The Many Faces of King Arthur and Merlin

'Monty Python and Holy Grail' (1975): And now for something completely different...Monty Python! This hilarious spoof of the Arthurian Legend has more quotable lines than any comedy ever! “We are the knights who say ‘Ni” “ “It’s only a flesh wound.” And, “I fart in your general direction.” It may not be the most faithful retelling of the Arthurian legend, but it’s by far the funniest. Graham Chapman stars as King Arthur.

'Camelot' (2011): ‘Camelot’ on the Starz network is, shall we say, a little more NC-17 than the family-friendly ‘Merlin.’ Here we have Joseph Fiennes as a bald creepy sorcerer. And Jamie Campbell Bower plays a young King Arthur who grew up as a commoner only to be thrown onto the throne after his father dies. © Starz 2011

'King Arthur' (2004): In this big-budget film directed by ‘Training Day’ director Antoine Fuqua, Arthur is played by hot British star Clive Owen. This film is grounded in Medieval politics and dismisses the supernatural aspects of Merlin. In fact, Arthur and Merlin start out the film on different sides of a conflict, only to reconcile their differences when Arthur finds out that Guinevere is Merlin’s daughter. Twist! Photo by Jonathan Hession – © 2004 Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.

'First Knight' (1995): ‘First Knight’ revolves around the love triangle between King Arthur, Lancelot (Richard Gere) and Guinevere (Julia Ormond). Merlin doesn’t appear in this film, but the dashing Sean Connery plays a powerful King Arthur. Photo by Columbia Pictures Corporation – © 1995

'Camelot' (1967): Like ‘First Knight,’ this movie also focuses on the love triangle between King Arthur, Guenevere and Lancelot. King Arthur is played by screen legend Richard Harris. Vanessa Redgrave plays his beloved yet adulterous wife.

'Excalibur' (1981): This fantasy film about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table stars Nigel Terry as Arthur and Nicol Willamson as Merlin. Unlike in ‘Merlin,’ this powerful sorcerer acts like a puppeteer over the Pendragons. Pulling strings with King Uther and the Lady of the Lake to get Arthur in power.

'Merlin' (1998): This made-for-TV series is about the Arthurian Legend retold from Merlin’s perspective. Sam Neil plays a youngish version of the wizard who works diligently to save Arthur and Camelot from doom. The over-the-top series also starred Miranda Richardson as Lady of the Lake, Helena Bonham Carter as Morgan Le Fey, Isabella Rossili as Nimue and Paul Curran as Arthur.

'Merlin's Apprentice' (2006): Sam Mendes as Merlin. Miranda Richardson as Lady of the Lake. Sound familiar? This is a loose sequel to the 1998's 'Merlin.' In it, Merlin awakes from a 50-year sleep only to return to a weakend Camelot after the theft of the Holy Grail. King Arthur (Woody Jeffreys) takes a back seat in this film, since most of the action takes place after Arthur has died.

'Stargate SG-1': Crossover! This popular sci-fi show about a planet-hopping military team dipped it’s toe into mythical waters. In season nine, Daniel Johnson is given tablets that tell of a great treasure hidden on Earth. The man who signed those tablets, Merlin, is discovered to be an ‘Ancient,’ one of the powerful people from the lost city of Atlantis. When he fled to Earth to escape the evil Wraith, King Arthur was one of the few people he trusted with his secrets.

'The Sword in the Stone' (1963): This Disney classic is a childhood favorite. It depicts Arthur as a clumsy young squire-in-training who is led to greatness by Merlin the Magician. Merlin is an affable old man replete with small glasses, a long white beard and a pointy hat. © 1963 - Walt Disney Studios.

'Shrek the Third' (2007): Our favorite grumpy ogre must go on a mission to install the reluctant and underachieving teenaged Artie as the rightful King of Far, Far Away. Merlin (Eric Idle) is Artie’s (Justin Timberlake) retired wizard teacher, and like all the Merlins in all the stories, helps Artie out of jam so he can become King.

The Legend of King Arthur and the powerful sorcerer Merlin has endured since the Middle Ages, and there have been hundreds of versions of the Camelot myth told throughout time. Merlin is typically depicted as an old, shrouded figure who ushers a young man to power. But we're loving 'Merlin' for it's fresh take on an old tale. Let’s take a look at other Arthurs and Merlins in cinematic and television history to see if they can stack up with the epic bromance between Colin Morgan’s Merlin and Bradley James’ Arthur. ©Shine Limited/BBC

The Many Faces of King Arthur and Merlin

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