For many of us, the name Paul Sparks is as familiar as the face we have seen on our television screens over the years. Sparks is popular because he plays the gangster Mickey Doyle in the HBO drama series Boardwalk Empire.
Do you remember the gangster who is known for his distinctive nasal laugh and who also serves as a comedian in the series? You probably wouldn’t forget this character so quickly if you watched the series, because interestingly enough, Paul Sparks is this amazing character.
He also played the lawyer David Tellis in the anthology drama series The Girlfriend Experience and as Thomas Yates in the political drama series House of Cards. Paul Sparks has starred in several other movies such as Afterschool, Deception, The Missing Person, Parkland, Mud Stealing Cars, his most recent films are Thoroughbreds and The Greatest Showman.
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Paul Sparks – Bio
Sparks was born on October 16, 1971, in Lawton, Oklahoma, the son of Michael and Jane Sparks. His father was a high school football coach at Marlow High School (which Paul attended) and his mother was a primary school teacher.
After graduating high school in 1990, Paul received a scholarship to study chemistry at Oklahoma State University but later moved on to the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama in 1995.
During his time in high school, Paul Sparks was part of the school’s Outlaw Speech Team – Marlow Outlaw Speech Team (M.O.S.T.) where he had the opportunity to be coached by Paula and Gary McConnell.
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After college, Paul switched to acting. He started with the theater and appeared in various stage performances such as Blackbird, Take Me Out Out, Orange Flower Water, Buried Child, etc. In 2010 he took on the role of Mickey Doyle in the HBO drama series Boardwalk Empire, which brought him so much popularity.
The series was discontinued in 2014 after five seasons, and Paul has since appeared in several other series and films. Like his wife, Paul has had several appearances in Law & Order, and his other television films include House of Cards, The Girlfriend Experience, The Night Of, Get Shortly, Waco, The Crown, Sweetbitter, and many others.
The talented actor has also been nominated for several awards and has also won some. He is a two-time winner of the Screen Actors Guild Awards for ensemble excellence in a drama series, for his performance in the television series Boardwalk Empire. In 2013 he also won the Robert Altman Award for his outstanding performance in Mud.
Paul Sparks’ Wife (Annie Parisse), Children, Family
Sparks has been married to Annie Parisse since 2005 and both have two beautiful children. A son, Emmett, born in 2009, and a daughter, Lydia, born in 2014. Just like his wife, Paul keeps his family life away from the media, so you’ll find that little or no information about their private lives can be found on public platforms.
Annie is also a Hollywood actress whose real name is Anne Marie Cancelmi. She is a graduate of the Holborn Center for Performing Arts in London. Before achieving fame and popularity in the film industry, Annie taught an acting class for the camera at Fordham University.
She made her acting debut as Julia Snyder in the CBS soap As the World Turns, which was broadcast from 1998 to 2001. Her performance in the series earned her the 2001 Daytime Emmy Award for an outstanding young actress in a drama series. She also starred in Third Watch, Law & Order, Friends, Big Apple, and in Paterno, where she played the role of Mary Kay Paterno.
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Height And Other Facts
The award-winning actor is quite tall, standing at 6’1″ inches, i.e. about 1.85 meters. His weight is not exactly confirmed but is between 60 and 68 kg. Sparks suffers from diabetes mellitus type 1 and besides acting, he also works with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Although the duo works on a number of projects with co-actor Michael Shannon, they are very good friends.
Full Name: Paul Sparks
Date of Birth: October 16, 1971
Birthplace: Lawton, Oklahoma, U.S.
Birth Sign: Libra
Nationality: American
Ethnicity: White
Height: 6 feet 1 inch
Weight: 60/68 kg
Education: Marlow High School, New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts
Married Status: Married
Spouse: Annie Parisse
Children: Emmett and Lydia Sparks
