Max Parker (actor)


Maxwell Nathaniel J. Brown, known professionally as Max Parker, is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Sergeant Sullivan in the Netflix military series Boots, Mikhail Tanner in the Peacock fantasy horror series Vampire Academy, and Luke Posner in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale.

Early life and education

Parker was born Maxwell Nathaniel J. Brown on 7 February 1992 in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, to parents Susan and Stephen. He has one sister and four half-siblings.
Parker attended the Arts Educational Schools in London, graduating in 2013.

Career

Parker made his stage debut as part of the ensemble cast of Barnum. In 2014 he appeared in the musical I Can't Sing! The X Factor Musical and began appearing in Matilda the Musical until 2015. In 2016 Parker portrayed Paul in Kiss Me, Kate, and starred as the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz, which earned him a nomination for Best Supporting Performance at the UK Theatre Awards. The same year, he made his acting debut as Christopher Morgan in the feature film My B.F.F.
In August 2018, Parker began appearing in the BBC One medical drama Casualty as Alasdair "Base" Newman on a recurring basis. He made his final appearance in January 2019 when his character died of a heroin overdose. He then appeared as Danny in an episode of World on Fire. In August 2019, Parker joined the cast of the ITV soap opera Emmerdale as Luke Posner, the son and brother of established characters Wendy Posner and Lee Posner. He had originally auditioned for the role of Jamie Tate, which ultimately went to Alexander Lincoln. He made his departure from the soap in June 2021.
In 2020 Parker appeared in two episodes of COBRA as John Cripps and played Alex in the film Love Sarah. In 2022 he starred as Mikhail Tanner in the Peacock fantasy horror series Vampire Academy and portrayed Henry Tudor in the Netflix series Blood, Sex & Royalty. Parker acted alongside Miles Heizer in the Netflix series Boots which premiered on 9 October 2025. In March 2025, it was announced that Parker had been cast in the fifteenth series of Doctor Who.
In January 2026, he was cast as the Norse god Heimdall in the upcoming Amazon Prime Video live-action adaptation of the two Norse mythology-based video games in the God of War series.

Personal life

Parker came out as gay in a December 2020 interview with Attitude magazine, confirming he was in a relationship with Emmerdale co-star Kris Mochrie. They announced their engagement in January 2022. Parker and Mochrie married in August 2025.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2016My B.F.F.Christopher MorganFilm
2018–2019CasualtyAlasdair "Base" NewmanRecurring role, 7 episodes
2019World on FireDanny1 episode
2019–2021EmmerdaleLuke PosnerRegular role, 84 episodes
2020COBRAJohn Cripps2 episodes
2020Love SarahAlexFilm
2022Vampire AcademyMikhail TannerMain role
2022Blood, Sex & RoyaltyHenry VIIIMain role
2024Strictly ConfidentialWillFilm
2025Doctor WhoMannyEpisode: "The Robot Revolution"
2025BootsSergeant Liam Robert "Bobby" SullivanMain role