Jeremy Strong (born December 25, 1978) is an American actor. He portrayed Kendall Roy on the HBO series Succession.
Biography[]
Early life and education[]
Jeremy Strong was born on December 25, 1978,[1] in Boston, Massachusetts, and was raised in a "rough neighborhood" in the Jamaica Plain area. His mother, Maureen Strong, worked as a hospice nurse while his father, David Strong, worked in juvenile jails. Strong recalls that as children, he and his brothers would pretend to "take trips" in a canoe that their parents had placed on cinderblocks in the backyard because they couldn't afford real vacations.[2] His parents eventually divorced after having a "tumultuous" relationship.[3]
When he was 10, his family moved to Sudbury in search of better schools.[4] There, he became interested in acting and began performing in musicals. As a teenager, he particularly idolized actors Daniel Day-Lewis, Al Pacino, and Dustin Hoffman, putting posters of them on his bedroom wall and "reading every interview" of theirs. In 1995, he worked as part of the greenery crew for The Crucible, starring Day-Lewis. He then worked on the sound crew for Amistad (1997) and assisted in editing Pacino's directorial debut, Looking for Richard (1996).[n 1][2]
Strong was accepted into Yale University and granted a scholarship. He intended to study drama but, on his first day, found the major too alienating and immediately switched to English.[5] He performed in several playsâall of which Pacino had done in the years prior,[n 2] such as American Buffalo and Hughieâthrough the Yale Dramatic Association.[2] He graduated in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts.[6] He also briefly studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.[7]
Career[]
1995-2008: Early years[]
Shortly after graduating, Strong moved to New York and began working at a restaurant in Soho. He routinely mailed headshots and audition tapes of himself to talent agencies, but received no call backs for almost a year. In the summer of 2002, he began working as an assistant at the Williamstown Theatre Festival; the following year, he was hired as Day-Lewis' assistant on the set of The Ballad of Jack and Rose. At the end of the shoot, Day-Lewis was so appreciative of Strong that he wrote him a letter, containing what has become Strong's "most deeply held precepts and beliefs" about working in the film industry.[2]
Strong then began appearing in off-Broadway productions. In 2008, he was asked to understudy for an actor who had a family emergency with short notice. He received favorable notice for his performance and was then signed to an agent.[2]
2009-2023: Breakthrough[]
Strong as Kendall Roy in Succession
Later in 2008, he made his Broadway debut in A Man for All Seasons. Having gained prominence from Broadway, he secured his first on-screen role in the film Humboldt County. He then went on to appear in films such as Lincoln (2012; alongside Day-Lewis), Zero Dark Thirty (2012), Selma (2014), and The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020). In 2015, he appeared in the film The Big Short, which led director Adam McKay to offer him a part in Succession. Strong was initially interested in the role of Roman Roy, but, after Kieran Culkin was given the part, he auditioned for the role of the neurotic Kendall Roy. His performance as Kendall has received universal acclaim from critics, several accolades, and amassed a large fanbase, as the character has become an internet phenomenon.[2][8][9]
2024: Return to Broadway[]
Jeremy Strong as Dr. Thomas Stockmann in An Enemy of the People
In 2024, Strong made his return to Broadway in an adaptation of An Enemy of the People.[10] For this performance, he won the Tony Award for Best Actor.[11]
He portrayed Roy Cohn, a ruthless lawyer and mentor to Donald Trump, in the biographical drama The Apprentice, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024[12][13]; however, due to an attempt by Trump to block the release of the film, there is currently no official release date for the United States.[14][15]
Acting technique[]
Personal life[]
His mother is of Irish descent and his father is of Jewish.[16]
In 2016, he married Danish psychiatrist Emma Wall, whom he met four years prior at a party in New York.[2] Together, they have three daughters, born in 2018, 2019, and 2021.[17][18][19] They reside in New York as well as have homes in Copenhagen and Tisvilde.[2]
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Humboldt County | Peter | |
| The Happening | Private Auster | ||
| 2009 | The Messenger | Return soldier | |
| Kill Daddy Good Night | Bruce | ||
| Contact High | Carlos | ||
| 2010 | The Romantics | Pete | |
| Yes | Man | Short film | |
| 2011 | Love Is Like Life But Longer | Blind man | Short film |
| 2012 | Lincoln | John George Nicolay | |
| Robot & Frank | Jake | ||
| Please, Alfonso | Alfonso | Short film | |
| See Girl Run | Brandon | ||
| Zero Dark Thirty | Thomas | ||
| 2013 | Parkland | Lee Harvey Oswald | |
| 2014 | The Judge | Dale Palmer | |
| Time Out of Mind | Jack | ||
| Selma | James Reeb | ||
| 2015 | Black Mass | Josh Bond | |
| The Big Short | Vinny Daniel | ||
| 2017 | Detroit | Attorney Lang | |
| Molly's Game | Dean Keith | ||
| 2019 | Serenity | Reid Miller | |
| The Gentlemen | Matthew Berger | ||
| 2020 | The Trial of the Chicago 7 | Jerry Rubin | |
| 2022 | Armageddon Time | Irving Graff | |
| 2024 | The Apprentice | Roy Cohn |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011â2013 | The Good Wife | Matt Becker | 5 episodes |
| 2013 | Mob City | Mike Hendry | 4 episodes |
| 2016 | Masters of Sex | Art Dreesen | 9 episodes |
| 2018â2023 | Succession | Kendall Roy | Main cast; 39 episodes |
| TBA | The Best of Us | TBA |
Theatre[]
| Year | Production | Role | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Haroun and the Sea of Stories | Mr. Sengupta / Khattam-Shud / Walrus | Williamstown Theatre Festival |
| 2005 | Defiance | P.F.C. Evan Davis | Hallie Flanagan Davis Powerhouse Theater |
| 2006 | Defiance | P.F.C. Evan Davis | Manhattan Theatre Club |
| Frank's Home | William | Playwrights Horizons | |
| 2007 | New Jerusalem | Baruch de Spinoza | Classic Stage Company |
| 2008 | A Man for All Season | Master Richard Rich | American Airlines Theatre |
| 2009 | Our House | Merv | Playwrights Horizons |
| 2010 | The Coward | Lucidus Culling | The Duke on 42nd Street |
| 2011 | The Hallway Trilogy | Lucas | Rattlesnake Playwrights Theater |
| 2012 | A Month in the Country | Mikhail Alexandrovitch Rakitin | Williamstown Theatre Festival |
| The Great God Pan | Jamie | Playwrights Horizon | |
| 2024 | An Enemy of the People | Doctor Thomas Stockmann | Broadway |
Trivia[]
- â For The Crucible, Strong, at one point, stood outside a window and held up a branch during the filming of a scene. For Amistad, he held a boom operator over Anthony Hopkins during a monologue.
- â Strong arranged an offstage visit from Pacino using funds from the organization, upsetting its other members as the event almost bankrupt them.
References[]
- â Jeremy Strong | Biography, Succession, Movies, TV Shows, & Broadway | Britannica
- â 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Schulman, Michaelâ (December 5, 2021). "On âSuccession,â Jeremy Strong Doesnât Get the Joke". The New Yorker. Retrieved on October 2, 2023.
- â "Succession" star Jeremy Strong on CBS Sunday Morning - YouTube
- â McGovern, Kyleâ (August 8, 2019). "For Successionâs Jeremy Strong, Acting Isnât About Having Fun". GQ. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved on October 2, 2023.
- â Rochlin, Margyâ (December 23, 2015). "Jeremy Strong of âThe Big Short,â Acting and Chewing Gum at the Same Time". New York Times. Retrieved on January 10, 2024.
- â Fitzgerald, Jordan, et al.â (April 3, 2022). "âSuccessionâ star Jeremy Strong â01 sits for sold-out talk". Yale Daily News. Retrieved on October 2, 2023.
- â Freeman, Hadleyâ (October 2, 2021). "âHis rage, his pain, his shame, theyâre all mineâ: Jeremy Strong on playing Successionâs Kendall Roy". The Guardian. Retrieved on October 2, 2023.
- â Cavender, Elenaâ (March 22, 2023). "'Succession's' Kendall Roy is now a mascot for teen girls". Mashable. Retrieved on October 2, 2023.
- â Schulman, Michaelâ (May 25, 2023). "Farewell, Kendall Roy". The New Yorker. Retrieved on October 2, 2023.
- â Lang, Brentâ (May 12, 2023). "Jeremy Strong Returning to Broadway in âAn Enemy of the Peopleâ". Variety. Retrieved on October 2, 2023.
- â Nordyke, Kimberlyâ (June 16, 2024). "Jeremy Strong Wins First Tony, Thanks Theater Staff âWho See Me Looking Like Iâve Been Run Overâ". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on August 27, 2024.
- â Rooney, Davidâ (May 20, 2024). "âThe Apprenticeâ Review: Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong Are Superb in Chilling Account of the Unholy Alliance That Birthed Donald Trump". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on August 27, 2024.
- â McIntosh, Stevenâ (May 21, 2024). "Donald Trump biopic causes a stir in Cannes". BBC. Retrieved on August 27, 2024.
- â Brent, L., Stephan K.â (May 24, 2024). "As âThe Apprenticeâ Seeks Cannes Sale, Trump Team Sends Cease and Desist Letter to Block Filmâs Release". Variety. Retrieved on August 27, 2024.
- â Fleming Jr., Mikeâ (June 25, 2024). "Hot-Button Film âThe Apprenticeâ Moving Toward U.S. Deal With Briarcliff To Release Cannes Sensation On Donald Trump & Roy Cohn". Deadline. Retrieved on August 27, 2024.
- â Dean, Jonathonâ (November 6, 2022). "Successionâs Jeremy Strong: âI had a crisis of faithâ". The Times. Retrieved on October 2, 2023.
- â Mulkerrins, Janeâ (August 3, 2019). "Who wants to be a billionaire? Succession star Jeremy Strong on playing the ultimate anti-hero". The Telegraph. Retrieved on October 2, 2023.
- â Nicholson, Rebeccaâ (December 24, 2019). "'They're damaged': Successionâs Jeremy Strong on sibling hell â and that cringey rap". The Guardian. Retrieved on October 2, 2023.
- â Renard, Davidâ (August 5, 2018). "âSuccessionâ Finale: Jeremy Strong on Kendallâs Struggles and What Comes Next". The New York Times. Retrieved on October 2, 2023.