Sullivan Stapleton

SULLIVAN STAPLETON

Date of Birth: June 14, 1977

A native of Australia, Sullivan Stapleton was born in Melbourne. His younger sister, Jacinta Stapleton, is also an actress. When they were eight and six respectively, both Sullivan and his sister joined an acting and modeling agency.

When Sullivan was cast in a short film, the director was so pleased with his work that he advised the boy to continue acting. Along the way, Sullivan studied acting at Melbourne’s St. Martin’s Theater and became a union member by age nine. Two years later, he began doing television commercials. He went on to study theater and drama at Sandringham Secondary College, and landed his first serious onscreen acting gig at age 17 in the Australian TV movie Baby Bath Massacre (1994).

Sullivan made his big screen debut in River Street (1996), which screened at the Melbourne International Film Festival and then hit Australian theaters in July 1997. In 1998, Sullivan landed the first of many recurring roles on Australian TV shows, playing Josh Hughes on Neighbors. He went on to play Wayne Taylor in the 2000 series Something in the Air, following by The Secret Life of Us (2003 to 2005), Satisfaction (2007 to 2009) and Carla Cametti PD (2009). On the big screen, Sullivan has appeared in December Boys (2007) opposite Daniel Radcliffe, but it was his performance in the award- winning film Animal Kingdom that earned him international recognition, especially when he received an Australian Film Institute nomination for Best Supporting Actor. In 2010 he was cast in a starring role on the British television series Strike Back. During hiatus from the series, he managed to be cast in major Hollywood films such as Gangster Squad (2013) opposite Josh Brolin and Ryan Gosling and in the lead role as Themistocles in the 300 sequel, 300: Rise of an Empire (2014).

In February 2014, while in Bangkok filming the fourth season of Strike Back, he was seriously injured exploring the country during his down time. Although Sullivan is expected to make a full recovery, filming of the series has been put on hold for six months.

Filmography:

Kill Me Three Times (2014)
300: Rise of an Empire (2014)
Gangster Squad (2013)
The Hunter (2011)
Animal Kingdom (2010)
Centre Place (2010)
December Boys (2007)
The Condemned (2007)
Darkness Falls (2003)
Amy (1997)