Mark Strong
Mark Strong (born
Marco Giuseppe Salussolia, August
1963, in
London,
UK) is a
British actor of
Italian /
Austrian parentage. His English name is not a stage name, but one chosen by his Austrian 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.
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.
He is a familiar face on British
television screens and has appeared in a variety of high-profile dramas, including two of the
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 major
BBC Two drama serials,
Our Friends in the North (
1996) and
The Long Firm (
2004).
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 he also features in
Roman Polański's
2005 version of
Oliver Twist. He has enjoyed a highly successful theatre career, in
2003 being nominated for a prestigious
Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for his role in
Shakespeare's
Twelfth Night at the Donmar Warehouse in
2002.
*
Mark Strong at the
Internet Movie Database.
