Sam Spruell | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1977-10-09) 9 October 1977 Southwark, London, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Children | 11 |
Sam Spruell (born 9 October 1977) is a British actor.
Early life
Born in Southwark, London, Spruell studied at Hull University before turning to acting.2 His mother is actress Linda Broughton.3 He is married to costume designer Natalie Ward and they share a son named Sidney.45
Career
Theatre
He made his stage debut with the Royal National Theatre. He has appeared in The Caretaker (at Trafalgar Studios); Pornography (Tricycle); The Alchemist and The Life of Galileo (the National); King Lear (Sheffield Crucible); Othello (Royal Exchange); A Midsummer Night's Dream, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, and Pippin, (Bloomsbury Theatre); and elsewhere.6
Film
Spruell's first screen appearance came in Kathryn Bigelow's submarine drama K-19: The Widowmaker in 2002. His film credits include To Kill a King (2003); London to Brighton (2006); Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007); The Hurt Locker (2008); Defiance (2008); and others. He played hit man Jack "The Hat" McVitie in the 2015 film Legend, about the story of the Kray twins. In 2012, Spruell had a starring role in the film Snow White & the Huntsman, as brother to the Evil Queen that was played by Charlize Theron.7 In October 2025, Spruell was announced to star alongside Honor Swinton Byrne and Jessica Madsen in the feature film Tidepools.8
Television
His television roles include the recurring cameo of Jason Belling in Spooks (2007 in Episode 6.9 and 2004 in Project Friendly Fire), and the recurring role of Wilkes in P.O.W. (2003). In March 2013, he appeared in one of the lead roles in the BBC One thriller drama series Mayday. He was cast in the television adaptation of The Last Ship later in the year. In 2015, Spruell played Oleg Malankov, the secondary villain in Taken 3 and then played Owen Lynch in the drama series Luther in episode 1.2. In the 13th series of Doctor Who, Spruell played Swarm, one of the main villains of the series.9
In 2023, he starred as Ole Munch in the fifth season of the Fargo series, an "immortal hired gun" figure who "exists outside of time and society's rules," a "collection of contrasts".10 In June 2024, it was announced that Spruell would portray Maekar Targaryen in the series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.11
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | K-19: The Widowmaker | Dmitri Nevsky | ||
| 2003 | To Kill a King | King's guard | ||
| 2006 | London to Brighton | Stuart Allen | ||
| Venus | Hospital Director | |||
| 2007 | Tick Tock Lullaby | Steve | ||
| Elizabeth: The Golden Age | Torturer | |||
| 2008 | The Hurt Locker | Contractor Charlie | ||
| Defiance | Arkady Lubczanski | |||
| 2010 | Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll | Kilburns' Drummer | ||
| 2012 | Snow White & the Huntsman | Finn | ||
| 2013 | Company of Heroes | Sgt. Matherson | Direct-to-video | |
| Starred Up | Governor Hayes | |||
| The Counselor | Wireman | |||
| Sixteen | Liam | |||
| 2014 | The Voices | Dave | ||
| Good People | Jack Witkowski | |||
| Taken 3 | Oleg Malankov | |||
| 2015 | Child 44 | Doctor Tyapkin | ||
| Legend | Jack "The Hat" McVitie | |||
| The Martian | NASA Psychologist | Uncredited | ||
| The Lady in the Van | Another Young Man | |||
| 2017 | Sand Castle | 1st Lt. Anthony | ||
| Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets | General Okto-Bar | |||
| 2018 | The World Is Yours | Bruce | ||
| Outlaw King | Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke | |||
| 2019 | The Informer | Slewitt | ||
| 2021 | Locked Down | Martin | ||
| The Amazing Mr. Blunden | Bertie | Television film | ||
| 2022 | The Hanging Sun | Aaron / Nicholas | ||
| 2023 | The Settlers | Colonel Martin | ||
| 2024 | Ma famille chérie | William | ||
| Up the Catalogue | Jim Kelly | |||
| 2025 | The Thing with Feathers | Paul | ||
| H Is for Hawk | Stuart | |||
| 2026 | Insidious: Out of the Further † | Cyrus12 | Post-production13 | |
| TBA | Tidepools † | Yuri | Post-production |
Television series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | P.O.W. | Wilkes | 6 episodes | |
| 2004, 2007 | Spooks | Jason Belling | 2 episodes | |
| 2005 | The Ghost Squad | Will Surridge | Episode: "One of Us" | |
| 2006 | Rosemary & Thyme | Jerome Daniels | Episode: "Seeds of Time" | |
| Silent Witness | Robbie Sharpe | Episode: "Schism: Part 2" | ||
| 2007 | HolbyBlue | Clive Bolland | Episode #1.7 | |
| 2008 | City of Vice | Duke of Newcastle | 4 episodes | |
| 2009 | Ashes to Ashes | Trevor Riley | Episode #2.6 | |
| The Fixer | Connor O'Dricoll | Episode #2.5 | ||
| 2010 | Foyle's War | Tommy Duggan | Episode: "Killing Time" | |
| Luther | Owen Lynch | Episode #1.2 | ||
| 2011 | The Runaway | Jim Harvey | 5 episodes | |
| 2012 | Eternal Law | Marcus | Episode #1.6 | |
| 2013 | Mayday | Steve Docker | 5 episodes | |
| 2014–2015 | The Last Ship | Quincy | 11 episodes | |
| 2015 | Catastrophe | Owen | Episode #1.3 | |
| The Bastard Executioner | Toran Prichard | 10 episodes | ||
| 2019 | I Am... | Barry | Episode: "I Am Nicola" | |
| 2020 | Liar | Oliver Graham | 6 episodes | |
| Small Axe: Mangrove | PC Frank Pulley | Episode: "Mangrove" | ||
| 2021 | The North Water | Cavendish | 4 episodes | |
| Doctor Who | Swarm | 5 episodes | ||
| 2023–2024 | Fargo | Ole Munch | 9 episodes | |
| The Gold | Charlie Miller | 3 episodes | ||
| 2024 | Dune: Prophecy | Horace | 2 episodes | |
| 2026 | A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms | Prince Maekar Targaryen | 4 episodes | |
| Dear England | Mike Webster | 4 episodes |
References
References
- Strauss, Bob (27 May 2024). "How do you play a 400-year-old sin eater? Terrifyingly if you're Fargo's Sam Spruell". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
- "Sam Spruell - Actor". TV Insider. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
- Edmonds, Lizzie (21 October 2021). "Sam Spruell: My family are pleasantly surprised at me making it in Hollywood". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- Brown, Emma (29 May 2012). "Sam Spruell's Scary Fairy Tale". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
- Introducing Dad Man Sam Spruell | Motherfunk. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2026 – via shows.acast.com.
- "Sam Spruell". Royal Court Theatre. Archived from the original on 18 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- "Sam Spruell". TV Insider. Archived from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- Clarke, Stewart (21 October 2025). "Sam Spruell, Honor Swinton Byrne & Jessica Madsen To Star In Wartime Drama Movie Tidepools — AFM". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 21 October 2025. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
- "Sam Spruell". TV Tropes. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- Hadadi, Roxana (17 January 2024). "Let's Talk About Ole Munch's Last Bite". Vulture. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- Vary, Adam B. (18 June 2024). "Game of Thrones Spinoff A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Begins Filming as The Crown, True Detective Actors Join Cast". Variety. Archived from the original on 18 June 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- Romano, Nick (5 May 2026). "Insidious Lin Shaye jumps Out of the Further to talk new demon and expanded lore (exclusive)". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 12 May 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
- D'Alessandro, Anthony (16 September 2025). "Insidious Sequel Rounds Out Cast With Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Sam Spruell & Island Austin". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 16 September 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2025.