When last we left our sea-faring Norsemen, Ragnar Lothbrook and his merry band of marauders washed upon the shores of Wessex in Britain. Ragnar came into the bathhouse of King Ecbert, and the world was introduced -- again -- to the British actor Linus Roache, this time with his native British accent. So, the question begs itself: who is the actor playing the King of Wessex?

It's important to note that Linus is part of a well-known showbiz family, the Roaches. His father, Bill Roache, is a long-time star of the well-known soap opera, Coronation Street. His mother, the late Anna Cropper, was a well-known West End (the British equivalent of NYC's Broadway) theatre actress. And to say that he was raised in an unconventional manner is an understatement.

"My parents were receptive to the emerging wave of spirituality in the Sixties and the way they embraced it opened me up to new dimensions. Mum read tarot cards and she and dad became druids for a while," he told the London newspaper Express.

On these shores, Linus is best known for his role as ADA (later Bureau Chief) Michael Cutter in Law & Order, and later, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. But he's also appeared in a series of critically acclaimed films: he got his breakout role as a homosexual priest in the critically-acclaimed film Priest. His other roles include The Chronicles of Riddick, Before the Rains, The Namesake, The Forgotten, Hart's War, Batman Begins (where he played Dr. Thomas Wayne, the father of Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne/Batman), and The Wings of the Dove. Most recently, he starred as Captain David MacMillian in the Liam Neeson-headed film, Non-Stop, also starring Oscar darling Lupita Nyong'o.

According to History.com's official website for Vikings, Roache received a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of Robert Kennedy in RFK and co-starred in HBO's The Gathering Storm. Additional praised television roles include Law & Order, Law and Order: SVU and the miniseries Titanic. His extensive theatrical experience includes work with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He also appeared in Richard II and Coriolanus opposite Ralph Fiennes at London's Almeida Theatre and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

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