Paul W. 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, writer Thomas Yates in the Netflix political
drama series House of Cards, attorney David Tellis in the Starz
anthology drama series The Girlfriend Experience, and a recurring role
in the limited series The Night Of. Sparks has also starred in the
films Deception (2008), Afterschool (2008), The Missing Person (2008),
Mud (2012), Parkland (2013), Stealing Cars (2015), Thoroughbreds
(2017), and The Greatest Showman (2017).Sparks was born and raised in
Lawton, Oklahoma, to Michael "Mike" Sparks, a high school football
coach, and Jane (née Ellis), an elementary school teacher. He
attended Marlow High School, where his father coached, graduating in
1990. While attending school in Marlow, Paul was a part of the Marlow
Outlaw Speech Team (M.O.S.T.) where he was coached by Paula and Gary
McConnell. 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.
known for his roles as gangster Mickey Doyle in the HBO period drama
series Boardwalk Empire, writer Thomas Yates in the Netflix political
drama series House of Cards, attorney David Tellis in the Starz
anthology drama series The Girlfriend Experience, and a recurring role
in the limited series The Night Of. Sparks has also starred in the
films Deception (2008), Afterschool (2008), The Missing Person (2008),
Mud (2012), Parkland (2013), Stealing Cars (2015), Thoroughbreds
(2017), and The Greatest Showman (2017).Sparks was born and raised in
Lawton, Oklahoma, to Michael "Mike" Sparks, a high school football
coach, and Jane (née Ellis), an elementary school teacher. He
attended Marlow High School, where his father coached, graduating in
1990. While attending school in Marlow, Paul was a part of the Marlow
Outlaw Speech Team (M.O.S.T.) where he was coached by Paula and Gary
McConnell. 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.
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