Simon Merrells is an English film, television and stage actor best known for his portrayal ofMarcus Licinius Crassus inSpartacus: War of the Damned.

Merrells was born in London, three years before his brotherJason Merrells.^[1] He started drama school, but soon left to work as a minicab driver to fund travelling to Mexico, where he painted. He became involved in fringe theatre in Brighton, where his brother was living, when he returned to England.^[2][3]

Merrells appeared with his brother Jason in a production ofThe Comedy of Errors in 2007, playing twins.^[4]

Merrells has worked with directorSteven Berkoff several times, first in a world tour of the playCoriolanus. In 2009, he played Terry Malloy inOn the Waterfront, directed by Berkoff.^[2]Variety said that "Compact and bristling with contained energy, Simon Merrells has the right physicality to play Terry but never quite emerges from Brando’s long shadow";^[5]The Independent said he "brings his own brand of studied vulnerability and sullen pride to the part".^[6]

Merrells performed as Benedick inMuch Ado About Nothing at theLiverpool Playhouse in 2007, and starred asOedipus in another Berkoff production at the same venue in 2011.^[2] He was nominated for aStage Award for Best Actor for that role.^[7] Later that year he played detectivePhilip Marlowe inThe Big Sleep;The Stage said he was "charismatic" but "a touch too suave and slick".^[8]

He has appeared on television inLondon's Burning as DSO Griggs,Family Affairs (as bouncer Conrad Williams),^[2][3] andMerseybeat.^[4]

In 2009, Merrells had a lead role in the 2009 film,Invisible Eyes. In 2010, he portrayed Ben Talbot, brother of Lawrence Talbot in remake ofThe Wolfman.^[9] In 2013, he portrayed the Roman commanderMarcus Licinius Crassus in theStarz seriesSpartacus: War of the Damned. He had to undergo a strict diet and four-weekfitness boot camp in preparation for the role, losing 21 lbs.^[10] Also that year, he portrayed character Mark Vega in the British horror filmJudas Ghost. He also playsThe Founder in the 2013 American remake ofThe Tomorrow People.

In 2014, Merrells starred in a small sci-fi film namedIndex Zero as Kurt, a main character, and two films in 2015,Billionaire Ransom (originally titledTake Down) andVictrix. In 2015, Merrells guest-starred in the Syfy channel seriesDominion as a dyad named Julian. Also in 2015 Merrells starred in a futuristic short film called The Leap as an enforcement agent whose job it is to stop people trafficking on an interplanetary scale. In 2016, Merrells was cast as Tancrede de Hautville in theHistory channel's seriesKnightfall, which premiered in theUnited States in December 2017.

• Simon Merrells atIMDb
• Simon Merrells On Playing Crassus,Huffington Post (video interview)

• Living people
• English male Shakespearean actors
• English male stage actors
• English male television actors
• Male actors from London

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