Steven Blades

With his breakthrough performance as Ethan in Matthew Hope's All The Devil's Men, English actor Steven Blades has been brought to the attention of audiences worldwide. He is also no stranger to television as he has also appeared in popular productions such as Coronation Street and Vikings. Steven Blades was born 20th July 1989 in Sheffield and raised by his mother Susan Blades. He attended Halfway Infant & Junior school before finishing his academic teenage years at Westfield comprehensive school. Classroom based education never fulfilled his desires and consequently he was expelled in his final year. Steven was accepted into Royal Marines Commando Basic Training at the age of 16. The Royal Marine Commandos are the United Kingdoms Elite Rapid Reaction Force, well know for their gruelling 32 weeks selection process. Steven completed his basic training and became a Royal Marines Commando in 2008, although not before breaking his foot and tearing ligaments in his leg during the process. He was first drafted to Yankee Company in 45 Commando Arbroath Scotland, before deploying to Afghanistan with Brigade HQ on Operation Herrick 09. Steven's aspirations to rise through the military ranks were taken from him in 2010 when he was medically discharged from the Royal Marines, due to an injury which left him partially blind in his right eye. The years that followed were extremely dark for Steven. As not only was he adapting to civilian life, but he was also coming to terms with the fact that his whole world had just been taken from him. However he wasn't ready to throw in the towel just yet. He travelled to Cape Town South Africa and was trained in Close Protection. Advancing his skillset in close quarter combat, surveillance/counter surveillance, defensive driving and advanced weapons handling. He then began working in the private security sector as both a Maritime Security Consultant and a Close Protection Operative. Over the years to come Steven provided armed protection to commercial vessels and their crew, from the immediate threat of Somali Pirates. He also provided Personal Protection to some of the most influential people in the world. It wasn't until 2013 were Steven found his true calling in life. He began taking drama classes in Sheffield and quickly realized that the creative space was where he truly felt alive. He sold his house, car and most of his belongings to make the move to London. Steven then began working as a supporting artist taking whatever work he could get, while also attending acting classes. In 2015 Steven starred in The Wild Card directed by Nicholas Cohen, performing the role of Archie Muscato, whilst also producing the film. The duo then went on to create Recoil in 2018, a short film based on the dark period of Steven life after leaving the Royal Marines. Recoil then went on to win Best Thriller at the Los Angeles Film Awards. Soon after Steven earned his breakthrough role as Ethan in Matthew Hope's All The Devil's Men, which brought him to the attention of audiences across the world. He later appeared in popular television productions such as Coronation Street and Vikings, with one of his more recent roles being that of Trevors in Tom Paton's 400 Bullets.