Sam Spruell

Last updated

Sam Spruell
Born (1977-01-01) 1 January 1977 (age 47) [1]
Southwark, London, England
Occupation Actor
Years active2002–present

Sam Spruell (born 1 January 1977, in Southwark, London) is a British character actor, known for playing mostly villain roles. [1]

Contents

Early life and education

Spruell studied at Hull University before turning to acting. His mother is actress Linda Broughton. [2]

Career

Theatre

He made his stage debut with the Royal National Theatre. He has appeared in The Caretaker (at Trafalgar Studios); Pornography (Tricycle); The Alchemist and The Life of Galileo (the National); King Lear (Sheffield Crucible); Othello (Royal Exchange); A Midsummer Night's Dream , They Shoot Horses, Don't They? , and Pippin , (Bloomsbury Theatre); and elsewhere. [3]

Cinema

Spruell's first screen appearance came in Kathryn Bigelow's submarine 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 (2008); Defiance (2008); and others. He played hit man Jack "The Hat" McVitie in the 2015 film Legend , about the story of the Kray twins.

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. [1]

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 thriller drama series Mayday . 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 and then played Owen Lynch in the drama series Luther in episode 1.2. In the 13th series of Doctor Who , Spruell played Swarm. [4]

In 2023, he starred as Ole Munch in the fifth season of the Fargo series, an "immortal hired gun" figure who "exists outside of time and society's rules," a "collection of contrasts". [5] In June 2024, it was announced that Spruell would portray Maekar Targaryen in the upcoming series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms . [6]

Filmography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Waterston</span> American actor (born 1940)

Samuel Atkinson Waterston is an American actor. Waterston is known for his work in theater, television, and film. He has received numerous accolades including a Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and a BAFTA Award. His acting career has spanned over five decades acting on stage and screen. Waterston received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010 and was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Freeman</span> English actor (born 1971)

Martin John Christopher Freeman is an English actor. Among other accolades, he has won two Emmy Awards, a BAFTA Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Gatiss</span> British actor, screenwriter and novelist

Mark Gatiss is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist. He is best known for his work in television acting in and co-creating shows with Steven Moffat. Gatiss has received several awards including a BAFTA TV Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Peabody Award, and two Laurence Olivier Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katharine Ross</span> American actress and author (born 1940)

Katharine Juliet Ross is an American actress on film, stage, and television. Her accolades include an Academy Award nomination, a BAFTA Award, and two Golden Globe Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Tennant</span> Scottish actor (born 1971)

David John Tennant is a Scottish actor. He is best known for portraying the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in the sci-fi series Doctor Who. In 2023, he returned to the show as the fourteenth incarnation. His other notable screen roles include DI Alec Hardy in the crime drama series Broadchurch (2013–2017) and its 2014 remake, Kilgrave in the superhero series Jessica Jones (2015–2019), Crowley in the fantasy series Good Omens (2019–present) and various fictionalised versions of himself in the comedy series Staged (2020–2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Whishaw</span> English actor (born 1980)

Benjamin John Whishaw is an English actor. After winning a British Independent Film Award for his performance in My Brother Tom (2001), he was nominated for an Olivier Award for his portrayal of the title role in a 2004 production of Hamlet. This was followed by television roles in Nathan Barley (2005), Criminal Justice (2008) and The Hour (2011–12) and film roles in Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006), I'm Not There (2007), Brideshead Revisited (2008), and Bright Star (2009). For Criminal Justice, Whishaw received an International Emmy Award and received his first BAFTA Award nomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toby Jones</span> British actor (born 1966)

Toby Edward Heslewood Jones is an English actor. He is known for his extensive character actor roles on stage and screen. From 1989 to 1991, Jones trained at L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq. He made his stage debut in 2001 in the comedy play The Play What I Wrote, which played in the West End and on Broadway, earning him a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. In 2020, he was nominated for his second Olivier Award, for Best Actor for his performance in a revival of Anton Chekov's Uncle Vanya.

Mark McManus was a Scottish actor known for his roles in the British television series Sam,Bulman, The Brothers, Strangers, and Dramarama and the feature film 2000 Weeks. He was best known for playing the tough Glaswegian Detective Chief Inspector Jim Taggart in the long-running STV television series Taggart from 1983 until his death in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Curran</span> Scottish actor

Tony Curran is a Scottish actor who has appeared in Underworld: Evolution, Doctor Who, Roots, and the Netflix historical epic Outlaw King. He appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Thor: The Dark World (2013) as Bor and the second season of Daredevil (2016) as Finn Cooley. In late 2022, Curran starred in the BBC drama Mayflies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lois Smith</span> American actress

Lois Arlene Smith is an American character actress whose career spans eight decades. She made her film debut in the 1955 drama film East of Eden, and later played supporting roles in a number of movies, including Five Easy Pieces (1970), Resurrection (1980), Fatal Attraction (1987), Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), Falling Down (1993), How to Make an American Quilt (1995), Dead Man Walking (1995), Twister (1996), Minority Report (2002), The Nice Guys (2016), Lady Bird (2017), and The French Dispatch (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Huston</span> British actor

Jack Alexander Huston is a British actor. He appeared as Richard Harrow in the HBO television drama series Boardwalk Empire. He also had a supporting role in the 2013 film American Hustle, portrayed the eponymous Ben-Hur in the 2016 historical drama, and appeared as one of the main characters in the fourth season of the FX anthology series Fargo (2020). In 2023, he starred in the supernatural television series Mayfair Witches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Claflin</span> British actor (born 1986)

Samuel George Claflin is a British actor. After graduating from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 2009, he began his acting career on television and had his first film role as Philip Swift in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bertie Carvel</span> British actor (born 1977)

Robert Hugh Carvel is a British film and theatre actor. He has twice won a Laurence Olivier Award: for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for his role as Miss Trunchbull in Matilda the Musical, and for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance as Rupert Murdoch in Ink. For the latter role, he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marta Dusseldorp</span> Australian actress and producer

Marta Dusseldorp is an Australian stage, film and theatre actress. Her television credits include BlackJack, Crownies, Jack Irish and A Place to Call Home.

<i>Fargo</i> (TV series) American black comedy-crime drama television series

Fargo is an American black comedy-crime drama television series created and primarily written by Noah Hawley. It is based on the 1996 film of the same name, which was written and directed by the Coen brothers, and takes place in the American Midwest, primarily Minnesota, within the same continuity as the film. The Coens were impressed by Hawley's script and agreed to be named as executive producers. The series premiered on April 15, 2014, on FX, and follows an anthology format, with each season set in a different era and location, with a different story and mostly new characters and cast, although there is minor overlap. Each season is heavily influenced by various Coen brothers films, with each containing numerous references to them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrie Coon</span> American actress (born 1981)

Carrie Alexandra Coon is an American actress. On television, she has starred as Nora Durst in the HBO drama series The Leftovers (2014–2017) and as Gloria Burgle in the third season of the FX anthology series Fargo (2017). She won a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress for The Leftovers and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress for Fargo. She also starred in the second season of the anthology drama series The Sinner (2018), and has played aspiring socialite Bertha Russell in the HBO series The Gilded Age since 2022.

<i>Fargo</i> season 5 Fifth season of the American television series

The fifth season of Fargo, an American anthology dark comedy–crime drama television series created by Noah Hawley, premiered on November 21, 2023, on FX. It consists of 10 episodes. Originally, the season was scheduled to premiere in September 2023, but was delayed due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes.

"The Paradox of Intermediate Transactions" is the third episode of the fifth season of the American anthology dark–crime drama television series Fargo. It is the 44th overall episode of the series and was written by series creator Noah Hawley and directed by Donald Murphy. It originally aired on FX on November 28, 2023.

"The Useless Hand" is the ninth episode of the fifth season of the American anthology black comedy–crime drama television series Fargo. It is the 50th overall episode of the series and was written by series creator Noah Hawley, and directed by co-executive producer Thomas Bezucha. It originally aired on FX on January 9, 2024.

"Bisquik" is the tenth episode and season finale of the fifth season of the American anthology black comedy–crime drama television series Fargo. It is the 51st overall episode of the series and was written by series creator Noah Hawley, and directed by co-executive producer Thomas Bezucha. It originally aired on FX on January 16, 2024.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Sam Spruell". TV Insider. 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  2. Edmonds, Lizzie (21 October 2021). "Sam Spruell: My family are pleasantly surprised at me making it in Hollywood". Evening Standard . London. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  3. "Sam Spruell". Royal Court Theatre . 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  4. "Sam Spruell". TV Tropes. 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  5. Hadadi, Roxana (17 January 2024). "Let's Talk About Ole Munch's Last Bite". Vulture . Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  6. Vary, Adam B. (18 June 2024). "'Game of Thrones' Spinoff 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' Begins Filming as 'The Crown,' 'True Detective' Actors Join Cast". Variety.