Bio
Dominic West is a British actor best known for playing Jimmy McNulty on the American television police drama The Wire (2002-2008), as well as for his role as guitarist Kirk Cuddy in the 2001 film Rock Star.
He also starred as journalist Hector Madden in the period drama television series The Hour, from 2011-2012.
West was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England to George West, who owned a plastics manufacturing plant, and Moya, a homemaker. He attended Trinity College, Dublin as well as the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
West made his debut in 1991 in a short called 3 Joes. His other screen appearances include True Blue, Chicago and Mona Lisa Smile.
His most notable role has been Baltimore police officer Jimmy McNulty on the HBO television police drama The Wire. To play McNulty, West had to master a Baltimorese accent. In one episode where Jimmy went undercover as an English businessman, he attempted to put on a parody of a Cockney accent, but was told it sounded "too fake".
In film, he portrayed the heavy-metal guitarist Kirk Cuddy in the 2001 film Rock Star. In 2007, he played the Spartan politician Theron in 300.
On stage, he appeared as Konstantin in the Peter Hall-directed The Seagull (1996) at the Old Vic. In 2005, he returned to the stage to play Orlando in David Lan's As You Like It at the Wyndhams's Theatre in London.
He played in Harley Granville Barker's The Voysey Inheritance directed by Peter Gill at the Royal National Theatre in 2006.
In late 2006 and early 2007 he played the lead in Tom Stoppard's Rock 'n' Roll in London's West End.
In 2012 he had a starring role in the big budget action film John Carter.