MARK STRONG
Date of Birth: August 1963
Born in London, Mark Strong first pursued a law degree in Germany before returning home to study English and Drama at Royal Holloway, University of London. He then attended the Bristol Old Vic, which led to an eight-year apprenticeship on the English stage. Dividing his early years between theater and television, his first big break came when he won the role of Tosker Cox in the 1994 BBC2 miniseries Our Friends in the North.
Strong has since become a familiar face on British television, earning a BAFTA TV Award nomination for Best Actor for his role in the 2004 BBC2 telefilm The Long Firm. He also appeared as then-Inspector Larry Hall in ITV's Prime Suspect 3 in 1993 and, ten years later, reprised the role of Detective Chief Superintendent Larry Hall in Prime Suspect 6. His many television credits include Sharpe's Mission; ITV's presentation of Jane Austen's Emma; the BBC telefilms Trust and Fields of Gold; Channel 4's Falling Apart; the PBS miniseries Anna Karenina; Low Winter Sun; and the Pete Travis-directed projects The Jury and Henry VIII.
An accomplished stage actor, Strong has appeared in London's West End in such plays as Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman; the debut of Patrick Marber's Closer; Kevin Spacey's production of Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh; David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow; and the Sam Mendes-directed productions of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya and Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, earning an Olivier nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the latter.
His film credits include Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day; Stardust; Danny Boyle's Sunshine; Tristan & Isolde; Syriana; Oliver Twist; and Guy Ritchie's Revolver. After working again with Ritchie in the crime comedy RocknRolla, he was chosen to playing a major role opposite Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law as Lord Blackwell in Sherlock Holmes. Other recent credits include The Young Victoria opposite Emily Blunt, Ridley Scott's espionage thriller Body of Lies with Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe, and Robin Hood, which reunited him with Scott and Crowe.