Who is Mark Strong? Everything You Need to Know

Born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia on August 5, 1963, in Islington, London, England, Strong is the son of Giuseppe A. Salussolia and Waltraud D. Salussolia. His father was originally from Italy while his mother was an Austrian.

Not long after his birth, his father deserted the family, and he was subsequently raised by his mother, who earned a living by working as an au pair.

Inspired by French actor Alain Delon, Strong harboured acting aspirations as a child. However, that changed as he grew up and his focus shifted to law.

He studied at Wymondham College before joining the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich for a degree in German law. He dropped out after a year, came back to England, and enrolled at Royal Holloway to study English and drama. He was also a student at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Continue Reading Below

Recommended Lists:

British Film & Theater Personalities

Leo Men

Television Career

Mark Strong had his screen debut in a 1989 episode of the BBC One soap opera ‘EastEnders’. He subsequently played a series of guest roles before being cast as the second TV producer in the BBC miniseries ‘The Buddha of Suburbia’ (1993).

In 1996, he portrayed Terry 'Tosker' Cox in the BBC Two miniseries ‘Our Friends in the North’. This was Strong’s first major role. The show helped him, along with his three co-stars, Daniel Craig, Christopher Eccleston, and Gina McKee, find solid footing in the industry.

In 2003, he played Duke of Norfolk in the telefilm ‘Henry VIII’. Strong was cast as Det. Sgt. Frank Agnew in both the UK (2006) and US (2013) versions of the TV series ‘Low Winter Sun’.

He portrayed retired MI6 field agent Max Easton in the first season of the Fox series ‘Deep State’. In 2019, he lent his voice to Ordon in the Netflix dark fantasy adventure series ‘The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.’

Strong served as the narrator on the BBC documentary series ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ (2006-12) and the History Channel documentary ‘The Great Martian War 1913–1917’ (2013).

Film Career

Mark Strong had his cinematic debut in 1993 in the romance drama ‘Century’. He played Toby Crackit in Roman Polanski’s 2005 film adaptation of Charles Dickens’ ‘Oliver Twist’.

In 2007, he shared screen space with Peter O'Toole, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Robert De Niro in the romantic adventure fantasy film ‘Stardust’. He played the primary antagonist Lord Henry Blackwood in ‘Sherlock Holmes’ (2009).

Strong was cast as the main villain Frank D'Amico in the superhero black comedy action film ‘Kick-Ass’ (2010). In the 2011 Cold War spy thriller film ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’, he worked with Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, and Tom Hardy.

In 2014, he essayed the role of Major General Sir Stewart Graham Menzies, the former MI6 Chief, in the historical drama ‘The Imitation Game’.

Strong bagged the role of Merlin in the action spy comedy film ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ (2014). In 2017, he reprised the role in ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’.

In 2019, he appeared in the DC Comics superhero film ‘Shazam!’ as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana. This is the second DC character he has portrayed after Thaal Sinestro in ‘Green Lantern’ (2011).

Theatre Career

One of his earliest stage performances was as Biff Loman in The Royal National Theatre’s production of Arthur Miller’s ‘Death of a Salesman’ in 1996. A year later, he performed at the same venue in a production of Patrick Marber’s ‘Closer’. In the Donmar Warehouse’s 2002 production of ‘Uncle Vanya’, he was cast as Mikhail Lvovich Astrov.

Strong first portrayed Eddie Carbon in the revival of Miller’s ‘A View from the Bridge’ in 2014 at the Young Vic. In 2015, the play was performed at the Wyndham's Theatre. It also ran on Broadway from 2015 to 2016. Besides winning an Olivier Award for the role, he received a Theatre World Award in 2016 and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.

Video Games

Distinguished by his deep, smooth baritone, Strong has provided the voice for his character in the video game version of ‘Kick-Ass’, Captain Titus of the Ultramarines in ‘Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine’ (2011), Silanus in ‘Total War: Rome II’ (2013), and Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn in ‘Eisenhorn: Xenos’ (2016).

Family & Personal Life

Mark Strong is married to film producer Liza Marshall. They have two sons together, Gabriel and Roman. He resides in London and is a fan of Arsenal FC.

Mark Strong Biography