Nathaniel Parker

From 2001 to 2007, English actor Nathaniel Parker entertained British and international mystery lovers as the lead in "The Inspector Lynley Mysteries," produced by the BBC. Initially based on the novels of Elizabeth George (an American), the series quickly became a fan favorite on both sides of the pond and followed the dashing Oxford-educated Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley, along with his partner Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, played by Sharon Small, as they investigated gruesome, compelling mysteries. His role on the show was undoubtedly his most well-know screen work.

Before his breakout role as the inspector, Parker studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and participated in several productions of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He starred opposite Sir Laurence Olivier and Tilda Swinton in Derek Jarman's haunting "War Requiem"; butted heads with Mel Gibson's Hamlet in the 1990 film adaptation; steamed up cinemas as Edward Rochester in the erotic "Wide Sargasso Sea"; and starred in various sumptuous costume drama miniseries, such as "Vanity Fair" and "Bleak House," which was actually made and released at the same time as the Lynley mysteries. Parker also appeared as the literal architect of the Nazi regime, Albert Speer, in the BBC production "Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial," and in the big-budget fantasy film "Stardust," based on the novel by Neil Gaiman.