Paul Sparks

Paul Sparks

Born 10/16/1971 (52 years old)
Lawton, Oklahoma, USA

Biography

Paul Sparks, long regarded as a true gem of the American theater, stars in HBO's award-winning series, Boardwalk Empire. Produced by Martin Scorsese, the show explores the criminal undercurrent in Atlantic City during Prohibition. Sparks plays Mickey Doyle a thug and bootlegger and has won two SAG Awards in the Ensemble category. Sparks completed production on Parkland, written and directed by Peter Landesman. The Tom Hanks-produced film recounts the chaotic events that occurred at Dallas' Parkland Hospital on the day JFK was assassinated. Sparks plays Dallas news reporter, Harry McCormick, who encounters Abraham Zapruder (Paul Giamatti) and leads him to the FBI and the processing of the famed footage.

Sparks also completed work on Clark Greggs' dark comedy, Trust Me, about a washed up child star-turned-agent (Gregg) hoping to resuscitate his career thanks to a young prodigy. Sparks plays the prodigy's father. Sparks appeared in Mud, Jeff Nichols' follow-up to Take Shelter. Sparks played Carver, a bounty hunter in pursuit of Mud, portrayed by Matthew McConnaughy.

Sparks was born in Oklahoma and studied chemical engineering at Oklahoma State University until transferring to New York University, where he graduated with a BFA in acting, and a minor in philosophy. Paul Sparks has played manic addicts, antisocial misfits, bitter philanderers and other casualties of mismanaged existence Sparks distinguished work on stage has earned him five Drama Desk Awards nominations for his performance opposite Kate Walsh in Stephen Belber's Dusk Rings A Bell, directed by Sam Gold. His first came in 2000 for the play Coyote on a Fence and his frequent collaborations with playwrights Adam Rapp and Craig Wright have resulted in three others.

He first worked with Rapp in 2004 originating the role of Baylis in the London production of Blackbird, a role he repeated in New York, earning him a second Drama Desk nomination. (Sparks appeared in the film version of Blackbird as well.) In the same year Sparks' performance in the off-Broadway production of Rapp's Finer Noble Gases was called mesmerizing by the New York Times. He performed the play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where he won The Stage Award for Acting Excellence. Sparks' appearance in Craig Wright's Orange Flower Water earned him a third Drama Desk nomination in 2005. He again collaborated with Adam Rapp in the 2007 production of Essential Self-Defense resulting in his fourth Drama Desk nomination.

His other stage credits include American Sligo, Pumpgirl and Craig Wright's Lady. Sparks also appeared on Broadway opposite Mary Louise Parker in Hedda Gabler. Sparks' TV credits include a recurring role on Underemployed, produced by Craig Wright, the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce, all three NY Law & Orders, Brotherhood and Trinity. He appearred on Person of Interest. Sparks lives in New York with actress Annie Parisse and son Emmett.

Tribeca Film

Actor

Movies
2023

Eric Larue

2021

Giving Birth to a Butterfly

 

Hands that Bind

2020

The Lovebirds

2019

Human Capital

2017

The Greatest Showman

 

Thoroughbreds

2016

All the Birds Have Flown South

 

In the Radiant City

Ads

Ads

 

Midnight Special

2015

Stealing Cars

2014

Early Light

2013

Parkland

 

Trust Me

2012

Forgetting the Girl

 

Mud

 

Sparrows Dance

2011

Return

2010

Edge of Darkness

 

Please Give

2009

The Missing Person

2008

Afterschool

 

Deception

 

Rachel Getting Married

 

Synecdoche, New York

 

The Understudy

2007

Blackbird

2006

The Treatment

2005

Headspace

Series
2023

Physical

 

Like a Mouse (S03E08)

 

Like No One’s Watching (S03E07)

 

Like You Mean It (S03E06)

  more episodes (5)
2022

Physical

 

Don’t You Say It’s Over (S02E10)

 

Don’t Try This at Home (S02E07)

 

Don’t You Have Enough (S02E06)

  more episodes (5)
2021

Joe Pickett

 

Live and Look Like a Million (S01E05)

 

A Conspiracy of Ravens (S01E04)

 

Joey, Get Your Gun (S01E03)

  more episodes (2)
 

Physical

 

Let’s Get Together (S01E10)

 

Let’s Face the Facts (S01E09)

 

Let's Not and Say We Did (S01E08)

  more episodes (6)
2019

Castle Rock

 

Dirty (S02E08)

 

The Word (S02E07)

 

The Mother (S02E06)

  more episodes (5)
 

Sweetbitter

 

Entropy (S02E05)

 

Sec or Demi-Sec (S02E04)

 

Last of the Season (S02E03)

  more episodes (2)
2018

House of Cards

 

Chapter 68 (S06E03)

 

Random Acts of Flyness

 

I Tried to Tell My Therapist About My Dreams / Martin Had a Dreeeeaaaam (S01E05)

 

Sweetbitter

 

It's Mine (S01E06)

 

Weird Night (S01E05)

 

Simone's (S01E04)

  more episodes (3)
 

Waco

 

Day 51 (E06)

 

Stalling for Time (E05)

 

Of Milk and Men (E04)

  more episodes (3)
2017

Get Shorty

 

The Pitch (S01E01)

 

House of Cards

 

Chapter 64 (S05E12)

 

Chapter 63 (S05E11)

 

Chapter 62 (S05E10)

  more episodes (9)
 

The Crown

 

Vergangenheit (S02E06)

2016

House of Cards

 

Chapter 52 (S04E13)

 

Chapter 51 (S04E12)

 

Chapter 50 (S04E11)

  more episodes (3)
 

The Girlfriend Experience

 

Home (S01E12)

 

Fabrication (S01E11)

 

Available (S01E10)

  more episodes (9)
 

The Night Of

 

The Call of the Wild (E08)

 

Ordinary Death (E07)

 

Samson and Delilah (E06)

  more episodes (3)
2015

House of Cards

 

Chapter 39 (S03E13)

 

Chapter 38 (S03E12)

 

Chapter 37 (S03E11)

  more episodes (6)
2014

Believe

 

Bang and Blame (E07)

 

Boardwalk Empire

 

Eldorado (S05E08)

 

Friendless Child (S05E07)

 

Devil You Know (S05E06)

  more episodes (5)
2013

Boardwalk Empire

 

Farewell Daddy Blues (S04E12)

 

Havre de Grace (S04E11)

 

White Horse Pike (S04E10)

  more episodes (6)
 

Person of Interest

 

Relevance (S02E16)

2012

Boardwalk Empire

 

Margate Sands (S03E12)

 

A Man, a Plan... (S03E10)

 

The Milkmaid's Lot (S03E09)

  more episodes (5)
2011

Boardwalk Empire

 

To the Lost (S02E12)

 

Under God's Power She Flourishes (S02E11)

 

Georgia Peaches (S02E10)

  more episodes (5)
 

Mildred Pierce

 

Episode 5 (E05)

2010

Boardwalk Empire

 

The Emerald City (S01E10)

 

Belle Femme (S01E09)

 

Home (S01E07)

  more episodes (4)
2006

Brotherhood

 

Matthew 22:10 (S01E11)

 

Matthew 5:6 (S01E04)

 

Matthew 13:57 (S01E03)

2005

Law & Order: Criminal Intent

 

Shibboleth (S04E17)

2001

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

 

Manhunt (S02E18)

2000

Law & Order

 

Panic (S10E13)

1998

Trinity

Theatrical recording
2016

Buried Child

Short
2018

Long Way Back Home

2014

Wallace

2006

Doris

Guest

Shows
2009

Red Carpet Report