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Sullivan Stapleton

Sullivan Stapleton

Actor, also producer · Born June 14, 1977 (49) · Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Sullivan Stapleton (born 14 June 1977)] is an Australian actor who is best known for his roles in the SKY (BSkyB)/Cinemax/HBO television series Strike Back and the 2010 Sundance Film Festival selection Animal Kingdom. Stapleton played the lead role, Greek leader Themistocles, in the film 300: Rise of an Empire (2014). He was honored on 24 October 2013 with a Breakthrough Award at an exclusive Australians in Film Benefit Dinner held in Los Angeles.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 14, 1977 (49)
From
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Works as
Actor, also producer
Titles
25 on MovieCove · 43 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27

What are Sullivan Stapleton's films like?

Across their 18 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Action5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 28th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 41st percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 73rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 39th percentile
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
29%
Self
23%
Survival
17%
Morality
16%
Power
8%
Ideas
5%
Society
1%
Family bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty4 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 15 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 8 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 2 · Charged 7 · Intense 6

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 5 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 11 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 4

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 5 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 2

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 4 · Affecting 10 · Heavy 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 12 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

8 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 3 of 8 analyzed roles.

Hero
3 of 8
Ally
2 of 8
Trickster
1 of 8
Shapeshifter
1 of 8
Herald
1 of 8
Show the 8 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
11
Thrilling
8
Melancholic
7
Dread
5
Hopeful
4
Other
17

How their films linger

Hopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet9
  • Ambiguous4

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Sullivan Stapleton's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 20 of their 25 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (13).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Sullivan Stapleton's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

43 credits, 25 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Internship(2026)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • After the Verdict (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Show 6 episodes · as Daniel

  • Everything I Ever Wanted to Tell My Daughter About Men(2021)

    as Icabod

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Fires (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Show 1 episode · as Doug

  • A Sunburnt Christmas(2020)

    as Dingo

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Ride Like a Girl(2019)

    as Darren Weir

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • A Boy Called Sailboat(2018)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • American Renegades(2017)

    as Matt Barnes

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Cut Snake (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    as Pommie

  • Blindspot(2015)

    Show 100 episodes · as Kurt Weller

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows

  • Kill Me Three Times(2014)

    as Nathan Webb

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • 300: Rise of an Empire(2014)

    as Themistocles

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Gangster Squad(2013)

    as Jack Whalen

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Hunter(2011)

    as Doug

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Underbelly Files: Infiltration (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as Colin McLaren

  • Underbelly Files: Infiltration (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Show 1 episode · as Colin McLaren

  • Centre Place(2010)

    as James Ballintyne

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Animal Kingdom(2010)

    as Craig Cody

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Strike Back(2010)

    Show 40 episodes · as Sgt. Damien Scott

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Lowdown(2010)

    Show 1 episode · as Oliver Barry

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all shows

  • The Odds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Wade

  • Carla Cametti PD (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Show 6 episodes · as Matt Brodie

  • Rush(2008)

    Show 1 episode · as Yuri

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Canal Road (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Show 3 episodes · as Jack Logan

  • Underbelly(2008)

    Show 1 episode · as Pat Barbaro

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows

  • Satisfaction(2007)

    Show 13 episodes · as Josh

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • December Boys(2007)

    as Fearless

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • The Condemned(2007)

    as Special Agent Wilkins

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Little Oberon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Martin

  • Everything Goes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Actor

  • Darkness Falls(2003)

    as Officer Matt Henry

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • MDA (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 2 episodes · as Ben Quilty

  • McLeod's Daughters(2001)

    Show 1 episode · as Drew Cornwell

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • The Secret Life of Us(2001)

    Show 20 episodes · as Justin Davies

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows

  • City Loop (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Don

  • Something in the Air (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 5 episodes · as Wayne Taylor

  • Green Sails(2000)

    as Infante

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Witch Hunt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Craig Thomas

  • Amy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Wayne Lassiter

  • River Street (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Chris

  • Halifax F.P.(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as Hamish

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • Baby Bath Massacre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    as Adrian

  • Blue Heelers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 42 titles from 1993 to 2026; peak year 2014.

Biggest box office

300: Rise of an Empire (2014)

$338M worldwide

Highest rated

Strike Back (2010)

Midcredits 90th

Most popular right now

Blindspot (2015)

Film career

19932026

Peak 2014 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 4 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting42 of 42: 42 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score55th

By decade

1990s6 · acting2000s16 · acting2010s15 · acting2020s5 · acting

Billing

usually 4th · top billed in 8% of 12 roles
0313

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Sullivan Stapleton's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 40th percentile, the median of all 16; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 30th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

30thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Approval · how many liked their films

42ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Reach · how many have seen their films

88thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Midcredits score across 25 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th10
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

14 of their 25 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Universally Panned1
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser14
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed6

Most divisive · actor

Everything I Ever Wanted to Tell My Daughter About Men (2021)

96th percentile spread · 43% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Strike Back (2010)

Midcredits 90th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the acting 64/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles; fans 75, detractors 36. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Sullivan Stapleton's work okay for kids?

Across up to 12 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore9 titles46–93 · median 67 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity12 titles15–77 · median 31 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity10 titles29–85 · median 59 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs9 titles28–63 · median 37 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense9 titles26–74 · median 67 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Sullivan Stapleton work with?

People who share at least 2 of Sullivan Stapleton's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Teresa Palmer shares the most, 3.

Actors

Editors

Producers