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. His mother is actress Linda Broughton. He is married to costume designer Natalie Ward and they share a son named Sidney.
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.
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. In October 2025, Spruell was announced to star alongside Honor Swinton Byrne and Jessica Madsen in the feature film Tidepools.
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 thirteenth series of Doctor Who, Spruell played Swarm, one of the main villains of the series.
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". In June 2024, it was announced that Spruell would portray Maekar Targaryen in the series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
Filmography +Key Denotes works that have not yet been released Film Year Title Role NotesRef. 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 Cyrus Lam The Dog Stars (film)John Yuri Post-production
Television Year Title Role NotesRef. 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 episodes2009 Ashes to Ashes Trevor Riley Episode #2.6 The Fixer Connor O'Dricoll Episode #2.52010 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 episodes2015 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 episodes2023–2024 Fargo Ole Munch 9 episodes The Gold Charlie Miller 3 episodes 2024 Dune: Prophecy Horace 2 episodes2026 A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Prince Maekar "The Anvil" Targaryen 4 episodes Dear England Mike Webster 4 episodes TBA TBA Filming
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