Mackenzie Crook

Short Biography

Paul Mackenzie Crook (born 29 September 1971) is a British actor and comedian. He is known for playing Gareth Keenan in The Office and Ragetti in the Pirates of the Caribbean films. Paul Mackenzie Crook was born in Maidstone, Kent, England, and grew up in Dartford. His father, Michael Crook, worked for British Airways and his mother, Sheila, was a hospital manager. In 1996 Crook appeared in his first a short film: The Man who Fell in Love with a Traffic Cone.In 2001, he auditioned for the role of Gareth Keenan in Ricky Gervais/Stephen Merchant popular mockumentary The Office. Written originally for a larger thuggish actor, Crook won the role and by the end of the series in 2003 had earned himself two BAFTA nominations. Crook was featured in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man`s Chest (2006) and in Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End (2007); as Ragetti, a pirate with a comically ill-fitting wooden false eye. He also said in 2010 that he can`t return as his character Ragetti. Crook also appeared as Launcelot Gobbo in Michael Radford`s 2004 film adaptation of William Shakespeare`s The Merchant of Venice and had a minor role in the 2004 film Finding Neverland as a theatre usher. Other films he has appeared in include The Gathering (2002) and The Brothers Grimm (2005).Crook and his wife Lindsay, a former advertising executive, reside in the North London suburb of Muswell Hill, in Peter Sellers` former semi-detached house.