Paul Sparks (born October 16, 1971) is an American actor. He is known for playing Mickey Doyle on the HBO series Boardwalk Empire.He also appeared in Afterschool (2008) as Detective Eclisse. He played Carver in Mud (2012).Sparks was born and raised in Oklahoma. He attended high school in Marlow. He is the son of a football coach and a teacher. Sparks studied at Oklahoma State University and then completed his degree at New York University, earning a BFA in Acting in 1995.