Pirate drama Black Sails features a new baddie in Season 4 — Captain Berringer, played by actor Chris Larkin, as English privateer Woodes Rogers’ new right-hand man.
But who is Larkin, and where will you have seen him before?
The actor was born Christopher Stephens in London, England in 1967 taking the name Larkin as a stage name.
Chris is the eldest son of famous stage actor Sir Robert Stephens and U.K. national treasure (as well as Dowager of Downton Abbey) Dame Maggie Smith.
Chris’s younger brother is actor Toby Stephens, known for playing Bond villain Gustav Graves in Die Another Day, who also co-stars with his brother on Black Sails as Captain Flint.
Chris studied at LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts) before becoming a regular on British TV with parts in episodes of shows like Casualty, Holby City and 2007 episode of Dr. Who; The Shakespeare Code.
Chris has also had success in movies playing alongside his own mother (and Cher) in Wartime drama Tea with Mussolini as Major Gibson in 1999.
He also played Captain Howard alongside Russell Crowe in 2003’s seafaring drama Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. A role that no doubt prepared him for the swashbuckling life of Black Sails.
In 2008 Chris took on the role of Sargent Helm in the Tom Cruise, true-life, Hitler assassination plot drama Valkyrie.
More recently Chris gave horror a go, playing Dr.Mansell in scary British thriller The Facility; a movie about a drugs trial that goes horribly wrong.
Chris has also followed in his father’s footsteps, treading the boards at the National Theatre in their production of His Dark Materials as well as many other stage plays.
He has also tried his hand at radio, playing abolitionist William Wilberforce in Grace Victorious: The story of William Wilberforce.
Chris is married with two young children but has now finally made the jump across the pond on to US TV screens with pirate drama Black Sails playing Captain Berringer;