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Supernatural world

He’s popularly known as ‘King of Hell’ aka Crowley in AXN’s hit series 'Supernatural'. While the fans are eagerly waiting for Season 11 of the show to start this weekend, British actor Mark Sheppard keeps mum about his character who supposedly died in the previous season.

At the age of 15, Mark became a professional musician and enjoyed recording and tours with various artists. As a session musician, he also recorded albums for many groups throughout Europe and eventually moved to the United States to make an entry in the television world.

Though he has been guest starring in many American TV series like ‘X-Files’, ‘CSI:NY’, ‘Chuck’, ‘Monk’, ‘The Chronicles’, ‘The Middleman’, ‘White Collar’, among others, it’s his character as Crowley on ‘Supernatural’ that stuck on.

“Crowley has had a very interesting evolution. I mean, he went from being what is apparently a crossroads demon to running Hell and then to having difficulties running Hell and then ultimately to be in exile. He's trying to regain his position. It's just a fantastic arc to play,” he tells ‘Metrolife’.

“Although he was initially portrayed as a negative character, Crowley considered himself to be the good guy. But by the end of Season 8, he started going a little soft with the Winchester boys, especially with Dean (Jensen Ackles). It was absolutely brilliant to watch Crowley becoming a human even though he denies of any such feelings,” Mark adds.

The ‘King of Hell’ was only meant to be a guest-star in the show as well, but Mark says, “I think the most important aspect that made him special is the person who plays his character (he laughs). But apart from that, Crowley is a beautifully written character and he develops a new characteristic week after week. The writers put in a lot of work to make him look like what he is, but the challenge is to act it out, find my voice for the same.”

In 2012, he also directed the cinematic adaptation of Jules Verne's 1874 novel ‘The Mysterious Island’. When asked how he feels about his fans, he says, “My fans have been fantastic. They’ve definitely increased due to my performances and I’m grateful for that. It’s also wonderful to know I can connect to people on an international basis, and the fans I have been incredible. In a world of problems, the coming together of fans is a wonderful antidote.”