Sam Spruell

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 13th 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 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 Yuri Post-production

Television series