Mark Strong

Mark Strong (born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia; 5 August 1963), is a British actor, best known for his film roles such as Prince Septimus in ''Stardust'' (2007), Archibald in '' RocknRolla'' (2008), Lord Henry Blackwood in ''Sherlock Holmes'' (2009), Frank D'Amico in '' Kick-Ass'' (2010), Jim Prideaux in ''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'' (2011), Sinestro in ''Green Lantern'' (2011), George in ''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012), Major General Stewart Menzies in ''The Imitation Game'' (2014), Merlin in '' Kingsman: The Secret Service'' (2014) and '' Kingsman: The Golden Circle'' (2017), Dr. Thaddeus Sivana in '' Shazam!'' (2019), and John in '' Cruella'' (2021).

Early life

Strong was born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia in the Islington district of London on 5 August 1963, the son of an Austrian mother and an Italian father. His father left the family soon after Strong's birth, and Strong was brought up by his mother while she worked as an au pair. He later said, "The home I grew up in was a flat in Myddelton Square in London's Islington, a beautiful Georgian square with a huge church in the middle. We moved around a lot when I was a kid. I remember flats in Walthamstow, Clapton, Stoke Newington, and Edmonton." He said in 2008 that he was inspired to become an actor as a child by watching French actor Alain Delon, but clarified in 2019 that he did not actually consider acting as a career until he was in his late teens.

When Strong was a child, his mother legally changed his name to help him fit in with his English peers. He was baptised a Catholic. He attended Wymondham College in Morley, Norfolk, where he sang in two punk bands, the Electric Hoax and Private Party—the latter's name based on the idea that people wouldn't attend their shows, thinking they were private parties. Strong had ambitions to become a lawyer but returned to London after one year of studying German law at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. He subsequently studied English and drama at Royal Holloway, University of London before attending the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Career

Strong 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), earning a BAFTA nomination for the latter. He also played the villainous Colonel Brand in '' Sharpe's Mission'' (1996). He portrayed the romantic lead, Mr. Knightley, in the 1996 ITV adaptation of Jane Austen's novel '' Emma''. He then played the role of Steve in the 1997 film adaptation of Nick Hornby's ''Fever Pitch''.

At the beginning of the 2000s, Strong appeared in '' Heartlands'' and in Shakespeare's ''Twelfth Night'' at the Donmar Warehouse, for which he was nominated for the 2003 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role. He was later featured in Roman Polanski's ''Oliver Twist'' (2005), played Mussawi in the film ''Syriana'' (2005), and played an assassin named Sorter in ''Revolver'' (2005). He portrayed the traitorous Wictred in '' Tristan & Isolde'', showing his talent with swordplay, and since 2006, he has provided the narration in the BBC
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