Simon Merrells is an English film, television and stage actor best known for his portrayal of Marcus Licinius Crassus in '' Spartacus: War of the Damned''.

Early life

Merrells was born in London, three years before his brother

Jason Merrells Jason Scott Merrells (born 2 November 1968 in Epping, Essex) is an English actor, who is best known for his roles in ''Casualty'', ''Queer as Folk'', ''Cutting It'', '' Waterloo Road'' and ''Emmerdale''. Early life and education Jason Sc ...

. He started drama school, but soon left to work as a minicab driver to fund travelling to Mexico, where he painted. He became involved in fringe theatre in Brighton, where his brother was living, when he returned to England.

Career

Stage

Merrells appeared with his brother Jason in a production of ''

The Comedy of Errors ''The Comedy of Errors'' is one of William Shakespeare's early plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. ...

'' in 2007, playing twins. Merrells has worked with director Steven Berkoff several times, first in a world tour of the play ''

Coriolanus ''Coriolanus'' ( or ) is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1605 and 1608. The play is based on the life of the legendary Roman leader Caius Marcius Coriolanus. Shakespeare worked on it during the same yea ...

''. In 2009, he played Terry Malloy in '' On the Waterfront'', directed by Berkoff. ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' said that "Compact and bristling with contained energy, Simon Merrells has the right physicality to play Terry but never quite emerges from Brando’s long shadow"; ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'' said he "brings his own brand of studied vulnerability and sullen pride to the part". Merrells performed as Benedick in ''

Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' ( W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. 1387 The play ...

'' at the

Liverpool Playhouse The Liverpool Playhouse is a theatre in Williamson Square in the city of Liverpool, England. It originated in 1866 as a music hall, and in 1911 developed into a repertory theatre. As such it nurtured the early careers of many actors and actres ...

in 2007, and starred as Oedipus in another Berkoff production at the same venue in 2011. He was nominated for a

Stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

Award for Best Actor for that role. Later that year he played detective

Philip Marlowe Philip Marlowe () is a fictional character created by Raymond Chandler, who was characteristic of the hardboiled crime fiction genre. The hardboiled crime fiction genre originated in the 1920s, notably in ''Black Mask'' magazine, in which Dashie ...

in ''

The Big Sleep ''The Big Sleep'' (1939) is a hardboiled crime novel by American-British writer Raymond Chandler, the first to feature the detective Philip Marlowe. It has been adapted for film twice, in 1946 and again in 1978. The story is set in Los Angel ...

''; ''The Stage'' said he was "charismatic" but "a touch too suave and slick". He has appeared on television in '' London's Burning'' as DSO Griggs, ''

Family Affairs ''Family Affairs'' is a British soap opera that aired on Channel 5. It debuted on 30 March 1997, the day of the launch of said channel and was the first programme broadcast on the channel. It was screened as five thirty-minute episodes per w ...

'' (as bouncer Conrad Williams), and '' Merseybeat''.

Film and television

In 2009, Merrells had a lead role in the 2009 film, ''Invisible Eyes''. In 2010, he portrayed Ben Talbot, brother of Lawrence Talbot in remake of '' The Wolfman''. In 2013, he portrayed the Roman commander Marcus Licinius Crassus in the Starz series '' Spartacus: War of the Damned''. He had to undergo a strict diet and four-week

fitness boot camp A fitness boot camp is a type of group physical training program that may be conducted by gyms, personal trainers or other organizations. These programs are designed to build strength and fitness through a variety of types of exercise. The activiti ...

in preparation for the role, losing 21 lbs. Also that year, he portrayed character Mark Vega in the British horror film

Judas Ghost ''Judas Ghost'' is a 2013 horror film directed by Simon Pearce and written by Simon R. Green based on his ''Ghost Finders'' novels. Plot A team of professional ghost finders are trapped in an old village hall. The haunting they set out to inves ...

. He also plays

The Founder ''The Founder'' is a 2016 American biographical drama film directed by John Lee Hancock and written by Robert Siegel. Starring Michael Keaton as businessman Ray Kroc, the film portrays the story of his creation of the McDonald's fast-food rest ...

in the 2013 American remake of ''

The Tomorrow People ''The Tomorrow People'' is a British children's science fiction television series created by Roger Price. Produced by Thames Television for the ITV Network, the series first ran from 30 April 1973 to 19 February 1979. The theme music was ...

''. In 2014, Merrells starred in a small sci-fi film named ''Index Zero'' as Kurt, a main character, and two films in 2015, '' Billionaire Ransom'' (originally titled ''Take Down'') and ''Victrix''. In 2015, Merrells guest-starred in the Syfy channel series ''Dominion'' as a dyad named Julian. Also in 2015 Merrells starred in a futuristic short film called The Leap as an enforcement agent whose job it is to stop people trafficking on an interplanetary scale. In 2016, Merrells was cast as Tancrede de Hautville in the

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

channel's series ''

Knightfall "Knightfall" is a 1993–1994 Batman story arc published by DC Comics. It consists of a trilogy of storylines that ran from 1993 to 1994, consisting of "Knightfall", "Knightquest", and "KnightsEnd".On the comic book covers, only the third part ...

'', which premiered in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in December 2017.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Simon Merrells On Playing Crassus
Huffington Post (video interview) {{DEFAULTSORT:Merrells, Simon 1965 births Living people English male Shakespearean actors English male stage actors English male television actors Male actors from London