Stephen Marcus (born Stephen Mark Scott; 18 June 1962) is a British actor, best known for his role as Nick the Greek in the film ''

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels ''Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'' is a 1998 British black comedy crime film written and directed by Guy Ritchie, produced by Matthew Vaughn and starring an ensemble cast featuring Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher, Nick Moran, Steven Macki ...

''.

Career

Marcus became an actor in 1984 after three years of training at

Arts Educational Schools Arts Educational Schools, or ArtsEd, is an independent performing arts school based in Chiswick in the London Borough of Hounslow. Overview ArtsEd provides specialist vocational training at secondary, further and higher education level in mu ...

in London; he spent the first six months of his career touring throughout London's parks and schools in ''Robin Hood & The Tree Trick'', which was quickly followed by his first film role as Moose in the cult film ''

My Beautiful Laundrette ''My Beautiful Laundrette'' is a 1985 British romantic comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Frears from a screenplay by Hanif Kureishi. The film was also one of the first films released by Working Title Films. The story is set in London durin ...

''. After a few years working in theatre, commercials and supporting roles on television, Marcus joined the cast of fledgling comedy ''

Birds of a Feather ''Birds of a Feather'' is a British sitcom originally broadcast on BBC One from 16 October 1989 to 24 December 1998, then revived on ITV from 2 January 2014 to 24 December 2020. The series stars Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson, with Lesley Jos ...

'' as Dave, the lover of Sharon (

Pauline Quirke Pauline Perpetua Sheen ( Quirke; born 8 July 1959) is an English actress who has played Sharon Theodopolopodous in the long-running comedy series ''Birds of a Feather'' (1988–1999, 2014–2017). For this role, she won the 1990 British Comedy ...

). A year of acting in commercials introduced Marcus to director Peter Chelsom. Chelsom cast him right away as Gordon in ''

Hear My Song ''Hear My Song'' is a 1991 British comedy-drama film directed by Peter Chelsom, who co-wrote the screenplay with Adrian Dunbar, based on the story of Irish tenor Josef Locke. It was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 46th British Acad ...

'', opposite Ned Beatty. This was followed by roles on British television, in programmes such as ''The Hot Dog Wars'', '' Dangerfield'', ''

Class Act ''Class Act'' is a 1992 American comedy film directed by Randall Miller and starring hip-hop duo Kid 'n Play. An urban retelling of Mark Twain's ''The Prince and the Pauper'', the film was written by Cynthia Friedlob and John Semper from a st ...

'', ''

Kavanagh QC ''Kavanagh QC'' is a British television series made by Central Television for ITV between 1995 and 2001. All five series are available on DVD in both Region 1 and Region 2. Plot The series starred John Thaw as barrister James Kavanagh QC, ...

'' and ''

Our Friends in the North ''Our Friends in the North'' is a British television drama serial produced by the BBC. It was originally broadcast in nine episodes on BBC2 in early 1996. Written by Peter Flannery, it tells the story of four friends from Newcastle upon Tyne o ...

''. Meanwhile, Marcus's movie career was also progressing, with roles opposite Timothy Dalton in ''

The Beautician and the Beast ''The Beautician and the Beast'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by Ken Kwapis, written by Todd Graff, and starring Fran Drescher, Timothy Dalton, Lisa Jakub, Ian McNeice, and Patrick Malahide. It tells the story of a New York C ...

'', Robert Englund in ''The Killer Tongue'' and Richard Harris in ''Savage Hearts''. In 1996 Marcus's agent arranged a meeting for a small low-budget movie with a then-unknown director named

Guy Ritchie Guy Stuart Ritchie (born 10 September 1968) is an English film director, producer and screenwriter. His work includes British gangster films, and the '' Sherlock Holmes'' films starring Robert Downey Jr. Ritchie left school at age 15 and wo ...

; Ritchie offered Marcus the role of Nick the Greek in ''Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'' alongside

Nick Moran Nick Moran (born 23 December 1968 or 1969, sources differ) is an English actor and filmmaker, best known for his role as Eddie the card sharp in '' Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels''. He appeared as Scabior in ''Harry Potter and the Deathly ...

Vinnie Jones Vincent Peter Jones (born 5 January 1965) is a British actor, presenter, and former professional footballer. Jones played professionally as a defensive midfielder from 1984 to 1999, notably for Wimbledon, Leeds United, Sheffield United, Ch ...

Jason Statham Jason Statham (; born 26 July 1967) is an English actor. He is known for portraying characters in various action-thriller films who are typically tough, hardboiled, gritty, or violent. Statham began practising Chinese martial arts, kickbox ...

and

Matthew Vaughn Matthew Allard de Vere Drummond (born Matthew Allard Robert Vaughn; 7 March 1971) is an English filmmaker. He has produced films including ''Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'' (1998) and '' Snatch'' (2000), and directed ''Layer Cake'' (2004 ...

. Three years later, the film was released and garnered a high level of success. ''Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'' led to further movie roles. Marcus completed a small role in Alan Parker's ''

Angela's Ashes ''Angela's Ashes: A Memoir'' is a 1996 memoir by the Irish-American author Frank McCourt, with various anecdotes and stories of his childhood. The book details his very early childhood in Brooklyn, New York, US but focuses primarily on his life ...

''; he played Bouchon in '' Quills'', alongside

Kate Winslet Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films, particularly period dramas, and for her portrayals of headstrong and complicated women, she has received numerous accolades, incl ...

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...

Joaquin Phoenix Joaquin Rafael Phoenix (; né Bottom; born October 28, 1974) is an American actor. He is known for playing dark and unconventional characters in independent films. He has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Acad ...

and

Geoffrey Rush Geoffrey Roy Rush (born 6 July 1951) is an Australian actor. He is known for his eccentric leading man roles on stage and screen. He is among 24 people who have won the Triple Crown of Acting, having received an Academy Award, a Primetime Em ...

; for

Richard Eyre Sir Richard Charles Hastings Eyre (born 28 March 1943) is an English film, theatre, television and opera director. Biography Eyre was born in Barnstaple, Devon, England, the son of Richard Galfridus Hastings Giles Eyre and his wife, Minna Ma ...

, he played ''Iris'' opposite

Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...

and acted in ''Complete Female Stage Beauty'' with

Claire Danes Claire Catherine Danes (born April 12, 1979) is an American actress. She is the recipient of three Primetime Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2012, ''Time'' named her one of the 100 most influential ...

; and he also attained the role of Ted Ray in ''

The Greatest Game Ever Played ''The Greatest Game Ever Played'' is a 2005 American biographical sports film based on the early life of amateur golf champion Francis Ouimet and his surprise winning of the 1913 U.S. Open. The film was directed by Bill Paxton, and was his last ...

'', directed by

Bill Paxton William Paxton (May 17, 1955 – February 25, 2017) was an American actor and filmmaker. He appeared in films such as ''Weird Science'' (1985), ''Aliens'' (1986), '' Near Dark'' (1987), '' Tombstone'' (1993), '' True Lies'' (1994), ''Apollo 13 ...

. Alongside a very successful movie career, Marcus also starred in several American, Canadian and UK television series: '' Starhunter 2300'', in which he played Rudolpho De Luna; he played the co-lead in the BBC series ''

Cavegirl ''Cavegirl'' is a 2002-03 British TV series created and written by Daniel Peacock. It starred Stacey Cadman, Stephen Marcus and Lucinda Rhodes-Flaherty. It followed the adventures of a teenage cavegirl. Although based in a Stone Age world, t ...

''; he played Banjo and Broadman in the adaptations of Terry Pratchett's ''

Hogfather ''Hogfather'' is the 20th ''Discworld'' novel by Terry Pratchett, and a 1997 British Fantasy Award nominee. It was first released in 1996 and published by Victor Gollancz. It came in 137th place in The Big Read, a BBC survey of the most loved ...

'' and ''

The Colour of Magic ''The Colour of Magic'' is a 1983 fantasy comedy novel by Terry Pratchett, and is the first book of the ''Discworld'' series. The first printing of the British edition consisted of only 506 copies. Pratchett has described it as "an attempt to ...

'', respectively; he starred in the two 20th anniversary episodes of "Casualty"; and Marcus also appeared in regular roles in ''

Kingdom Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

'' (with Stephen Fry) and ''Larkrise to Candleford''. Marcus has also completed two films with the Wachowskis: ''

Speed Racer ''Speed Racer'', also known as , is a Japanese media franchise about Auto racing, automobile racing. ''Mach GoGoGo'' was originally serialized in print in Shueisha's 1966 ''Shōnen Book''. It was released in tankōbon book form by Sun W ...

'' and ''

Ninja Assassin ''Ninja Assassin'' is a 2009 neo-noir martial arts film directed by James McTeigue. The story was written by Matthew Sand, with a screenplay by J. Michael Straczynski. The film stars South Korean pop musician Rain as a disillusioned assassin ...

''. In 2012 Marcus appeared in five feature films: ''It’s A Lot'', ''Two Days in the Smoke'', ''Gridiron UK'', ''AB Negative'' and ''

Fast & Furious 6 ''Fast & Furious 6'' (titled on-screen as ''Furious 6'') is a 2013 American action film directed by Justin Lin and written by Chris Morgan. It is the sequel to '' Fast Five'' (2011) and is the sixth installment in the '' Fast & Furious'' fra ...

''. In April 2012, he completed filming for independent British gangster thriller ''Two Days in the Smoke'', in which he played the hitman Ben, alongside ''Snatch'' star Alan Ford and

Matt Di Angelo Mario Angelo S Constantinou (born 1 May 1987), professionally known as Matt Di Angelo, is a British actor and singer, best known for his role as Dean Wicks in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He also portrayed Sean Kennedy in the BBC drama s ...

from ''BBC Hustle''. ''Smoke'' director

Ben Pickering Ben Pickering (born 23 June 1979) is a London-born filmmaker and novelist. He is best known for directing the crime thrillers '' Two Days in the Smoke'' and ''Welcome to Curiosity'', producing the award-winning ''Election Night'' and ''Give The ...

cast him as the vengeful Max in his second feature, the British psychological thriller '' Welcome to Curiosity'', due for release on 25 May 2018 in the US and Canada. In July 2012, Marcus launched a new Gangster London walking tour in association with Brit Movie Tours, in which he explores the dark history of London's East End. He also starred in Perry Bhandal's '' Interview with a Hitman'' (2012) as Traffikant, a Romanian Crime Boss, alongside

Luke Goss Luke Damon Goss (born 29 September 1968) is an English actor, and drummer of the 1980s band Bros. He has appeared in numerous films including ''Blade II'' (2002) as Jared Nomak, '' One Night with the King'' (2006) as King Xerxes, '' Hellboy I ...

. In May 2013, Marcus played the roles of Varney, Homeless man, Letting Agent & First Guard in a BBC radio adaptation of Neil Gaiman's ''

Neverwhere ''Neverwhere'' is an urban fantasy television miniseries by Neil Gaiman that first aired in 1996 on BBC 2. The series is set in "London Below", a magical realm coexisting with the more familiar London, referred to as "London Above". It was dev ...

'', adapted by Dirk Maggs.

Personal life

Marcus is married to Sarah and owns two small dogs, Fry and Ronnie. He has two main hobbies: golf and American Football, the latter of which he used to play and coach. Marcus played

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

in the UK for the BAFL One team Sussex Thunder and retired at the end of the 2007 season. He was interviewed for

Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It h ...

' Sunday

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the maj ...

coverage after the Thunder's 2007 fixture at the Ipswich Cardinals. The interview, which was broadcast on 21 October 2007, discussed his acting career, as well as American Football. Marcus has been an offensive line coach at the

London Olympians The London Olympians are an American football team based in Greenwich, London, England, who compete in Division 1, the 2nd tier of British American Football. Formed in 1983 and originally from Streatham the team were known as the Streatham Olymp ...

and at Valley Trojans.

TV and filmography

*''

'' (1985) as Moose *''

Brush Strokes ''Brush Strokes'' is a British television sitcom, broadcast on BBC television from 1986 to 1991. Written by Esmonde and Larbey and set in south London, it depicted the (mostly) amorous adventures of a wisecracking house painter, Jacko ( Karl ...

'' (1987, TV Series) as 2nd Pub Customer *''

Boon Boon may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Boon (game), a trick-taking card game * ''Boon'' (novel), a 1915 satirical work by H. G. Wells * ''Boon'' (TV series), a British television series starring Michael Elphick * The Ultimate Boon ...

'' (1989, TV Series) as Curly Robinson *''

'' (1989-1991, TV Series) as Dave *''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

'' (1989-2007, TV Series) as Cliff Taylor / Tony Bladwell / Ade Lester / Wayne Smith / Purkis *''Arrivederci Millwall'' (1990) as Mal *'' Stay Lucky'' (1990, TV Series) as Neil *''

Van der Valk ''Van der Valk'' is a British television crime drama series produced for the ITV network. The first series ran from 1972 to 1992; followed by a remake in 2020. Created by Nicolas Freeling and based on his novels about a detective in Amsterda ...

'' (1991, TV Series) as Burly Man *''

'' (1991) as Gordon *''

Red Dwarf ''Red Dwarf'' is a British science fiction comedy franchise created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, which primarily consists of a television sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999, and on Dave (TV channel), Dave since 2009, gaining a ...

'' (1993, TV Series) as Bear Strangler McGee *'' KYTV'' (1993, TV Series) as Large Man *'' Between the Lines'' (1993, TV Series) as Mortuary Assistant *'' 99-1'' (1994, TV Series) as McCarthy's Man / Pursuer *'' Frank Stubbs Promotes'' (1994, TV Series) as Journalist *''

Screen One ''Screen One'' is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and distributed by BBC Worldwide, that was transmitted on BBC One from 1989 to 1998. A total of six series were broadcast, incorporating sixty individual film ...

'' (1994, TV Series) as Newman *''

The Glam Metal Detectives ''The Glam Metal Detectives'' is a comedy show produced by the BBC in 1995. Shown on BBC2 on Thursday nights at 9, it combined sketch and sitcom elements. As with other shows launched in this timeslot, ''The Glam Metal Detectives'' attempted to ...

'' (1995, Series) as Man with Machine Gun / Bailiff / Yacko the Yeti / Jim Dumper *''Savage Hearts'' (1995) as Hector *''Rumble'' (1995, TV Series) as Melvin *''

'' (1995, TV Series) as Geoff *'' The Thin Blue Line'' (1995, TV Series) as Terry *'' Coogan's Run'' (1995, TV Series) as Gerald the Sumo Magician *''

'' (1996, TV Mini-Series) as Cyril Hellyer *'' Killer Tongue'' (1996) as Ralph *''

'' (1996, TV Series) as Baxter *'' The Detectives'' (1997, TV Series) as Fat Reg *''

'' (1997) as Ivan *'' The Black Velvet Band'' (1997, TV Movie) as Nudge *'' Paul Merton in Galton and Simpson's...'' (1997, TV Series) as Thug *''

'' (1998) as Nick the Greek *'' Dangerfield'' (1998, TV Series) as Jay Butterfield *''

Adam's Family Tree ''Adam's Family Tree'' is a children's television comedy programme that was first broadcast in January 1997 and ran until February 1999. The show was broadcast on CITV, the children's segment of ITV. The show which was filmed in Yorkshire ran ...

'' (1999, TV Series) as Bulgar the Bulgarian *'' Roger Roger'' (1999, TV Series) as Detective Sergeant Calderwood *''

'' (1999) as English Agent *'' Sorted'' (2000) as Rob *'' Quills'' (2000) as Bouchon *''

Starhunter ''Starhunter'' (and in the original Season Two ''Starhunter 2300'') is a Canadian science fiction television series that aired for two seasons. The series was produced in Canada by The Danforth Studios Ltd. (a D'or/Jackson Company)

'' (2000-2004, TV Series) as Rudolpho DeLuna *''

Londinium Londinium, also known as Roman London, was the capital of Roman Britain during most of the period of Roman rule. It was originally a settlement established on the current site of the City of London around AD 47–50. It sat at a key cross ...

'' (2001) as Davey *''

Iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term Iris or IRIS may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional ent ...

'' (2001) as Taxi Driver *''Redemption Road'' (2001, writer) as Joe *''AKA'' (2002) as Tommy *''

Unconditional Love Unconditional love is known as affection without any limitations, or love without conditions. This term is sometimes associated with other terms such as true altruism or complete love. Each area of expertise has a certain way of describing uncon ...

'' (2002) as Thug in Rain *''

'' (2002, TV Series) as Dad *''Don't Look Back'' (2003, writer) as Uncle max *''The Baby Juice Express'' (2004) as Lenny Von Something *''

Stage Beauty ''Stage Beauty'' is a 2004 romantic period drama directed by Richard Eyre. The screenplay by Jeffrey Hatcher is based on his play ''Compleat Female Stage Beauty'', which was inspired by references to 17th-century actor Edward Kynaston made in t ...

'' (2004) as Thomas Cockerell *''

'' (2005) as Ted Ray *'' Kinky Boots'' (2005) as Big Mike *''

Without a Trace ''Without a Trace'' is an American police procedural drama television series created by Hank Steinberg that aired on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009 with the total of seven seasons and 160 episodes. The series focuses the cases of ...

'' (2006, TV Series) as Roger *'' Casualty'' (2006, TV Series) as Tommy Indler *'' Terry Pratchett's Hogfather'' (2006, TV Movie) as Banjo Cropper *'' Doctor Who'' (2007, Episode: "

The Shakespeare Code "The Shakespeare Code" is the second episode of the third series of the revived British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. It was broadcast on BBC One on 7 April 2007. According to the BARB figures this episode was seen by 7.23 mi ...

") as Jailer *''

'' (2007, TV Series) as Hill *'' Terry Pratchett's The Colour of Magic'' (2008, TV Mini-Series) as Broadman *''

Lark Rise to Candleford ''Lark Rise to Candleford'' is a trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels by Flora Thompson about the countryside of north-east Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, England, at the end of the 19th century. The stories were previously published s ...

'' (2008, TV Series) as Matthew Welby *''

'' (2008) as Security Goon *''

Sunshine Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight is scattered and filtered through Earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when ...

'' (2008, TV Mini-Series) as Big Alan *''

Little Dorrit ''Little Dorrit'' is a novel by Charles Dickens, originally published in serial form between 1855 and 1857. The story features Amy Dorrit, youngest child of her family, born and raised in the Marshalsea prison for debtors in London. Arthur Cl ...

'' (2008, TV Series) as Jonson *''

'' (2009) as Kingpin *''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British crime drama television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the '' Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series (created by Caroline Graham), and broadcast on two channels of ...

'' (2011, TV Series) as Silas Trout *''The Hot Potato'' (2012) as Freddie *'' Interview with a Hitman'' (2012) as Traffikant *''

The Comic Strip The Comic Strip are a group of British comedians who came to prominence in the 1980s. They are known for their television series ''The Comic Strip Presents...'', which was labelled as a pioneering example of the alternative comedy scene. The c ...

'' (2012, TV Series) as Dirty Douglas *''

Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' Casualty'', and ...

'' (2013, TV Series) as Jarvis Wells *''Getting Back to Zero'' (2013) as Tommy *''

'' (2013) as Davies *''

Justin and the Knights of Valour ''Justin and the Knights of Valour'' ( Spanish: ''Justin y la espada del valor'') is a 2013 computer-animated fantasy film whose working title was ''Goleor: The Scales and the Sword''. It is the story of a boy named Justin, who wants to become a ...

'' (2013) as Guard #1, 2, 3 (voice) *''It's a Lot'' (2013) as Mr. Hatherly *'' AB Negative'' (2014) as Mr. Fines *'' The Smoke'' (2014) as Ben *''Sanctuary'' (2016) as Joseph *''The Gridiron'' (2016) as Eddie *'' The Coroner'' episode 2.3 "Those in Peril" as Gobby Mitchell *''

The Rizen ''The Rizen'' is a 2017 horror film written by Matt Mitchell and produced by Clare Pearce for Lost Eye Films, directed by Matt Mitchell for Lost Eye Films and starring Laura Swift, Sally Phillips, Tom Goodman-Hill, Adrian Edmondson, Julian Rh ...

'' (2017) as The Executioner *''Fanged Up'' (2017) as Reeves *''Rise of the Footsoldier 3'' (2017) as Jack Whomes *''

Walk like a Panther Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ...

'' (2018) as 'Gladiator' Glenn Higgins *'' Welcome to Curiosity'' (2018) as Max

References

External links

*
Sussex Thunder American Football TeamLondon Olympians American Football Team
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marcus, Stephen 1962 births Living people Male actors from Portsmouth English male film actors English male television actors 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors