Simon Merrells is an English film, television and stage actor best known for his portrayal of

Marcus Licinius Crassus Marcus Licinius Crassus (; 115–53 BC) was a ancient Rome, Roman general and statesman who played a key role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. He is often called "the richest man in Rome".Wallechinsky, Da ...

in '' Spartacus: War of the Damned''.

Early life

Merrells was born in London, three years before his brother Jason Merrells. 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 Steven Berkoff (born Leslie Steven Berks; 3 August 1937) is an English actor, author, playwright, theatre practitioner and theatre director. As a theatre maker he is recognised for staging work with a heightened performance style known as "Be ...

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 Gnaeus Marcius Coriolanus. Shakespeare worked on it during the same ...

''. In 2009, he played Terry Malloy in ''

On the Waterfront ''On the Waterfront'' is a 1954 American crime drama film, directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg. It stars Marlon Brando, and features Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Pat Henning and Eva Marie Saint in her film de ...

'', directed by Berkoff. '' Variety'' 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 publis ...

'' 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 Shakespearean comedy, 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. ...

'' 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 actre ...

in 2007, and starred as

Oedipus Oedipus (, ; "swollen foot") was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. A tragic hero in Greek mythology, Oedipus fulfilled a prophecy that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother, thereby bringing disaster to his city and family. ...

in another Berkoff production at the same venue in 2011. He was nominated for a Stage 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 genre originated in the 1920s, notably in '' Black Mask'' magazine, in which Dashiell Hammett's The Cont ...

in '' The Big Sleep''; ''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'' (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

in the

Starz Starz (stylized in all caps as STARZ; pronounced "stars") is an American pay television network owned by Starz Entertainment, and is the flagship property of Starz Inc. Launched in 1994 as a multiplex service of what is now Starz Encore, ...

series '' Spartacus: War of the Damned''. He had to undergo a strict diet and four-week fitness boot camp in preparation for the role, losing 21 lbs. Also that year, he portrayed character Mark Vega in the British horror film Judas Ghost. He also plays

The Founder ''The Founder'' is a 2016 American Biographical film, biographical drama film directed by John Lee Hancock and written by Robert Siegel (filmmaker), Robert Siegel. Starring Michael Keaton as businessman Ray Kroc, the film depicts the story of h ...

in the 2013 American remake of ''

The Tomorrow People ''The Tomorrow People'' is a British children's science fiction on television, science fiction television series created by Roger Price (television producer), Roger Price. Produced by Thames Television for the ITV (TV network), ITV Network, th ...

''. 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 is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

channel's series '' Knightfall'', which premiered in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in December 2017.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Simon Merrells On Playing Crassus

Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers ...

(video interview) {{DEFAULTSORT:Merrells, Simon Living people English male Shakespearean actors English male stage actors English male television actors Male actors from London Year of birth missing (living people)