Max Pirkis

Max Pirkis was an English actor best known for his roles in "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" (2003) and the television series "Rome" (HBO 2005-07). Pirkis was born in London, England. While studying Theology at Cambridge's St. Catharine's College, a listless Pirkis came upon a chance opportunity to become an actor. Film director Peter Weir visited the grounds of St. Catharine to set up workshops and auditions, which Pirkis initially attended on a lark. However, Weir thought the young lad stood out and cast him as the one-armed midshipman Lord Blakeney in "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World." He held his own acting alongside Academy Award winner Russell Crowe, receiving critical acclaim which included a Young Artist Award and Most Promising Newcomer at the 2003 Evening Standard British Film Awards. Two years later, he made his television debut on the HBO drama series "Rome" as a fictionalized young version of the historical figure Gaius Octavian. After "Rome" capped its run after two seasons in 2007, Pirkis took a seven year break from acting. It was not until 2014 when moviegoers saw Pirkis in a new role, appearing in the supernatural horror film "The Quiet Ones" (2014). In the same year he appeared opposite of "Fifty Shades of Grey" lead Jamie Dornan in "Flying Home" (2014), a romantic drama from Oscar-nominated Belgian director Dominique Deruddere.