- Born
- Birth nameMarco Giuseppe Salussolia
- Height6′ 2″ (1.88 m)
- British actor Mark Strong, who played Jim Prideaux in the 2011 remake of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), is often cast as cold, calculating villains. But before he became a famous actor, he intended to pursue a career in law.
Strong was born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia in London, England, to an Austrian mother and an Italian father. His father left the family not long after he was born, and his mother worked as an au pair to raise the boy on her own. Strong's mother had his name legally changed, by deed poll, when he was young in order to help him better assimilate with his peers. He became Mark Strong.
Strong attended Wymondham College in Norfolk, and studied at the university level in Munich with the intent of becoming a lawyer. After a year, he returned to London to study English and Drama at Royal Holloway. He went on to further master his craft of at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
Although Americans are most familiar with Strong's roles as Sinestro in Green Lantern (2011), mob boss Frank D'Amico in Kick-Ass (2010), and Lord Blackwood in Sherlock Holmes (2009), British audiences know him from his long history as a television actor. He also starred in as numerous British stage productions, including plays at the Royal National Theatre and the RSC.
His most prominent television parts include Prime Suspect 3 (1993) and Prime Suspect: The Last Witness (2003) as Inspector Larry Hall, and starring roles in the BBC Two dramas Our Friends in the North (1996) and The Long Firm (2004), the latter of which netted Strong a BAFTA nomination. He also played Mr. Knightley in the 1996 adaptation of Jane Austen's classic tale Emma (1996).
Strong resides in London with his wife Liza Marshall, with whom he has two sons, the younger of which is the godson of his longtime friend Daniel Craig.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous
- SpouseLiza Marshall(? - present) (2 children)
- ChildrenGabriel StrongRoman Strong
- ParentsWaltraud D. SalussoliaGiuseppe A. Salussolia
- Appears in films by Guy Ritchie and Matthew Vaughn (both filmmakers are close friends).
- Often plays crime lords and sinister villains
- Often appears as a calculating, sinister individual who is willing to go against what they were taught for personal gain
- Deep smooth voice
- Cold unflinching gaze
- Born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia in London to an Italian father and an Austrian mother.
- Close friends with Daniel Craig. Craig is also the godfather of one of Strong's sons.
- He can speak fluent German.
- Has appeared in five films with Colin Firth: Fever Pitch (1997), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Before I Go to Sleep (2014), Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), and Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017).
- He was nominated for a 2003 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role of 2002 for his performance in "Twelfth Night", performed at the Donmar Warehouse.
- On Stardust (2007) director Matthew Vaughn ... From "Good Omens: The Making of Stardust" on Stardust DVD: What I love about Matthew is his taste. He won't look at the monitor and let something pass unless he thinks it's right and, as an actor, that's what you want from a director. You want them to be your mate behind the camera.
- On his character Prince Septimus in Stardust (2007) ... From "Good Omens: The Making of Stardust" on Stardust DVD ... (Contains spoiler for movie): I was able to do pretty much most of my fighting scenes in this movie. The difficulty obviously is, it's one thing being able to do fighting, but it's another thing doing it with your eyes closed while you're slumped over and you can't see your opponent.
(when he was used as a Zombie by the Witch Lamia): In a film, the more effort you put in, the more fantastic it looks. - [on Green Lantern (2011)]: I had to imbue in Sinestro an evil feeling, so the audience could take that journey into what might be in store for them. That's why Sinestro had to have a presence and a potential to be a badass.
- I'm not convinced that this business runs on talent, otherwise why would there be so much crap on the box?
- (On his character in Our Friends in the North (1996)) There's a kind of simpleness about him but that doesn't mean he's stupid," Strong says fondly, "and a kind of hardness but that doesn't mean he's not vulnerable. He's just someone who's working his bollocks off to do something and get somewhere despite all the limitations holding him in."
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