Tom Burke as Cormoran Strike

Posted 15 February 2017

Meet Cormoran Strike — otherwise known as Tom Burke, the actor who’s been cast to play our man in the upcoming BBC miniseries. You may know Tom Burke as Athos from the BBC series The Musketeers or as Dolokhov in the BBC miniseries adaptation of War & Peace.

In the books, Strike is described as looking like Beethoven with a “buggered nose.” What do you think about Burke and Beethoven?

Close enough?

Please comment below!

12 thoughts on “Tom Burke as Cormoran Strike

  1. Strike is made for Tom! He’s a wonderful Actor, with a voice to die for. He’s also a chameleon and, I am sure, will convince everyone, there could be no other Cormoran Strike.

    I hadn’t read any of the books before but, I am so excited about this Series, I’ve bought the first three and eagerly await number 4. So far, Tom is on every page I’ve read. ❤

    1. We are certainly looking forward to seeing our favorite character come to life through Tom’s portrayal. And please let us know what you think about the books. We love them and hope you will too!

  2. Tom will inhabit this part. It was made for him. He is not only a thoughtful and kind man, he brings his intelligence to any part he plays. He has an ability to change his look, voice and presence. I see him on every page and hear his voice with every line in all three books thus far. I can’t wait to see him bring Cormoran Strike to life. I can’t wait to see the chemistry between Tom and Holly. If it is anything like him and Maimie, we are going to see something very special.

    The books just get better and better. Career of Evil, actually scared me the first chapter because it is in the voice of the killer. Well done Jo for such a great beginning. Looking forward to the 4th installment.

    1. Tom sounds like the very definition of a fine actor. It’s the versatility, in my opinion, where the true talent lies. It sounds like he will make a great Strike — I can’t wait to see the series. I’ve never seen Tom in anything before, so it will be a real treat!

      It’s great that you’re enjoying the books so much. It’ll be interesting to see how they’re adapted for the screen. I hope that not too much from them is lost. Thanks for your comments!

  3. I thought this casting was inspired! Tom inhabits that rough appeal that JKR has written into Cormoran. He reminds me of what Linda Ellacott said in Career of Evil, “I have to say, he might not be pretty, but he’s got something about him.”

    I’ve only seen an episode of The Musketeers, and a few interviews of him here and there and he has kind of a posh accent. I wonder (hope) if he’ll put on a Cornish accent, or at least speak with a deeper growl, coz that’s kind of part of Corm’s appeal and intimidation. (And it’s what makes Glenister’s narration phenomenal, imo)

    He’s going to be great, and I”m excited!!! I must admit, jury’s still out on Holliday Grainger, but they got the Corm casting right, so I’m optimistic.

    1. Yes, I love that observation Linda made in CoE — it follows the observation that Robin made that women like Strike! Personally, I like that rough appeal in a man — don’t give me a pretty boy. Hee hee!

      Like you, I’m hoping Tom has a good Cornish accent. I’ve grown so accustomed to Glenister’s Strike, I’m afraid I might be disappointed in the show’s portrayal of him. But since so many of you have such faith in Tom’s talent to pull it off, I’m still very much looking forward to seeing it.

    2. I agree that he needs to put on the Cormoran accent. And I also agree that Glenister does an amazing job with the narration! Tom Burke is growing on me by the day and I’m sure he’s going to be amazing, even if he hasn’t got the exact Cormoran look that’s described in the books.

  4. I’m probably incredibly biased but I’ve seen Tom on film, TV and stage and he has an amazing ability to not only change his looks but also his voice, (not just accent) but also his posture and hair. He’s very into the movement side of acting aswell as the vocal, emotional side of it. As for accent -I’d imagine he will be asked to do whatever we end up with. One of Toms specialities on his rada write up is accents. The other thing is Tom is 500% invested in whatever project he does. If books are involved he reads them more than once and makes notes to help his approach. (He did this with musketeers) and he has so much respect for the source material of whatever he signs up for. I always view every new project to he does with huge anticipation and excitement because he always surprises.

    1. Your words are so encouraging! I’m crazy about Cormoran Strike (you could say I’ve a bit of a crush, even! ), and I have some trepidation about his portrayal on screen. Having a truly talented actor in the role, though, is making the show something I’m looking forward to now. Thanks for your comments!

  5. I didn’t know him before hearing he was casted as Cormoran. But as soon as I saw the picture it completely filled the blanks in how I imagined Cormoran who was quite hard to picture before for me. Same thing happened with Robin! They are so perfect!
    To have a better idea of his personification of C.S. I checked what he did previously. As many of us, I started with The Musketeers (with a character not so far from Strike when you think about it…) and I couldn’t stop! I went through all his filmography and he is good no matter what (except maybe for Cleanskin – but the film is sh** in my opinion). He is a chameleon indeed! And we couldn’t have dreamt a better cast for such an interesting character!
    Tom has this perfect balance of quietness, cheekiness, and charisma I pictured for C.S..

    As for the accent, I never heard C.S. with a Cornish accent because he spent so much time in London in his youth. However, I do agree T.B. has a strong posh accent, but he knows how to modify it. I am not worried at all!

  6. I have seen Tom in The Musketeers, War and Peace and also on stage The Deep Blue Sea. He is a fabulous actor and very versatile. He will bring Cormoran Strike to life. Ideal for this part.

  7. Tom is absolutely perfect for this part. When I look at the artwork created by fans, they seem to picture Strike as fat — the description is that he is 6’3″ and 225 pounds. My husband is 6’3 and 220 pounds — and he does not appear overweight by anybody’s standard! He is just (and often called) a big guy. I know that Tom is a little shorter than written and does not have the curly “pube” hair, but he otherwise absolutely embodies that rough appeal that JKR describes. I can’t wait until the series debuts here in the U.S.

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