Patrick St. Esprit

Prolific character actor Patrick St. Esprit's career credits include roles as soldiers, policemen, business executives and other flinty figures in dozens of television series and feature films, including "United 93" (2006), "Sons of Anarchy" (FX, 2008-2014), "Narcos" (Netflix, 2016- ) and "The Fate of the Furious" (2017). Born May 18, 1954, St. Esprit made his first appearance as a crooked boxer in a 1982 episode of "Police Squad!" (ABC, 1982), and worked steadily, if anonymously, in films and on television for the next three decades. Blessed with granite features and a formidable glare, St. Esprit was a go-to for casting directors looking for military and law enforcement figures, as well as businessmen, government agents and authority figures on either side of the moral fence. On occasion, these roles were extended beyond a single episode, such as his recurring turn on sports comedy "1st and Ten" (HBO 1984-1991), but for the most part, his career hewed towards single episode appearances on countless television series and minor turns in low-budget and independent features, including "Terminal Exposure" (1987), "The Wild Pair" (1987) and "Texas Payback" (1995). Time, professionalism and determination eventually began to pay off for St. Esprit in the mid-'90s, with repeat appearances on "Walker, Texas Ranger" (CBS, 1993-2001) and "JAG" (NBC, 1995-2005) and supporting or minor turns in higher-profile pictures like "We Were Soldiers" (2002), with Mel Gibson or "Must Love Dogs" (2005) with John Cusack. From 2007 to 2010, he played Holly Hunter's firefighter brother on "Saving Grace" (TNT), and landed minor parts in major features like "United 93" and "Green Zone" (2010), both for director Paul Greengrass. In 2008, St. Esprit landed his most high-profile recurring role to date on "Sons of Anarchy" as Elliott Oswald, a businessman who turned to the SAMCRO biker club to avenge the murder of his daughter. His work on the series impressed producer Nina Jacobson, who cast him as the malevolent Romulus Thread, a brutal district commander, in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" (2013). The exposure afforded by his appearance in the popular science fiction franchise led to other major TV projects, including recurring appearances on "Scandal" (ABC, 2012-18), "Ballers" (HBO, 2015- ) and "Narcos," as well as features like "Draft Day" (2014), "War Dogs" (2016) and "The Fate of the Furious," as well as an impressive supporting turn as Secretary of State Alexander Haig in "Killing Reagan" (National Geographic Channel, 2016). In 2017 alone, he balanced guest appearances on "Kingdom" (Audience Network, 2014-17) and "Big Little Lies" (HBO, 2017) with recurring turns on "The Last Ship" (TNT, 2014- ) and work in the pilot for the revived "SWAT" (CBS 2017- ).