Paul Sparks - wikipedia Paul Sparks Paul Sparks ( 1971 - 10 - 16 ) October 16, 1971 ( age 46 ) Lawton, Oklahoma, U.S. Education New York University Occupation Actor Years active 1998 -- present Spouse ( s ) Annie Parisse ( ? -- present ) Children Paul Sparks ( born October 16, 1971 ) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as gangster Mickey Doyle in the HBO period drama series Boardwalk Empire ( 2010 -- 2014 ), writer Thomas Yates, the love interest of Claire Underwood, in the Netflix political drama series House of Cards ( 2015 -- 2017 ), attorney David Tellis in the Starz anthology drama series The Girlfriend Experience ( 2016 ) and in the films Deception ( 2008 ), Afterschool ( 2008 ), The Missing Person ( 2008 ), Mud ( 2012 ), Parkland ( 2013 ), and Stealing Cars ( 2015 ). Contents 1 Early life and career 2 Personal life 3 Filmography 3.1 Film 3.2 Television 4 Stage 5 Awards and nominations 6 References 7 External links Early life and career Sparks was born and raised in Lawton, Oklahoma, to Mike Sparks, a high school football coach, and an elementary school teacher mother. He attended Marlow High School, where his father coached, graduating in 1990. Sparks earned a scholarship to Oklahoma State University to study chemistry, but later transferred to New York University 's Tisch School of the Arts. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in drama in 1995. In 2010, Sparks began portraying the regular role of Mickey Doyle on HBO 's drama series Boardwalk Empire, which was created by Terence Winter and executive produced by Martin Scorsese and Mark Wahlberg. The series ended in 2014, after completing five seasons. Personal life Sparks is married to actress Annie Parisse, after meeting in 2005. Their first child, a son named Emmett, was born in October 2009. The couple are also parents to a daughter, whose name and birth date have not been disclosed. Sparks suffers from diabetes mellitus type 1 and works with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. He is good friends with fellow actor Michael Shannon ; the two have worked together on a number of projects including The Missing Person, Mud, Boardwalk Empire, and Midnight Special. Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2005 Headspace Jason 2006 The Treatment Andre 2007 Blackbird Baylis 2008 Synecdoche, New York Derek 2008 Rachel Getting Married 12 Step Member 2008 Deception Detective Burke 2008 Afterschool Detective Eclisse 2008 The Missing Person Gus Papitos 2008 The Understudy Bobby Please Give Blind Date Edge of Darkness Police Detective 2011 Return Ed 2012 Forgetting the Girl Tanner 2012 Mud Carver 2012 Sparrows Dance Wes 2013 Trust Me Ray 2013 Parkland Harry McCormick 2015 Stealing Cars Conrad Sean Lewis 2016 Midnight Special Agent Miller 2016 All the Birds Have Flown South Stephen 2016 In the Radiant City Michael Yurley 2017 Thoroughbreds Mark 2017 The Greatest Showman James Gordon Bennett Sr. Post-production Television Year Title Role Notes 1998 Trinity Rod Episode : `` In a Yellow Wood '' 2000 Law & Order Paul Luterik Episode : `` Panic '' Law & Order : Special Victims Unit Marvin Posey Episode : `` Manhunt '' 2005 Law & Order : Criminal Intent Keith Durbin Episode : `` Shibboleth '' 2006 Brotherhood Aaron 3 episodes 2010 -- 14 Boardwalk Empire Mickey Doyle 36 episodes 2011 Mildred Pierce Ted Hobey Episode : `` Part Five '' 2012 -- 13 Underemployed Guy Doyle 3 episodes 2013 M.Y.C. Mickey Mothstein Television short 2013 Person of Interest Wilson Episode : `` Relevance '' 2014 Believe Karl McKenzie Episode : `` Bang and Blame '' 2015 -- 17 House of Cards Thomas Yates 27 episodes 2016 The Girlfriend Experience David Tellis 12 episodes 2016 The Night Of Don Taylor 6 episodes 2018 Waco Steve Schneider Upcoming series Stage Year Title Role Location / Company 2000 Coyote on a Fence Bobby Reyburn Urban Stages 2003 -- 2004 Take Me Out Jason Chenier Walter Kerr Theatre Shane Mungitt Kippy Sunderstrom Blackbird Baylis Edge Theater Company 2005 Orange Flower Water Brad Youngquist 2006 Landscape of the Body Marvin Holahan Signature Theatre Company 2007 Essential Self - Defense Yul Carroll Edge Theater Company 2009 Hedda Gabler Ejlert Lovborg American Airlines Theatre Dusk Rings a Bell Ray Atlantic Theater Company 2016 Buried Child Tilden The New Group Awards and nominations Year Association Work Result 2000 Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Actor in a Play Coyote on a Fence Nominated Blackbird Nominated 2005 Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play Orange Flower Water Nominated 2007 Outstanding Actor in a Play Essential Self - Defense Nominated Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Boardwalk Empire Won 2011 Won Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Actor in a Play Dusk Rings a Bell Nominated 2012 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Boardwalk Empire Nominated 2013 Nominated Film Independent Spirit Awards Robert Altman Award Mud Won 2014 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Boardwalk Empire Nominated 2016 Lucille Lortel Awards Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play Buried Child Nominated Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series House of Cards Nominated References Jump up ^ Rooney, David ( July 15, 2010 ). `` Embracing a Tragic Masculinity ''. The New York Times. Retrieved March 10, 2013. ^ Jump up to : Hayer, Melissa. `` '' Boardwalk to Success `` : Oklahoma native Paul Sparks turns advice, acting experiences into successful career ''. The Oklahoman. Retrieved December 7, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Boardwalk Empire Cast & Crew : Paul Sparks ''. HBO.com. Jump up ^ Lardaro, Mariangela ( January 31, 2011 ). `` Tisch Alumni Rack Up Accolades ''. New York University. Tisch School of the Arts. Jump up ^ Hetrick, Adam ( February 11, 2009 ). `` Hedda Gabler 's Sparks Signed for HBO Pilot `` Boardwalk Empire '' ``. Playbill. Retrieved March 10, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Q&A with Paul Sparks ''. HBO.com. October 25, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2013. Jump up ^ Simon, Lizzie ( April 2, 2012 ). `` The Theater Of Discomfort ''. The Wall Street Journal. Jump up ^ Scott, Marcus ( March 28, 2016 ). `` American Horror Story Star Transitions to the Stage With the Help of Her Buried Child Cast ''. Playbill. Jump up ^ `` On the Rise : Paul Sparks On His Career, Role In Clark Gregg 's ' Trust Me ' & More ! ''. Icon vs Icon. August 29, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Film : Michael Shannon -- Interviewed by Paul Sparks ''. The Lab Magazine. March 29, 2011. External links Paul Sparks on IMDb Paul Sparks at the Internet Broadway Database Paul Sparks at the Internet Off - Broadway Database Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paul_Sparks&oldid=804309746 '' Categories : 1971 births 20th - century American male actors 21st - century American male actors American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Living people Male actors from Oklahoma Oklahoma State University alumni People from Lawton, Oklahoma People from Marlow, Oklahoma Tisch School of the Arts alumni Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from October 2015 Articles with hCards Articles with IBDb links Talk Contents About Wikipedia Asturianu Deutsch Español فارسی Français 한국어 Italiano Nederlands Polski Русский 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 8 October 2017, at 03 : 50. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. 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Question: who plays the author in house of cards
Answer: Paul Sparks