Well Lady Anglophile has been all aflutter since Richard Armitage heard the call of The Anglophile Channel‘s Ice Bucket Challenge, stepping up to the plate with his own tribute no less than 24 hours later!

And it wasn’t just ANY ‘ol day that Mr. Armitage made his contribution to the global awareness campaign for ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)….it was his birthday!

Photo Art by Ann Boudreau

So, after another sweat-inducing (for actor and fans alike) performance as John Proctor in The Crucible at The Old Vic Theatre in London, Armitage got cleaned up and changed (into a nice 3-piece Burberry suit, I might add!) and came around back to the stage door…where nightly a queue wraps around the building of fans awaiting the opportunity to meet and say hello to the actor who has just bewitched them for nearly 4 hours…and every night this gracious, dedicated actor spends whatever time it takes to make his way down the line of enthusiastic well wishers, signing autographs and posing for photos…until no fans remain. I’m not sure who else does that…but it’s impressive.

On this particular night, however, the stage door attendees were rewarded for their own dedication and patience as they got to witness Armitage taking his turn at the Ice Bucket Challenge!

Armitage readies to be pelted by a bucket of ice and water…again! (Photo: Arikisshirely.tumblr)

First mentioning his challenger The Anglophile Channel’s Marlise Boland…

And then his chosen charities: ALS, The Anthony Nolan Trust and Young Minds….he then sat down with great poise, taking in a deep breath (because we ALL know how he feels about being immersed in water…) and took it like the true English gentleman that he is. (We heard a bit of a shudder but then who wouldn’t in given London’s current temps.) Fans cheered and applauded a job well done!

For a good cause…and not just because we love him in a wet shirt…

And then…Armitage turned around, wet suit and all…and met and greeted each of his admirers till no one remianed. Then…hopefully…the man got to go home and put his feet up or at least enjoy a nice birthday glass of Pinot Noir!

Happy Birthday Mr. Armitage and Thank You for bringing global awareness to ALS!

Happy Birthday Richard!
(Photo created by Thorin of Erebor)

Lady Anglophile…Raising her glass to Armitage!

To Donate To Richard Armitage’s Chosen Charities Visit:

For ALS: http://www.alsa.org/

For Anthony Nolan Trust: http://www.anthonynolan.org/

For Young Minds: http://www.youngminds.org.uk/

Thank you for your consideration!