Mark Strong

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 the theatre 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."

Mark Strong worked with Guy Ritchie as a member of the ensemble cast of the crime comedy "RocknRolla."  Strong's recent credits also include "The Young Victoria," opposite Emily Blunt; Pete Travis's Apartheid drama "Endgame"; "Good," with Viggo Mortensen; and Ridley Scott's espionage thriller "Body of Lies," with Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe.

Strong has also completed work on Peter Weir's fact-based drama "The Way Back," with Colin Farrell; Matthew Vaughn's action comedy "Kick-Ass," based on Mark Millar's popular comic book; Kevin Macdonald's Roman epic "The Eagle of the Ninth"; and "Robin Hood," which reunited him with Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe.

His previous film credits include "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day"; Matthew Vaughn's "Stardust"; Danny Boyle's "Sunshine"; Kevin Reynolds' "Tristan & Isolde"; Stephen Gaghan's "Syriana"; Roman Polanski's "Oliver Twist"; Guy Ritchie's "Revolver"; "It's All About Love"; "Heartlands"; the British film "Fever Pitch"; and "Captives."

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 stage work also includes "The Treatment" and "The Thickness of Skin" at the Royal Court Theatre; and the Royal National Theatre productions of "Richard III," "King Lear," "Napoli Milionaria," "Fuente Ovejuna," "Murmuring Judges," and "Johnny on a Spot," as well as numerous repertory theatre productions.

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