Tristan Sturrock was born in 1967 and raised in Upton Cross, Cornwall. He is a British theatre, television and film actor who has worked with the theatre company Kneehigh for over 30 years, performing in many productions including Brief Encounter on Broadway and Tristan and Yseult at the National Theatre. He is an experienced theatre maker and devisor who wrote and performed his award winning autobiographical solo piece Mayday, Mayday which toured internationally and played a sell out run at St Ann's Warehouse, New York.
Sturrock has worked as an actor in film and television for three decades. He played mining captain Zacky Martin in Poldark in all five series, which aired from 2015 to 2019 in the UK.
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Career
Sturrock's career commenced in theatre in 1986 when he joined the Cornish based international touring theatre company, Kneehigh Theatre. Throughout his stage career, he has played leading roles on Broadway, the West End and the National Theatre. He starred as Dr. Alec Harvey in Brief Encounter which is perhaps one of his most notable performances. Sturrock has played leading roles in many productions including Peter Carter in A Matter of Life and Death, at the National Theatre (Olivier), The Riot (National Theatre). He played Tristan in the first cast of Emma Rice's acclaimed Tristan and Yseult, (National Theatre Cottesloe) which toured to Sydney and New Zealand and the US. He played the title role in The King of Prussia (Donmar Warehouse) and in 2015 played Maxim De Winter in Rebecca also directed by Emma Rice. In 2024 he reunited with Rice and her company Wise Children to play the title role Blue Beard in a national touring production. Other notable theatre work includes leading roles at the Royal Shakespeare Company including The Spanish Tragedy and The Mysteries directed by Katie Mitchell. He played Orlando in As You Like It at The Royal Exchange Theatre directed by Marianne Elliot.
Television
Sturrock first appeared on television in 1996 when he had a guest role on the British detective series Wycliffe. Following this, he made appearances on Liverpool 1, The New Adventures of Robin Hood, The Bill, Rescue Me, Holby City and The Royal. In 2002, Sturrock was cast in the role of Officer Colin Hedges on the ITV prison drama series Bad Girls (Series 5, 6 and 7). In 2000 he was cast as Harvey Sloggit in the feature film Saving Grace. He also played Harvey, Martin Clunes' sidekick in the spin-off movies for Doc Martin and Doc Martin and the Legend of the Cloutie (2003), which were prequels to the TV series. He returned to Doc Martin to play Danny Steel, Louisa Glasson’s ex in 2005. The character returned in 2015. Roles followed in Garrow's Law, The Borgias, the television film The Best of Men and The Queen (Channel 4) where he played Peter Townsend. He played Doctor Bernard Gould in Endeavour (2016) and John Wheeler-Bennett in season 2 of The Crown (2017). In 2014 he was cast as Cornish miner and series regular Zacky Martin in Poldark appearing in many episodes across the five seasons as loyal best friend of Ross Poldark played by Aidan Turner. He has appeared in multiple British series including Beyond Paradise, Midsommer Murders, The Tower, Industry, True Love and guest roles in The Death of Bunny Munro, Miss Scarlett and The Duke and Anne Rice’s Vampire series Talamasca. In 2024, he played series regular Dr Mike Willet in ITV medical thriller Malpractice directed by Philip Barantini. In 2026 it was announced Sturrock had been cast as Captain Smollet, captain of the Hispanola in the television series Treasure Island (Paramount and MGM) due for release in late 2026
Sturrock is an associate artist at Bristol Old Vic Theatre where he played Long John Silver in Sally Cookson's Treasure Island and in her critically acclaimed Peter in Peter Pan (Christmas 2012) He played Pongo in 101 Dalmatians (Tobacco Factory). He also played the Friar in Tom Morris's Juliet and her Romeo. More recently he played Cyrano in Cyrano de Bergerac at the Bristol Old Vic also directed by Morris.
It was at Bristol Old Vic Sturrock created his autobiographical one man show Mayday Mayday ; based on the true events of an accident in which he broke his neck falling off a wall during the “Obby Oss” festival in May 2004 in Padstow, Cornwall and the months it took him to recover whilst raising awareness for the spinal injury charity, Aspire. He was airlifted to the Derriford Hospital in Plymouth. He underwent an operation three weeks following the accident and it took him several weeks to learn how to walk again. After a three-month stay in hospital, Sturrock was discharged to his parents' home in Bodmin Moor and attended physiotherapy sessions as an outpatient and twelve months later, he had made a remarkable improvement, however, nerve damage left him with permanent numbness in his fingers, arms, shoulders, and feet. The first showing of Mayday Mayday premiered in Edinburgh (2012) where it won the International Fringe Review Award and was selected by artistic director Susan Feldman to play at St Ann's Warehouse, New York (2013). It went on to play at the Spoleto International Theatre Festival, South Carolina. Mayday Mayday was also adapted as an afternoon play for BBC Radio 4 by Becky Ripley and was broadcast on 1 May 2015. The Radio play won the International Third Coast award (US) was nominated for two BBC Drama awards 2016 – best sound design and a finalist for best drama production.
Personal life
Sturrock is married to actress and director Katy Carmichael, with whom he has three children; a son (born 2004) and two daughters (born 2006 and 2010). The middle daughter Bronte Carmichael is also an actress.
