Who plays Albert DeSalvo in Boston Strangler on Hulu?

Keira Knightley, Carrie Coon, Luke Kirby, and others round out the cast in Hulu’s new historical crime drama film, Boston Strangler. Who is the actor who plays the titular character?

The movie is based on true events that happened in the ’60s in Boston, Massachusetts. A murderer dubbed “The Boston Strangler” was sexually assaulting and strangling women for around a year and a half. At first, police didn’t put together that the murders were connected. It was reporter Loretta McLaughlin who first made that connection.

So who was the real-life man behind the crimes, and who is the actor portraying him onscreen? We’ve got the answer for you below.

Who is Albert DeSalvo in Boston Strangler?

Before being given the name “The Boston Strangler” and being associated with the sexual assault and strangulation of 13 women, Albert DeSalvo also was also dubbed “The Measuring Man” and “The Green Man.” Both of these names were given to him for entering women’s homes and sexually assaulting them. But at this point, he hadn’t started killing his victims yet.

In 1964, he was arrested on charges of assault, burglary, and sexual assault, but police didn’t yet know he was the Boston Strangler. DeSalvo confessed to the murders while in custody. Even though he was able to detail certain things that the public didn’t know, he also got some details wrong during the confession. That’s why there’s some to this day, including DA offices, who believe it either wasn’t him or he wasn’t the only one using this method to attack women.

Nonetheless, he was sentenced to life in prison, but not for being the Boston Strangler. He was sentenced according to the assault, burglary, and sexual assault charges as there was no hard evidence at the time other than has confession. DeSalvo died at the age of 42 in November 1973 after an unknown inmate stabbed him to death.

Who plays Albert DeSalvo in Boston Strangler?

The actor who plays the titular role is David Dastmalchian! The talent started his career on stage in Chicago, working on theatre productions like The Glass Menagerie and Buried Child. He made his feature film debut in the 2008 superhero film, The Dark Knight as the Joker’s deranged henchman, Thomas Schiff.

Though he’s appeared on television, the actor is known more for his movie roles. You’ll recognize Dastmalchian in productions like Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania as Kurt, Birdbox as Whistling Marauder, The Suicide Squad as Abner Krill/Polka-Dot Man, and Dune as Piter De Vries.

The Hulu film is centered around two female reporters, Loretta McLaughlin (Knightley) and Jean Cole (Coon), who cover the murders committed by the Boston Strangler as they happen – even though their superiors and law enforcement don’t think there’s a place for women in investigative journalism. The two work hard to uncover the truth, even when it puts their own lives on the line.

Boston Strangler is now streaming on Hulu.