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).\nSparks was born and raised in Oklahoma. 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.