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Lore & Background

Strong's film roles include in Oliver Twist (2005), Sunshine (2007), Stardust (2007), Sherlock Holmes (2009), Kick-Ass (2010), Robin Hood (2010), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Zero Dark Thirty (2012), The Imitation Game (2014), 1917 (2019), and Cruella (2021). He has also taken roles in franchise films such as in Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) and Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) and as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana in Shazam! (2019) and Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023). On television, he played Terry "Tosker" Cox on the serial Our Friends in the North (1996), Carmine Falcone on The Penguin (2024), and Emperor Javicco Corrino on Dune: Prophecy (2024-present). On stage, he played Orsino in a production of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (2002) which earned him a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role. He portrayed a repressed longshoreman in the Arthur Miller play A View from the Bridge on the West End in 2014 and Broadway in 2015 which earned him the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor and nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play respectively. He took on the title role in Robert Icke's adaptation of the Greek tragedy Oedipus in the West End in 2024 and Broadway in 2025, earning nominations for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor and the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.

In Their Own Story

Strong was born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia in the Islington borough of London on 5 August 1963, the son of an Austrian mother and an Italian father. His father left the family soon after Strong's birth, and Strong was brought up by his mother while she worked as an au pair. He later said, "The home I grew up in was a flat in Myddelton Square in London's Islington, a beautiful Georgian square with a huge church in the middle. We moved around a lot when I was young. I remember flats in Walthamstow, Clapton, Stoke Newington, and Edmonton." He said in 2008 that when he was a child he was inspired to become an actor by watching French actor Alain Delon, but clarified in 2019 that he did not consider acting as a career until he was older. When Strong was young, his mother legally changed his name to help him fit in with his English peers. He was baptised a Catholic. He attended Wymondham College in Morley, Norfolk, where he sang in two punk bands, the Electric Hoax and Private Party—the latter's name based on the idea that people would not attend their shows, thinking they were private parties. Strong had ambitions to become a lawyer but returned to London after one year of studying German law at LMU Munich. He subsequently studied English and drama at Royal Holloway, University of London before attending the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Reader's Guide

Strong appeared in 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 also had starring roles in two BBC Two drama serials, Our Friends in the North (1996) and The Long Firm (2004), earning a BAFTA nomination for the latter. He also played the villainous Colonel Brand in Sharpe's Mission (1996). He portrayed the romantic lead, Mr. Knightley, in the 1996 ITV adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Emma. He then played the role of Steve in the 1997 film adaptation of Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch. He dubbed Daniel Craig's voice in the 1997 German-language film Obsession. At the beginning of the 2000s, Strong appeared in Heartlands and in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night at the Donmar Warehouse, for which he was nominated for the 2003 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role. He was later featured in Roman Polanski's Oliver Twist (2005), played Mussawi in the film Syriana (2005), and played an assassin named Sorter in Revolver (2005). He portrayed the traitorous Wictred in Tristan & Isolde, showing his talent with swordplay, and from 2006 until 2012 he provided the narration in the BBC's genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are?.

Did You Know?

• Mark Strong was born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia in the Islington borough of London on 5 August 1963.
• His mother legally changed his surname from Salussolia to Strong when he was young to help him fit in with English peers.
• He sang in two punk bands at Wymondham College: the Electric Hoax and Private Party.
• He studied German law at LMU Munich for one year before switching to English and drama at Royal Holloway.
• He provided the narration for the BBC's genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are? from 2006 until 2012.

Early Life and Identity

Strong was born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia in the Islington borough of London on 5 August 1963, the son of an Austrian mother and an Italian father. His father left the family soon after Strong's birth, and Strong was brought up by his mother while she worked as an au pair. He later said, "The home I grew up in was a flat in Myddelton Square in London's Islington, a beautiful Georgian square with a huge church in the middle. We moved around a lot when I was young. I remember flats in Walthamstow, Clapton, Stoke Newington, and Edmonton." He said in 2008 that when he was a child he was inspired to become an actor by watching French actor Alain Delon, but clarified in 2019 that he did not consider acting as a career until he was older. When Strong was young, his mother legally changed his name to help him fit in with his English peers. He was baptised a Catholic. He attended Wymondham College in Morley, Norfolk, where he sang in two punk bands, the Electric Hoax and Private Party—the latter's name based on the idea that people would not attend their shows, thinking they were private parties. Strong had ambitions to become a lawyer but returned to London after one year of studying German law at LMU Munich. He subsequently studied English and drama at Royal Holloway, University of London before attending the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Theatrical Acclaim and Stage Craft

On stage, he played Orsino in a production of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (2002) which earned him a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role. He portrayed a repressed longshoreman in the Arthur Miller play A View from the Bridge on the West End in 2014 and Broadway in 2015 which earned him the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor and nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play respectively. He took on the title role in Robert Icke's adaptation of the Greek tragedy Oedipus in the West End in 2024 and Broadway in 2025, earning nominations for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor and the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.

Iconic Villainy in Film

Strong's film roles include in Oliver Twist (2005), Sunshine (2007), Stardust (2007), Sherlock Holmes (2009), Kick-Ass (2010), Robin Hood (2010), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Zero Dark Thirty (2012), The Imitation Game (2014), 1917 (2019), and Cruella (2021). He has also taken roles in franchise films such as in Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) and Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) and as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana in Shazam! (2019) and Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023). In 2009, he played Lord Blackwood, the main villain, in Sherlock Holmes, who has somehow returned after his execution with a plot to take over the British Empire using an arsenal of dark arts and new technologies. It was his third project with director Guy Ritchie. He went on to work with Ridley Scott a second time in the 2010 epic adventure film Robin Hood, portraying antagonist Sir Godfrey. That year, he also played Frank D'Amico, the head of a criminal organisation, in Kick-Ass. Strong says he is drawn to playing antagonists, trying to "understand the purpose of the character" and building a believable individual. In 2011, Strong played Thaal Sinestro, a Green Lantern and Hal Jordan's mentor, in the superhero film Green Lantern. Strong said the film "closely follows the early comics" and elaborated, "Sinestro starts out as Hal Jordan's mentor, slightly suspicious and not sure of him." Strong went on to state that the character "is a military guy but isn't immediately bad". He also revealed that the outfit and other aspects of the character closely follow his early comic history.

Television Roles and Narration

On television, he played Terry "Tosker" Cox on the serial Our Friends in the North (1996), Carmine Falcone on The Penguin (2024), and Emperor Javicco Corrino on Dune: Prophecy (2024-present). Strong appeared in 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 also had starring roles in two BBC Two drama serials, Our Friends in the North (1996) and The Long Firm (2004), earning a BAFTA nomination for the latter. He also played the villainous Colonel Brand in Sharpe's Mission (1996). He portrayed the romantic lead, Mr. Knightley, in the 1996 ITV adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Emma. From 2006 until 2012 he provided the narration in the BBC's genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are?. Since 2017, Strong has narrated the pre-show etiquette clips presented before films at Vue Cinemas. In March 2020, Strong narrated public information films for the UK government.