Watch Mark Strong Online

Strong, the son of an Italian father and an Austrian mother, was born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia in London, England, and attended Wymondham College in Norfolk. His English name is not a stage name, but one chosen by his mother when she decided to change his name by deed poll when he was a child, hoping that it would help him to fit in better with his peers. At school he was the singer in punk rock bands called The Electric Hoax and Private Party. His original ambition was to become a lawyer, but after studying for a year at University in Munich, Germany he decided to change his direction in life and returned home to London. There he enrolled in a joint English & Drama degree at Royal Holloway, and later attended Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Strong is a familiar face on British television and has appeared in such drama series as 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 has also had starring roles in two BBC Two drama serials, Our Friends in the North (1996) and The Long Firm (2004), and played the villainous Colonel Brand in Sharpe's Mission (1996). He also played the romantic lead, Mr. Knightley, in the ITV adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Emma, with Kate Beckinsale in the title role.

In film, one of Strong's most prominent roles was as Steve in the 1997 adaptation of Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch, co-starring opposite Colin Firth, and Strong also features in Roman Polanski's 2005 version of Oliver Twist. He played Mussawi in the film Syriana, and in 2005 appeared in Revolver, where he played a nerveless, steely assassin "who never misses". In 2006, Strong portrayed the traitorous Wicktred in Tristan + Isolde, showing his talent with swordplay. The following year he played Pinbacker in the science-fiction film Sunshine. He was Septimus in Stardust that same year.

In his theatre career, Strong was nominated in 2003 for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for his role in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night at the Donmar Warehouse in 2002. He is due to film a lead part in the Channel 4 film Endgame (2008).

Since 2006, Strong has provided the narration in the BBC genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are?.

You can edit this page to add links to blogs, sites, and other information... If this page has a "PageType" set above - that will determine where the page is listed on SideReel. You can add text, a picture, links or more by editing the page... Check out the links above if you need help.