# Sam Strike

Sam Strike (born 18 January 1994) is an English actor. He made his acting debut in the 2013 revival of the CBBC series M.I. High, before gaining popular success playing Johnny Carter in the BBC soap opera EastEnders (2013–2014). During his stint on the latter, his character was involved in a coming out storyline, which earned him critical praise for his performance. Following his departure from EastEnders, he appeared in guest-starring roles on several television shows.
In 2017, Strike starred as the title character in the horror film Leatherface. He followed this with main roles in the film Monster Party (2018) and the television series Nightflyers (2018) and When the Streetlights Go On (2020). His subsequent film credits include American Outlaws and The Boys in the Boat (both 2023). Strike also had a recurring role in the second season of the television series Outer Range in 2024.

## Early life

Strike was born on 18 January 1994 in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, where he grew up with his sister. He attended the local Thorpe Hall School, and later studied acting at the South East Essex College for two years. An avid singer and guitar player, he initially wanted to be a musician growing up and performed in bands. Strike became interested in acting in secondary school, where he had his first drama lesson. He explained that he "had a natural aptitude for it" and was encouraged by his teacher to pursue this path. He then began attending adult drama classes and signed with an agent. He auditioned unsuccessfully for three years before securing his part in M.I. High. As a student, he appeared in the school productions of Oliver! as a flower seller, and Jesus Christ Superstar as Judas. He also portrayed the protagonist of the 2010 student film Stitches. At 16, he won a modelling competition organised by local newspaper The Echo.

## Career
### Early roles and EastEnders (2013–2014)

Strike made his professional acting debut in 2013, playing Dan Morgan in the revival of the CBBC series M.I. High, which spanned two seasons. The same year, he was cast in the role of Johnny Carter in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. His character was introduced as part of the Carter family, and he made his first appearance on 26 December 2013. Strike's portrayal of Johnny was met with a positive reception. He received particular praise for his performance in the scene that saw his character come out to his father Mick (Danny Dyer). Attitude magazine recognised the scene with the Media Recognition Award, and Paul Flynn of The Guardian wrote that both actors "delivered an exceptional, impulsive, physical reading of the ties that bond father and son, no matter what." Reflecting on the scene, Strike said that he was "really nervous the night it aired, because you want it to look convincing but then you want to do justice by the people that have been there and done it." He added that "it was a real proving ground for me, because it was the first time I actually had to do any proper drama acting." Discussing its impact, Strike stated that both he and Dyer received letters from viewers who shared that watching them in the scene helped them come out. In 2014, he made a guest appearance in episode two of the comedy series Give Out Girls as a 15-year-old model named Luke.
On 14 November 2014, Strike announced his departure from EastEnders. Regarding his decision to leave the show, he said: "I knew from the start that I was never going to be there for 10 years. It was just a case of seeing how things went, where the character was going and how relevant he was going to be in time to come." Strike believed that "Johnny peaked quite early" due to the high-profile coming out storyline, and he was no longer needed on the show at the time of his leaving. The character officially left the series on 23 December 2014, although Strike returned in the role for one more special appearance via Skype in an episode broadcast on Christmas Day 2014. Upon his departure, the show's executive producer, Dominic Treadwell-Collins, said that the "door is wide open" for Strike to return and that he did not plan to recast the character, hoping Strike would come back. However, when it was decided to reintroduce the character in 2016, Strike admitted that he "wasn't ready to return any time in the near future", and the role was recast.

### Career expansion (2016–present)

After leaving EastEnders, Strike guest-starred as David Hamilton in a two-part episode of the television series Silent Witness and as Clyde Barrow in an episode of the television series Timeless, both in 2016. In 2017, he had a starring role in the crime drama film Bonded by Blood 2. He was also cast in the lead role of Jackson / Leatherface in the 2017 prequel to the film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre titled Leatherface, directed by Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo. Reviewing the film for Variety, Dennis Harvey described the cast's performances as "solid", adding that "the younger actors throw themselves into the task with aplomb." On television, Strike portrayed real-life serial killer Montie Rissell in an episode of Mindhunter, also in 2017.
In 2018, Strike had main roles in the horror thriller film Monster Party, and in the Syfy series Nightflyers. Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter called the former "gleefully gory and darkly funny", and singled out Strike and Virginia Gardner's performances writing that they "prove adept with the challenging physical demands placed on them." The following year, Strike appeared as Misha in the episode "1:23:45" of the HBO miniseries Chernobyl, and was cast in the lead role of Roland Deschain in the Amazon Studios adaptation of Stephen King's book series The Dark Tower. The latter was ultimately cancelled, producing only an unaired pilot.
Strike starred as Casper Tatum in the 2020 Quibi coming-of-age murder mystery series When the Streetlights Go On. The critics praised the show's "strong writing, an impressive cast, and most importantly, an intriguing mystery". Strike also appeared in a 2020 episode of the television series FBI: Most Wanted playing Ronnie Lee Bishop, and in a 2022 episode of the Netflix series The Sandman as Todd. He portrayed Ryan Dougherty in the 2023 true crime drama American Outlaws, which earned him and his co-stars an award for Best Ensemble Cast at the Boston Film Festival. In George Clooney's 2023 film adaptation of Daniel James Brown's book The Boys in the Boat, he played American rower Roger Morris. The film received mixed reviews from critics. In 2024, Strike had a recurring role of Deputy Jess Chinlund in season two of the Amazon Studios series Outer Range. He is next set to star in Frankie Shaw's upcoming dark comedy film 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank, an adaptation of Matthew Rosenberg and Tyler Boss' graphic novel of the same name.

## Personal life

Strike's role in EastEnders led to questions about his sexuality early in his career, which he addressed in 2014, saying: "I'm not gay, just to set the record straight." He supported the charity event Sport Relief 2014 by competing in a swimming battle with his castmate Jamie Borthwick, which was broadcast live as part of the BBC programme The Sport Relief Games Show. Strike and other EastEnders actors also posed for a 2015 calendar in aid of the BBC charity Children in Need. Following his departure from the series, he has maintained a close friendship with his co-stars Danny Dyer, Kellie Bright and Maddy Hill who portrayed his father, mother and sister, respectively.

## Filmography

Key :
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |

### Film

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2017 | Bonded by Blood 2 | Dean Boshell |
| 2017 | Leatherface | Jedidiah Sawyer / Jackson / Leatherface |
| 2018 | Monster Party | Casper |
| 2019 | The Wisdom Tooth | Dash Greene |
| 2023 | American Outlaws | Ryan Dougherty |
| 2023 | The Boys in the Boat | Roger Morris |
| TBA | 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank † | TBA |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2013–2014 | M.I. High | Daniel "Dan" Morgan / Billy | Main role; series 6–7 |
| 2013–2014 | EastEnders | Johnny Carter | Series regular |
| 2014 | Give Out Girls | Luke | Episode: "The Hot Boy" |
| 2015 | The Dog Ate My Homework | Himself / Panellist | Series 2, episode 7 |
| 2016 | Silent Witness | David Hamilton | Episodes: "After the Fall: Part 1/Part 2" |
| 2016 | Timeless | Clyde Barrow | Episode: "Last Ride of Bonnie & Clyde" |
| 2017 | Mindhunter | Montie Rissell | Series 1, episode 4 |
| 2018 | Nightflyers | Thale | Main role |
| 2019 | Chernobyl | Misha | Episode: "1:23:45" |
| 2020 | FBI: Most Wanted | Ronnie Lee Bishop | Episode: "Predators" |
| 2020 | When the Streetlights Go On | Casper Tatum | Main role |
| 2022 | The Sandman | Todd | Episode: "A Hope in Hell" |
| 2024 | Outer Range | Deputy Jess Chinlund | Recurring role; 5 episodes |

### Web

| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
| 2014 | On Set with... Sam Strike | Himself | Web miniseries; 1 episode | |

## Awards and nominations

| Ceremony | Year | Category | Work | Result |
| TV Choice Awards | 2014 | Best Soap Newcomer | EastEnders | Nominated |
| Inside Soap Awards | 2014 | Best Newcomer | EastEnders | Nominated |
| Boston Film Festival | 2023 | Best Ensemble Cast | American Outlaws | Won |