Sam Strike

In 2013, Strike was cast in his most famous role to date playing Johnny Carter in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. Strike's character was introduced as part of the Carter family. He is the son of Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) and Linda Carter (Kellie Bright). He made his first appearance on 26 December 2013.

His portrayal of Johnny was met with critical praise, specifically the scenes where Johnny came out to his father. Both Strike's and Dyer's sensitive performances during this scene were praised.[6] On this particular scene, Strike said, "With that scene where Johnny comes out to Mick, I was really nervous the night it aired, because you want it to look convincing but then you want to do justice by the people that have been there and done it. It was a real proving ground for me, because it was the first time I actually had to do any proper drama acting." In an online video on the official website, Strike said, "I've had letters and Danny's had letters saying that we'd helped people to come out, and it makes things worth it."[7]

On 14 November 2014, Strike announced that he would be leaving EastEnders and that he had already filmed his final scenes.[8] His character departed on 23 December 2014[9] but made a special appearance on 25 December episode.

After Strike's departure, EastEnders' executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins said that he has no plans to recast the character of Johnny and that the "door is wide open" for Strike to return. He also added that he would "hope that Sam would come back".[10] However, in February 2016 it was announced that the character would be recast to a new actor, with Ted Reilly taking over the role in April.[11]

Strike was cast in crime drama film Bonded by Blood 2, which was released 2 January 2017.[12]

Strike starred in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre prequel Leatherface, alongside Stephen Dorff.[13] The film revolves around a teenage Leatherface, who escapes from a mental hospital with three other inmates. It was written by Seth M. Sherwood and directed by Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo.[14] Filming began 18 May 2015 in Bulgaria[15] and ended on 19 June 2015. He also starred in Silent Witness in January 2016, and began filming for the Monster Party Movie in 2017. Strike found success on US television almost immediately, having guest roles in popular series Timeless and Mindhunter. He played the telepath Thale in the science fiction series Nightflyers.[16]