The BBC/AMC drama McMafia is about a British-raised son of a Russian mafia boss who’s trying to get out of the business. But his investment banker son Alex Godman (James Norton) gets pulled into the dark world of global crime anyway. Alex deals with shady Israeli businessman Semiyon Kleiman, who wants to keep growing his business empire in Prague and Mumbai. Problem is Russian businessman Vadim Kalyagin is in his way. Semiyon uses Alex to transfer the money through his investment company, among other shady things. (BTW: Alex’s fiancee is played by the mesmerizing Juliet Rylance.) McMafia is based on the book McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underground by Misha Glenny.
Semiyon Kleiman is portrayed by David Strathairn. The veteran actor Strathairn is known for his roles in the films Good Night, and Good Luck (Edward R. Murrow, for which he was nominated for an Oscar), Lincoln (William Seward), The Bourne Legacy (Noah Vosen), Eight Men Out (Eddie Cicotte), L.A. Confidential (Pierce Patchett), and in the John Sayles movies Matewan (Sid Hatfield) and Return of the Secausus Seven (Ron), among many others. McMafia airs Mondays at 10pm on AMC.
