Fans were delighted when the fourth instalment of BBC's Strike aired earlier this month. The show, which is based on the series of novels written by J.K. Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, follows Cormoran Strike and his detective partner, Robin Ellacott, as they solve grisly crimes in London.
MORE: Strike: Lethal White viewers saying the same thing about the new series
But who is leading star, Tom Burke? Here's all you need to know about the actor from his early career, to time on the BBC show and more…
Who is Tom Burke?
Tom Burke is a British actor who is perhaps best known for his work as Strike. It seems that Tom caught the acting bug from an early age, and given his family's thespian history it's unsurprising. His parents, David Burke (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes) and Anna Calder-Marshall (Anna Karenina) are both in the acting business, and his godfather was the late Alan Rickman, best known for his work in Harry Potter, Love Actually and Die Hard.
MORE: Meet the cast of Strike: Lethal White
© Photo: Getty ImagesTom has had an impressive acting career
Tom went on to study theatre at the National Youth Theatre, before being awarded a place at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
What else has Tom Burke been in?
After his studies, Tom's first TV role was in State of Play alongside John Simm, Bill Nighy and James McAvoy. He then went on to star in titles such as Casanova, The Trial of Tony Blair, Great Expectations and Heroes and Villains. In addition to his role as Strike, his most notable work includes playing Athos in BBC's The Musketeers and War & Peace.
© Photo: BBCTom Burke in Lethal White
Tom has also appeared in films such as The Invisible Woman alongside Ralph Fiennes and Only God Forgives which also starred Ryan Gosling.
What has Tom Burke said about his time on Strike?
When Tom joined the BBC series in 2017, the actor expressed his joy on landing the part of the "complex" Strike. "I know I'm joining an extraordinary team of people on a series that for me is peppered with moments of real emotional depth and meticulously grounded in the page-turning momentum of these novels," he told the BBC.
© Photo: BBCTom Burke as Cormoran Strike
In season four, Cormoran and Robin are visited by a disturbed young man, Billy, who tells them he witnessed the murder of a young girl when he was growing up. Meanwhile, Cormoran is asked to work for a wealthy MP, Jasper Chiswell, who is being blackmailed for a mysterious reason. After Cormoran realises that Billy grew up living on Jasper's estate, he believes that the two cases may be connected.
Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.
