Photo: Manfred Werner - Tsui / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Sam Riley made an unforgettable first impression on me as Ian Curtis in Control. He didn't imitate the Joy Division frontman so much as inhabit his haunted stillness, and it helped that Riley, a Yorkshireman who started out chasing a music career, could actually sing. That musician's authenticity has shadowed his best roles since, from Sal Paradise in On the Road to the brooding Diaval in Maleficent. He's never been a flashy leading man; instead he specializes in characters carrying some private darkness. I have a real weakness for actors who glow quietly in the shadows, and Riley is one of them.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Sam Riley
- Name (Japanese)
- サム・ライリー
- Reading
- さむ・らいりー
- Born
- January 8, 1980 (age 46)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Monkey
- Origin
- Menston, United Kingdom
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- actor / film actor / film director / singer / television actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Sam Riley born?
Born January 8, 1980 (age 46).
Where is Sam Riley from?
Sam Riley is from Menston, United Kingdom.
What does Sam Riley do?
Sam Riley works as actor, film actor, film director, singer, television actor.
Actor — see all → · Film actor — see all → · More people from United Kingdom →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.