Mark Strong is a British actor of Italian descent, nominated for the BAFTA TV Award (2004) and the Tony Award (2016). He is best known for the films Sherlock Holmes, Kick-Ass, Body of Lies, RocknRolla, Stardust, Robin Hood, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and The Imitation Game. He played his first role in the television series Prime Suspect, where he worked with the famous actress Helen Mirren. Among his recent notable roles are Lord Blackwood in Sherlock Holmes, Thaal Sinestro in Green Lantern, Frank D'Amico in Kick-Ass, Sir Godfrey in Robin Hood, Jim Prideaux in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Merlin in Kingsman: The Secret Service, and MI6 chief Stewart Menzies in The Imitation Game. In most films Strong is almost unrecognizable, as he changes his appearance for each role: in Stardust and Tristan & Isolde he has long hair, in Robin Hood he is bald, while in RocknRolla and Body of Lies he has an ordinary head of hair.

He voiced Captain Titus of the Ultramarines in the video game Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn in the game Eisenhorn: Xenos, and General Silanus, the main character of the prologue, in the game Total War: Rome II. In 2014 Mark received the Laurence Olivier Award in the Best Actor category for his performance in the play A View from the Bridge. For the same role in 2016 he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.