Who is Sam Riley? SS-GB’s Douglas Archer, star of Ian Curtis biopic Control and Burberry model – all you need to know
HANDSOME actor and model Sam Riley is something of a triple threat, as he can boast singing in his repertoire of skills.
The English star has graced screens big and small in a career that has seen him play characters both fictional and real. And now he has joined a stellar cast in the popular BBC drama SS-GB.
Sam has fronted campaigns and taken to the catwalk for some of the biggest names in fashion as a model.
And he has a past as the frontman of a band that had middling success in the noughties.
But who is Sam Riley and where might you have seen him before, exactly? Here is everything you need to know about the star…
How old is Sam Riley and where is he from?
Sam Riley was born on 8 January 1980 in the West Yorkshire town of Menston.
He was educated at the prestigious Uppingham School – where other successful past students include award winning novelist Mark Haddon, McFly drummer Harry Judd – and even saw Wolverine star Hugh Jackman serve as a teaching assistant.
Sam’s road to acting was tough – he was turned down by bother the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art but he was a member of the National Youth Theatre.
What films has Sam Riley been in?
Sam made his acting debut on TV movie Tough Love which had Ray Winstone in the leading role.
However Sam went on to make his critically acclaimed breakthrough in the 2007 film Control – a biopic in which he played Joy Division front man Ian Curtis.
He later played real-life writer Jack Kerouac in the Walter Salles directed movie On The Road (co-starring Kristen Stewart and Garrett Hedlund).
He played fictional criminal Pinkie Brown in the 2011 film Brighton Rock, a vampire called Darvell in Neil Jordan’s 2012 film Byzantium, and Angelina Jolie’s servant Diaval in the Disney big screen outing Maleficent.
Who does Sam Riley play in SS-GB?
Sam Riley plays Douglas Archer in the BBC alternative history thriller SS-GB.
The TV series imagines what the United Kingdom would be like had the allied forces of World War II failed and the Nazi’s controlled London.
The series is based on the Len Deighton novel of the same name – in which Douglas Archer is a British detective who becomes embroiled in a Resistance movement after investigating a homicide.
When was Sam Riley a model?
In 2008 – shortly after the release of Control – Sam became the poster boy of British fashion giant Burberry.
The actor stared in the Autumn/Winter publicity campaign – with the series of photographs used shot by famed fashion photographer Mario Testino.
He also modelled for the Stefano Pilati-designed couture collection of Ermenegildo Zegna in 2014 – and has been regarded as one of the best dressed men by British GQ.
What music has Sam Riley made?
Sam Riley was lead singer of the Leeds based band 10,000 Things who were signed to Domino Records between 2003-2006.
Sam's brother George is reported to have played bass in the band.
The band were signed to major label Polydor (part of Universal Music) for the release of one self-titled album.
Sam reportedly worked in a clothing factory in Leeds after the band were dropped.
Who is Sam Riley married to?
Sam Riley is married to German actress Alexandra Maria Lara (who also stared in Control and has featured in Downfall, The Reader, and Rush).
Sam proposed to Alexandra on 24 December 2008 and they married in August 2009.
They have one son named Ben together (born in January 2014) and currently reside in Berlin, Germany.
Does Sam Riley have Instagram or Twitter?
Sam Riley does not currently use either Instagram or Twitter. However, many fan appreciation accounts exist.
He does, however, have a still active MySpace page which features minimal information and photos of the star.
It is possible the page was set up in celebration of his music career that existed at the turn of the century.
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