Mark Strong
| Mark Strong | |
|---|---|
Strong in 2010 |
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| Born | Marco Giuseppe Salussolia 30 August 1963 London, England, UK |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Spouse(s) | Liza Marshall (2 children) |
Mark Strong (born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia; 30 August 1963) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in films such as RocknRolla, Body of Lies, Syriana, The Young Victoria, Sherlock Holmes, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Kick-Ass, Green Lantern, Zero Dark Thirty, Robin Hood, and John Carter. He often portrays villains or antagonists.
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Early life [edit]
Strong was born in London, England, to an Austrian mother, Waltraud D. (née Schrempf), and an Italian father, Giuseppe A. Salussolia.[1] His father left the family soon after his birth, and he was brought up by his mother, who worked as an au pair. His English name is not a stage name; when he was a child, his mother changed his name by deed poll to help him fit in with his peers.[2] He was baptised a Catholic.[3] He speaks fluent German and some Italian.[4][5]
Strong attended Wymondham College, where he sang in the punk bands, the Electric Hoax and Private Party (the name of the latter was based on the idea that the band's shows would not be attended, due to prospective audiences thinking that the event was a "private party").[6] His original ambition was to become a lawyer, but after studying at university in Munich for one year, he decided to change his direction in life and returned home to London.[7] There, he studied English and Drama at Royal Holloway, and later attended Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.[8][9]
Career [edit]
Strong is a familiar face on British television. He appeared in two Prime Suspect serials for ITV as Inspector (later Detective Chief Superintendent) Larry Hall, in "Prime Suspect 3" (1993) and "Prime Suspect 6" (2003). He also had starring roles in two BBC Two drama serials, Our Friends in the North (1996) and The Long Firm (2004), for which he earned a BAFTA nomination. He also played the villainous Colonel Brand in Sharpe's Mission (1996). He played the romantic lead, Mr. Knightley, in the ITV adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Emma.
In feature films, Strong played Steve in the 1997 adaptation of Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch, opposite Colin Firth, and was also featured in Roman Polanski's Oliver Twist (2005). He played Mussawi in the film Syriana, and played an assassin called Sorter in Revolver (2005). In 2006, Strong portrayed the traitorous Wictred in Tristan & Isolde, showing his talent with swordplay. He played Pinbacker in the science fiction film Sunshine (2007), and had to spend six hours a day in the makeup chair to create the character's facial scars. Coincidentally, Strong had previously appeared in a 1999 film also entitled Sunshine.
Strong was one of the final two actors considered for the part of Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men, despite the persistence of rumours that he was never offered the part.[10] In Body of Lies, he played Hani Salaam, head of Jordanian Intelligence. In most of Strong's films, he is virtually unrecognisable due to his tendency to change his look for each character; he has long hair in Stardust and Tristan + Isolde, he sports a receding hairline in RocknRolla and The Long Firm, he is completely bald in Kick-Ass, he has a full head of hair in Body of Lies and Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, and wore extremely heavy makeup in the aforementioned Sunshine. His characters in Low Winter Sun, Heartlands, and Fever Pitch most resemble his own physical appearance.
For his role in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night at the Donmar Warehouse in 2002, Strong was nominated for the 2003 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role. He played a lead part in the Channel 4 film Endgame (2009).[11] Since 2006, he has provided the narration in the BBC's genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are?. He played Lord Blackwood, the main villain in Sherlock Holmes (2009), and played Thaal Sinestro in the superhero film Green Lantern (2011).[12]
Strong voices the character Captain Titus of the Ultramarines Chapter in the video game Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine. Recently, and most notably, he played the role of Jim Prideaux in the remake of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which was earlier played by Ian Bannen in the iconic original 1979 BBC series starring Alec Guinness.
Personal life [edit]
Strong lives in London with his wife, Liza Marshall, and sons Gabriel and Roman (born 5 October 2007).[13][14] He is a longtime friend of actor Daniel Craig, who is the godfather of Strong's younger son, Roman.
Filmography [edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | The Buddha of Suburbia | Television producer | |
| 1993 | Prime Suspect 3 | Inspector Larry Hall | |
| 1993 | Century | Policeman | |
| 1994 | Captives | Kenny | |
| 1996 | Our Friends in the North | Terry "Tosker" Cox | |
| 1996 | Sharpe's Mission | Brand | |
| 1996 | Emma | Mr. Knightley | |
| 1997 | Fever Pitch | Steve | |
| 1997 | Gold | Ed Smithson | |
| 1998 | Spoonface Steinberg | Father | |
| 1998 | The Man with Rain in His Shoes | Dave Summers | |
| 1999 | Trust | Michael Mitcham | |
| 1999 | Births, Marriages and Deaths | Terry | |
| 1999 | In the Name of Love | Chris Monroe | |
| 1999 | Elephant Juice | Frank | |
| 1999 | Sunshine | István Sors | |
| 2000 | Bomber | Colonel Chris Forsyth | |
| 2000 | Anna Karenina | Oblonsky | |
| 2001 | To End All Wars | Dusty Miller | |
| 2001 | Hotel | Ferdinand | |
| 2001 | The Martins | Doug | |
| 2001 | Superstition | Antonio Gabrieli | |
| 2002 | Fields of Gold | Dr. Tolkin | |
| 2002 | Heartlands | Ian | |
| 2002 | Falling Apart | Pete | |
| 2003 | Some Place Safe | Dad | Short film |
| 2003 | It's All About Love | Arthur | |
| 2003 | Henry VIII | Duke of Norfolk | |
| 2003 | Prime Suspect 6: The Last Witness | Det. Chief Supt. Larry Hall | |
| 2004 | The Long Firm | Harry Starks | Nominated – British Academy Television Award for Best Actor |
| 2005 | Revolver | Sorter | |
| 2005 | Oliver Twist | Toby Crackit | |
| 2005 | Walk Away and I Stumble | Andy Spader | |
| 2005 | Syriana | Mussawi | |
| 2006 | Tristan & Isolde | Wictred | |
| 2006 | Low Winter Sun | Det. Sgt. Frank Agnew | |
| 2006 | Scenes of a Sexual Nature | Louis | |
| 2006–present | Who Do You Think You Are? | Narrator | |
| 2007 | Sunshine | Pinbacker | |
| 2007 | Stardust | Septimus | |
| 2008 | Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day | Nick | |
| 2008 | Flashbacks of a Fool | Mannie Miesel | |
| 2008 | Babylon A.D. | Finn | |
| 2008 | RocknRolla | Archy | |
| 2008 | Body of Lies | Hani Salaam | Nominated – London Critics Circle Film Award for Best British Supporting Actor |
| 2008 | Good | Philipp Bouhler | |
| 2009 | Endgame | Dr. Niel Barnard | |
| 2009 | The Young Victoria | Sir John Conroy | |
| 2009 | Sherlock Holmes | Lord Henry Blackwood | Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Fight (shared with Robert Downey, Jr.) |
| 2010 | Kick-Ass | Frank D'Amico | Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Fight (shared with Chloë Grace Moretz) |
| 2010 | Robin Hood | Sir Godfrey | |
| 2010 | The Way Back | Khabarov | |
| 2011 | The Story of Earth | Narrator | |
| 2011 | The Guard | Clive Cornell | |
| 2011 | The Eagle | Guern | |
| 2011 | Green Lantern | Thaal Sinestro | |
| 2011 | The Secret World of Arrietty | Pod | Voice |
| 2011 | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy | Jim Prideaux | Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast Georgia Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast YouMovie Award for Best Cast Nominated – Chlotrudis Award for Best Cast |
| 2011 | Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine | Captain Titus | Voice |
| 2011 | Black Gold | Sultan Amar | |
| 2012 | John Carter | Matai Shang | |
| 2012 | Zero Dark Thirty | George | |
| 2013 | Welcome to the Punch | Jacob Sternwood | |
| 2013 | Mindscape | John | |
| 2013 | Justin and the Knights of Valour | Voice/Post-production |
References [edit]
- ^ Imogen Edwards-Jones (14). "Brightest star in Mamet's plow". Peter Gill, playwright and theatre director (from The Times). John Pavel. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ^ Olga Craig (20 December 2009). "Mark Strong: how I put the fear factor into Sherlock Holmes". The Telegraph (London).
- ^ Vincent, Sally (16 April 2005). "Hard man, soft heart". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 21 June 2010. "He was christened [sic] a Catholic"
- ^ Day, Elizabeth (9 May 2010). "Robin Hood star Mark Strong: 'Real knights would have needed tea breaks'". The Observer (London). Retrieved 6 July 2010.
- ^ Griffin, Susan (13 May 2010). "Interview: Mark Strong". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
- ^ Wymondham College Remembered (15). "Rock & Roll Performers". Wymondham College Remembered. Wymondham College Remembered. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ^ John Preston (18 February 2009). "Mark Strong: the strong, violent type". The Telegraph (London).
- ^ "Interview: Why actor Mark Strong is an accidental anti-hero". The Independent (London). 19 October 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
- ^ Strong, Mark (9 May 2009). "'Your acting technique should be hidden". The Guardian (London).
- ^ Total Film (25). "Mark Strong refutes No Country casting rumour". Total Film. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ^ Hemley, Matthew (26 March 2008). "C4 season to feature apartheid thriller Endgame". The Stage. Retrieved 17 April 2008.
- ^ Rob M .Worley (18). "Mark Strong Circling GREEN LANTERN?". Mania. Mania. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ^ "Interview: Why actor Mark Strong is an accidental anti-hero". The Independent (London). 19 October 2007. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
- ^ Preston, John (18 February 2009). "Mark Strong: the strong, violent type". The Telegraph (London). Retrieved 18 November 2010.
External links [edit]
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- 1963 births
- Actors from London
- Alumni of Royal Holloway, University of London
- Alumni of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
- English film actors
- English people of Austrian descent
- English people of Italian descent
- English television actors
- Living people
- People educated at Wymondham College
- 20th-century English actors
- 21st-century English actors