The Big Bang Theory Kingdom

Season 2 e.tv (*194) 22:00 Action

Season 12 M-Net (*101) 19:30 Comedy Where we left off: Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars movies, 1977-current) officiated Sheldon and Amy’s wedding. Episode 1 Sheldon’s honeymoon plans mean more time walking around New York City than Amy wants.

Tough-love mixed martial arts trainer and gym boss Alvey Kulina isn’t one to be messed with in Kingdom (2014-2017) and neither is the actor who plays him Frank Grillo. He has kept his body fat at less than 8% for the past 20 years by spending at least 20 hours a week in his gym in Venice Beach, Los Angeles and spars regularly with professional fighters including South African boxing champion Chris van Heerden.

1 His diet is pretty bland: plain white fish and organic chicken “with no rice, grains or oats,” says Frank. He does have one vice though: red wine. 2 The New Yorker has been acting since the early ’90s after giving up his job as a trader on Wall Street but he still puts his business degree to good use, joking that “it’s expensive living out here in celebrity land”.

3 The 53-year-old has been forbidden from buying shares and even contacting Wall Street brokers after he was convicted of conspiracy to commit securities fraud in 1994.

4 Frank wasn’t entirely a bookworm as a child. Besides high school and college wrestling, he was also on the boxing and football teams and he has trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and cage fighting for over 30 years.

5 The knee brace that Alvey wears in Kingdom is for a reason – Frank ruptured ligaments in his left knee as a teen, forcing him to give up competitive sports after college. 6 His interview for Kingdom was a 10-minute Skype video call with show writer Byron Balasco. Two things that Frank wasn’t keen on were Alvey’s love for guns and booze, “But they are part of his flaws so they both stayed,” says the actor.