Sam Spruell (born 1 January 1977, in
Southwark
Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...
, London) is a British actor.
Early life and education
Spruell studied at
Hull University
The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hu ...
before turning to acting. His mother is actress Linda Broughton.
Career
Theatre
He made his
stage
Stage, stages, or staging may refer to:
Arts and media 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 Brit ...
debut with the
Royal National Theatre
The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...
. He has appeared in ''The Caretaker'' (at
Trafalgar Studios
Trafalgar Theatre is a West End theatre in Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster, London. The Grade II listed building was built in 1930 with interiors in the Art Deco style as the Whitehall Theatre; it regularly staged ...
); ''
Pornography
Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...
'' (
Tricycle
A tricycle, sometimes abbreviated to trike, is a Human-powered transport, human-powered (or gasoline or electric motor powered or assisted, or gravity powered) Three-wheeler, three-wheeled vehicle.
Some tricycles, such as cycle rickshaws (for pa ...
); ''
The Alchemist'' and ''
The Life of Galileo'' (the National); ''
King Lear
''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...
'' (
Sheffield Crucible
The Crucible Theatre, or simply The Crucible, is a theatre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which opened in 1971. Its name refers to Crucible steel#History of production in England, crucible steel, which was developed in Sheffield in 174 ...
); ''
Othello
''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...
'' (
Royal Exchange); ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream
''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...
'', ''
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?'', and ''
Pippin'', (
Bloomsbury Theatre
The Bloomsbury Theatre is a theatre located on Gordon Street in Bloomsbury, within the London Borough of Camden. It is owned by University College London. The Theatre has a seating capacity of 541 and offers a professional programme of innovati ...
); and elsewhere.
Cinema
Spruell's first screen appearance came in
Kathryn Bigelow
Kathryn Ann Bigelow (; born November 27, 1951) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Her accolades include two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 100 most i ...
's
submarine
A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...
drama ''
K-19: The Widowmaker'' in 2002.
His film credits include ''
To Kill a King'' (2003); ''
London to Brighton'' (2006); ''
Elizabeth: The Golden Age'' (2007); ''
The Hurt Locker
''The Hurt Locker'' is a 2008 American war action thriller film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by Mark Boal. It stars Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Christian Camargo, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, and Guy Pearce. T ...
'' (2008); ''
Defiance'' (2008); and others. He played
hit man
Contract killing (also known as murder-for-hire) is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or people. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of compensation, moneta ...
Jack "The Hat" McVitie in the 2015 film ''
Legend
A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...
'', about the story of the
Kray twins
Ronald Kray (24 October 193320 March 1995) and Reginald Kray (24 October 19331 October 2000) were English gangsters or organised crime figures and identical twin brothers from Haggerston who were prominent from the late 1950s until their arres ...
.
In 2012, Spruell had a starring role in the film ''
Snow White & the Huntsman'', as brother to the Evil Queen that was played by
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron ( ; ; born 7 August 1975) is a South African and American actress and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actresses, she is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. In 201 ...
.
[
]
Television
His television roles include the recurring cameo of Jason Belling in '' Spooks'' (2007 in Episode 6.9 and 2004 in '' Project Friendly Fire''), and the recurring role of Wilkes in '' P.O.W.'' (2003). In March 2013, he appeared in one of the lead roles in the BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
thriller drama series ''Mayday
Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice-procedure radio communications.
It is used to signal a life-threatening emergency primarily by aviators and mariners, but in some countries local organiz ...
''. He was cast in the television adaptation of '' The Last Ship'' later in the year. In 2015, Spruell played Oleg Malankov, the secondary villain in ''Taken 3
''Taken 3'' (sometimes stylized as ''TAK3N'') is a 2015 English-language action-thriller film that is the third and final film in the ''Taken'' trilogy, starring Liam Neeson as a former government operative. The French production was directed ...
'' and then played Owen Lynch in the drama series '' Luther'' in episode 1.2. In the 13th series of ''Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'', Spruell played Swarm, one of the main villains of the series.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
*
British male film actors
1977 births
Living people
British male television actors
21st-century British male actors
20th-century British male actors
British emigrants to the United States
Actors from the London Borough of Southwark
People from Southwark
British male stage actors
{{UK-screen-actor-stub