Linus Roache

Linus William Roache (born 1 February 1964) is a British actor. He is best known to US audiences as Executive ADA Michael Cutter in the NBC dramas Law & Order (2008–2010) and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2011–2012), and also played Ecbert, King of Wessex in Vikings from 2014 to 2017.

He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for playing Robert F. Kennedy in RFK (2002), won a Peabody Award for his role as Senator Wesley Smith in Fellow Travelers (2023), and won a Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor (TV) for his role as Ralph Wigram in The Gathering Storm (2002). His film appearances include Priest (1994), The Wings of the Dove (1997), (1990 BBC Omnibus film) Van Gogh Pandaemonium (2000), The Chronicles of Riddick (2004), Batman Begins (2005), Non-Stop (2014) and Mandy (2018). In 2018 and 2020, he had a recurring role in the final two seasons of Homeland.

Early life Roache was born in Manchester, England, the son of Coronation Street actor William Roache and actress Anna Cropper. Roache was educated at Bishop Luffa School in Chichester, West Sussex, and at Rydal School in Colwyn Bay in north Wales.

Career From 1973 to 1975, Roache appeared in Coronation Street as Peter Barlow, the son of his father's character Ken Barlow.

In the 1990s, Roache began a career in films while remaining active in television and on stage. In 1994 he took a leading role in Antonia Bird's Priest. In 1997, he starred opposite Helena Bonham Carter in the film The Wings of the Dove. In 2005, he played Thomas Wayne, father of Batman, in Batman Begins.

In June 2010, it was announced that he would return to play Lawrence Cunningham, the other son of Ken, in Coronation Street. The following month, Roache was cast in the HBO pilot The Miraculous Year. In April 2011, Roache was cast as the lead in the ITV miniseries Titanic, airing in March and April 2012 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the ship. In February 2014, Roache debuted in season two of the TV series Vikings as Ecbert, King of Wessex. He starred in seasons seven and eight of the TV series Homeland as David Wellington in 2017–2019. Since then, he starred as Senator Wesley Smith on Showtime's Peabody Award-winning miniseries Fellow Travelers.

Personal life After appearing in 1994's Priest and Seaforth, Roache took a break from acting. He stayed in India for 18 months, where he discovered meditation. Older Tom Burgess Television

Selected theatre Tom Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. Directed by Ian Hastings at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (1989) The title role in Richard II. Directed by James Macdonald at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (1993) Henry IV in Owain & Henry. Directed by Steffan Donnelly and Michael Sheen at the Wales Millennium Centre (2026)

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.1996 Chlotrudis Society for Independent Films Best ActorPriest 2001 Evening Standard British Film Awards Best Actor Pandaemonium 2003 60th Golden Globe Awards Best Performance in a Miniseries or Television Film RFK 7th Golden Satellite Awards Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film The Gathering Storm 2004 BAFTA Awards, Scotland Best Actor in a Scottish FilmBlind Flight 2018 Fright Meter AwardsBest Supporting ActorMandy 2019 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards CinEuphoria Awards Best Supporting Actor - International 2023 Peabody Awards Chronicling LGBTQ+ History Over 50 YearsFellow Travelers