Martin Compston is a Scottish actor and former professional footballer. He is known for his lead role as Anti-Corruption Unit Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott in the BBC crime drama Line of Duty. His other notable roles include Liam in Ken Loach'sSweet Sixteen, Paul Ferris in The Wee Man, Ewan Brodie in Monarch of the Glen and Dan Docherty in The Nest.
Early life and football career
Compston, the younger of two boys, was brought up in Greenock, Scotland, and attended St Columba's High School in neighbouring Gourock. A promising footballer, he was on the books of Aberdeen F.C. as a young teenager, and after leaving school signed for the local professional team Greenock Morton F.C.. Compston made two first-team appearances in the 2001–02 season, in which the team was relegated to the Third Division. In both matches he appeared as a substitute and Morton lost 4–0, to Alloa Athletic and Queen of the South. Further sporting accomplishments include being the only Scotsman to have twice successfully taken part in the Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake, which is an annual event held on the Spring Bank Holiday at Cooper's Hill, near Gloucester in England. Martin donated the second truckle of cheese he had won to his former running club Home Counties Harriers, where he holds the record for the 40 yard dash.
Acting career
Having never acted before, Compston successfully auditioned for the lead role in Ken Loach's Sweet Sixteen, which was being filmed locally. The film's success at the Cannes Film Festival gave him instant celebrity status in Scotland. Both he and his co-star William Ruane were nominated for Most Promising Newcomer at the British Independent Film Awards, with Compston winning the category. He had a regular role in the BBC TV drama serial Monarch of the Glen. He then appeared in three films: A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints with Robert Downey, Jr.; Red Road, shot in Scotland with Kate Dickie and Tony Curran, for which he was nominated as Best Supporting Actor at the Scottish BAFTAs; and True North with Peter Mullan and Gary Lewis, for which he was nominated as Best Actor at the British IndependentFilm Awards. Compston starred in the 2010 filmSoulboy, alongside Craig Parkinson, playing the role of Joe McCain. He also appeared in the horror filmThe 4th Reich as Private Newman, and made a cameo appearance in a low-budget web series, "Night is Day". Compston appeared in The View's music video for "Grace" and "How Long," as he is friends with the band. In 2012, Compston starred in the lead role of Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott, a detective on an anti-corruption squad, in the BBC police dramaLine of Duty, acting alongside Craig Parkinson once more. In the same year, he also starred in the violent thriller Piggy. Going back to his Scottish roots, he then appeared in the lead role in The Wee Man, directed by Ray Burdis, a film depicting the life of the Glasgow gangster Paul Ferris. It was released in the UK in January 2013. In April 2013, Compston starred in the ITV mini-series The Ice Cream Girls. He appeared as Roy James in The Great Train Robbery. In 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2019, Compston reprised his lead role of Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott in four more series of police drama Line of Duty, which moved from BBC Two to BBC One at the start of its fourth series. In 2016, he starred in the three-part Scottish television drama seriesIn Plain Sight as serial murderer, Peter Manuel, who is pursued to his conviction and ultimate execution by the detective William Muncie. Compston stars alongside Sophie Rundle in the television drama series The Nest, which began airing on BBC One on 22 March 2020.
Personal life
Compston married American actress Tianna Chanel Flynn in 2016. They reside in her hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada. Compston is a supporter of Celtic F.C. and Scottish independence from the United Kingdom. After a victory by Celtic over Aberdeen F.C. in January 2019, Compston posted a tweet: "Round ye No voting shitebags". The City of Aberdeen had voted "No" to independence.
