Paul Sparks

Paul Sparks, long regarded as a true gem of the American theater, stars in HBO's award-winning series, Boardwalk Empire. Produced by Martin Scorsese, the show explores the criminal undercurrent in Atlantic City during Prohibition. Sparks plays Mickey Doyle a thug and bootlegger and has won two SAG Awards in the Ensemble category. Sparks completed production on Parkland, written and directed by Peter Landesman. The Tom Hanks-produced film recounts the chaotic events that occurred at Dallas' Parkland Hospital on the day JFK was assassinated. Sparks plays Dallas news reporter, Harry McCormick, who encounters Abraham Zapruder (Paul Giamatti) and leads him to the FBI and the processing of the famed footage.

Sparks also completed work on Clark Greggs' dark comedy, Trust Me, about a washed up child star-turned-agent (Gregg) hoping to resuscitate his career thanks to a young prodigy. Sparks plays the prodigy's father. Sparks appeared in Mud, Jeff Nichols' follow-up to Take Shelter. Sparks played Carver, a bounty hunter in pursuit of Mud, portrayed by Matthew McConnaughy.

Sparks was born in Oklahoma and studied chemical engineering at Oklahoma State University until transferring to New York University, where he graduated with a BFA in acting, and a minor in philosophy. Paul Sparks has played manic addicts, antisocial misfits, bitter philanderers and other casualties of mismanaged existence Sparks distinguished work on stage has earned him five Drama Desk Awards nominations for his performance opposite Kate Walsh in Stephen Belber's Dusk Rings A Bell, directed by Sam Gold. His first came in 2000 for the play Coyote on a Fence and his frequent collaborations with playwrights Adam Rapp and Craig Wright have resulted in three others.

He first worked with Rapp in 2004 originating the role of Baylis in the London production of Blackbird, a role he repeated in New York, earning him a second Drama Desk nomination. (Sparks appeared in the film version of Blackbird as well.) In the same year Sparks' performance in the off-Broadway production of Rapp's Finer Noble Gases was called mesmerizing by the New York Times. He performed the play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where he won The Stage Award for Acting Excellence. Sparks' appearance in Craig Wright's Orange Flower Water earned him a third Drama Desk nomination in 2005. He again collaborated with Adam Rapp in the 2007 production of Essential Self-Defense resulting in his fourth Drama Desk nomination.

His other stage credits include American Sligo, Pumpgirl and Craig Wright's Lady. Sparks also appeared on Broadway opposite Mary Louise Parker in Hedda Gabler. Sparks' TV credits include a recurring role on Underemployed, produced by Craig Wright, the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce, all three NY Law & Orders, Brotherhood and Trinity. He appearred on Person of Interest. Sparks lives in New York with actress Annie Parisse and son Emmett.

Tribeca Film