Tom Burke

Biography

Tom Burke (born 30 June 1981) is an English actor who trained at RADA and has worked steadily in film, television and theatre since the early 2000s. He is best known for playing Athos in the BBC series The Musketeers, Dolokhov in the miniseries War & Peace, the detective Cormoran Strike in the BBC series of the same name, and Orson Welles in David Fincher's Mank.

Burke is the son of the actors David Burke and Anna Calder-Marshall, and his godfather was Alan Rickman. He was born in London but grew up in Kent, where he took part in local theatre groups and in productions staged by his parents in their home town. He was diagnosed with dyslexia as a child, left school before his A-levels, and after writing to an acting agency he landed the first role he auditioned for. He later attended dance school before joining RADA at eighteen.

His first screen work came in 1999, in small parts on film and television. His first leading film role was in The Libertine (2004), and around the same time he appeared in the thriller series State of Play and in the adaptation of Casanova, playing the young son of the title character. His film work has since ranged widely, from the comedy I Want Candy and the horror thriller Donkey Punch to Only God Forgives, directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, and The Invisible Woman, directed by Ralph Fiennes, both in 2013. On stage he has worked at Shakespeare's Globe, the Old Vic, the Donmar Warehouse and the National Theatre. His performance in Creditors, staged by Alan Rickman, earned him an Ian Charleson Award.

His profile grew with The Musketeers (2014-2016) and War & Peace (2016), and in 2017 he began playing Cormoran Strike. In 2020 he played Orson Welles in Mank, and in 2024 he joined the cast of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. In March 2025 it was announced that he had joined Legends, a Netflix drama series. Burke remains active, and his career is notable for moving between period drama, thrillers and the stage.

Key films

• Mank (2020): plays Orson Welles opposite Gary Oldman in David Fincher's Netflix film.
• Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024): plays Praetorian Jack in the prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road.
• Only God Forgives (2013): plays Billy, the older brother of Ryan Gosling's character, in Nicolas Winding Refn's film.
• The Libertine (2004): his first cinema part, in a period drama alongside John Malkovich.
• Third Star (2010): plays Davy, one of four friends who travel to Barafundle Bay in Wales.