Mark Strong

Mark Strong, born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia on 5 August 1963 in the Islington borough of London, is an English actor whose career spans stage, film, and television. The son of an Austrian mother and an Italian father, Strong was raised by his mother after his father left the family shortly after his birth. His mother later legally changed his name to help him integrate with his English peers. Strong was baptised a Catholic and grew up in various flats across London, including in Walthamstow, Clapton, Stoke Newington, and Edmonton. He attended Wymondham College in Morley, Norfolk, where he sang in two punk bands, the Electric Hoax and Private Party. After a year studying German law at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, he returned to London and studied English and drama at Royal Holloway, University of London, subsequently training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Strong's early television work included two ITV Prime Suspect serials, appearing as Inspector Larry Hall in Prime Suspect 3 (1993) and Prime Suspect 6 (2003). He took on starring roles in two BBC Two drama serials, Our Friends in the North (1996), in which he played Terry "Tosker" Cox, and The Long Firm (2004), earning a BAFTA TV Award for the latter. Also in 1996, he portrayed the villainous Colonel Brand in Sharpe's Mission and played the romantic lead Mr. Knightley in the ITV adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma. The following year he appeared as Steve in the 1997 film adaptation of Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch and dubbed Daniel Craig's voice in the German-language film Obsession.

In the early 2000s, Strong appeared in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night at the Donmar Warehouse, earning a 2003 Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Performance in a Supporting Role. He subsequently built a substantial film career, appearing as Toby Crackit in Roman Polanski's Oliver Twist (2005), Mussawi in Syriana (2005), and Sorter in Revolver (2005). In 2007 he played Pinbacker in Sunshine and Prince Septimus in Stardust, and from 2006 until 2012 he provided narration for the BBC genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are?. His 2008 performance as Jordanian intelligence chief Hani Salaam in Body of Lies, directed by Ridley Scott, earned him a nomination for the London Critics Circle Film Award for Best British Supporting Actor.

Strong's film work continued with a series of prominent villain and supporting roles. He played Lord Henry Blackwood in Sherlock Holmes (2009), Sir Godfrey in Robin Hood (2010), and Frank D'Amico in Kick-Ass (2010). In 2011 he portrayed Thaal Sinestro in Green Lantern, Jim Prideaux in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy — a film that premiered in competition at the 68th Venice International Film Festival — and Clive Cornell in The Guard. He played Matai Shang in John Carter (2012) and appeared in Zero Dark Thirty (2012), a film nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture. Further notable roles followed with Major General Stewart Menzies in The Imitation Game (2014) and Merlin in Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) and its 2017 sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle. He played Dr. Thaddeus Sivana in Shazam! (2019) and Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023), and John in Cruella (2021). On television, he portrayed Carmine Falcone in The Penguin (2024) and Emperor Javicco Corrino in Dune: Prophecy, beginning in 2024.

Strong's stage career brought him significant recognition on both sides of the Atlantic. He received an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor for his work in Oedipus, a production that also became part of his Broadway credits between 2015 and 2025. His portrayal of Eddie Carbone in a West End and Broadway revival of A View from the Bridge earned him the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor as well as a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play. His Broadway appearances include both Oedipus Rex and A View from the Bridge, and his work on Broadway was recognized with a Theatre World Award in 2016. Strong has also received nominations for a Drama Desk Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award over the course of his career.