to 28,500ft without oxygen, and holds the world record for this.

 

11) He has a log cabin in his garden.

 

12) He runs an animal sanctuary with his wife. They claim to have over 1,000 animals in their care.

13) He’s gone through intensive training at the space centre in Moscow.

 

14) He knows Judo.

15) He’s involved with a number of wildlife and conservation projects.

 

16) He speaks Chinese and Japanese.

17) He sleeps naked…like an animal.

 

18) He’s had a boxing match with the Dalai Lama.

19) He was a paratrooper in the RAF.

 

20) Did we mention his beard?