Samuel Peter W. Riley (born 8 January 1980) is an English actor and singer.James Mottram: The only people for me are the mad ones. ''Independent on Sunday: The New Review'', 30 January 2011, pp 10–13 He is best known for his performance in the 2007

biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docud ...

'' Control'' about the life of

Ian Curtis Ian Kevin Curtis (15 July 1956 – 18 May 1980) was an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and lyricist of the post-punk band Joy Division, with whom he released the albums '' Unknown ...

, as protagonist Sal Paradise in the 2012 adaptation of the

Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian anc ...

novel '' On the Road'', and as Diaval in the 2014 film ''

Maleficent Maleficent ( or ) is a fictional character who appears as the main antagonist in Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Productions' List of Walt Disney Animation Studios films, 16th animated feature film, ''Sleeping Beauty (1959 film), Slee ...

''. Riley received renown for his portrayal of the

Fitzwilliam Darcy Fitzwilliam Darcy Esquire, generally referred to as Mr. Darcy, is one of the two central characters in Jane Austen's 1813 novel ''Pride and Prejudice''. He is an archetype of the aloof romantic hero, and a romantic interest of Elizabeth Ben ...

in the 2016 film '' Pride and Prejudice and Zombies''.

Early life

Riley was born in Menston, Bradford, West Yorkshire, the son of Amanda, a nursery school teacher, and Andrew Riley, a textile agent. He was educated at Malsis School, Cross Hills, and at

Uppingham School Uppingham School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils 13-18) in Uppingham, Rutland, England, founded in 1584 by Robert Johnson, the Archdeacon of Leicester, who also established Oakham School. The headm ...

Career

Acting

His breakthrough performance came when he played the role of

in the film '' Control'', a biopic about the lead singer of the 1970s

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-r ...

band

Joy Division Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Sumner and Hook formed the band after att ...

. The film received high critical acclaim due in good part to Riley's performance, which won him a selection of awards including the

British Independent Film Award The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) is an organisation that celebrates, supports and promotes British independent cinema and filmmaking talent in United Kingdom. Nominations for the annual awards ceremony are announced in early November, ...

for "Most Promising Newcomer" a BAFTA "Rising Star" nomination; and a Mark Kermode nod for Best Actor 2007. Prior to his portrayal of Ian Curtis, Riley played the Fall frontman Mark E. Smith in the

Michael Winterbottom Michael Winterbottom (born 29 March 1961) is an English film director. He began his career working in British television before moving into features. Three of his films—'' Welcome to Sarajevo'', ''Wonderland'' and '' 24 Hour Party People''� ...

film '' 24 Hour Party People'', which details the

Factory Records Factory Records was a Manchester-based British independent record label founded in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus. The label featured several important acts on its roster, including Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, the Durutt ...

era and featured

Sean Harris Sean Harris (born 1965/1966) is an English actor and writer. He played Ian Curtis in '' 24 Hour Party People'' (2002), Micheletto Corella in '' The Borgias'' (2011–2013), Fifield in ''Prometheus'' (2012), Solomon Lane in '' Mission: Impossi ...

as Ian Curtis. Riley's scenes, however, were omitted from the final cut. In September 2007, Riley was cast in

Gerald McMorrow Gerald McMorrow (born 1970) is an English writer and filmmaker. Career McMorrow studied cinema in New York City, New York and began his career directing music videos for artists like Tom Jones (singer), Tom Jones and Catatonia (band), Catatonia. ...

's British science fiction film ''

Franklyn ''Franklyn'' is a 2008 British science fantasy film written and directed by Gerald McMorrow as his debut feature. Produced by Jeremy Thomas, it stars Ryan Phillippe, Eva Green and Sam Riley. Shooting took place in London in the fourth quarter ...

''. He starred as the lead role in '' 13'', an English language remake of the French thriller '' 13 Tzameti'' that has yet to have an American and European release. He played the role of Pinkie Brown in '' Brighton Rock'' alongside

Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren (born Helen Lydia Mironoff; born 26 July 1945) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, she is the only performer to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in both the United States and the United Kingdo ...

, an adaption of

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...

's novel, released 4 February 2011. He also starred in

Walter Salles Walter Moreira Salles Júnior (; born 12 April 1956) is a Brazilian filmmaker. Early life Salles was born on 12 April 1956 in Rio de Janeiro and attended the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. He is the son of Brazi ...

' film adaptation of

's autobiographical '' On the Road'' playing the narrator and protagonist Sal Paradise. He also has a small role in the 2011 German comedy ', in which his wife

Alexandra Maria Lara Alexandra Maria Lara (''née'' Plătăreanu; 12 November 1978) is a Romanian-German actress who has appeared in ''Downfall'' (2004), '' Control'' (2007), '' Youth Without Youth'' (2007), ''The Reader'' (2008), ''Rush'' (2013), and ''Geostorm'' ...

plays the female lead. His role is listed as "Wagenmeister". In '' Byzantium'' (2012), a film directed by

Neil Jordan Neil Patrick Jordan (born 25 February 1950) is an Irish film director, screenwriter, novelist and short-story writer. His first book, ''Night in Tunisia'', won a Somerset Maugham Award and the Guardian Fiction Prize in 1979. He won an Academy ...

, he appears alongside

Gemma Arterton Gemma Christina Arterton (born 2 February 1986) is an English actress and producer. After her stage debut in Shakespeare's ''Love's Labour's Lost'' at the Globe Theatre (2007), Arterton made her feature film debut in the comedy '' St Trinian's'' ...

and

Saoirse Ronan Saoirse Una Ronan ( , ; born 12 April 1994) is an American-born Irish actress. Primarily known for her work in period dramas since adolescence, she has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for ...

as Darvell. In 2012, Riley was cast as Diaval in

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

's ''

'', alongside

Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie (; born Angelina Jolie Voight; June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian and former Special Envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award ...

. The film was released May 2014. In 2015, he played Benoit Labarie in

Saul Dibb Saul Dibb (born 18 August 1968) is an English director and screenwriter. His father is the documentary maker Mike Dibb. Born in London, England, Saul Dibb is a graduate of the University of East Anglia. He is best known for co-writing and direct ...

's film adaptation of

Irène Némirovsky Irène Némirovsky (; 11 February 1903 – 17 August 1942) was a novelist of Russian Jewish origin who was born in Kyiv, the Russian Empire. She lived more than half her life in France, and wrote in French, but was denied French citizenship. Arre ...

's novel '' Suite Française'', opposite Michelle Williams,

Matthias Schoenaerts Matthias Schoenaerts (; ; born 8 December 1977) is a Belgian actor. He made his film debut at the age of 13 in ''Daens'' (1992), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. He is best known for his roles as Filip in ...

Kristin Scott Thomas Dame Kristin Ann Scott Thomas (born 24 May 1960) is a British actress who also holds French citizenship. A five-time BAFTA Award and Olivier Award nominee, she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for '' Four Weddings an ...

and

Ruth Wilson Ruth Wilson (born 13 January 1982) is an English actress. She is known for her performances as the eponymous protagonist in ''Jane Eyre'' (2006), as Alice Morgan in the BBC psychological crime drama '' Luther'' (2010–2013, 2019), as Alison ...

. Riley was also cast as Fitzwilliam Darcy ( Mr. Darcy) in the film, ''Pride and Prejudice and Zombies'', released in February 2016. Riley played the 'not-so welcome' returning prodigal brother David in the 2018 film ''

Happy New Year, Colin Burstead ''Happy New Year, Colin Burstead'' is a 2018 British comedy-drama film written and directed by Ben Wheatley and featuring Neil Maskell as the title character, with Hayley Squires, Sam Riley, Doon Mackichan, Joe Cole, and Charles Dance also sta ...

'' by

Ben Wheatley Benjamin Wheatley (born 7 May 1972) is an English filmmaker and screenwriter. Beginning his career in advertising, Wheatley first gained recognition and acclaim for his commercials and short films, before transitioning into feature films and tel ...

Modelling

He featured in the autumn/winter 2008 publicity campaign for the British fashion house

Burberry Burberry is a British luxury fashion house established in 1856 by Thomas Burberry headquartered in London, England. It currently designs and distributes ready to wear, including trench coats (for which it is most famous), leather accessor ...

, supervised by Christopher Bailey and shot by

Mario Testino Mario Eduardo Testino Silva OBE HonFRPS (born 30 October 1954) is a Peruvia