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{{short description|English actor (born 1978)}}{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2016}}{{Use British English|date=August 2016}}

factoids

| birth_place = London, England| death_date = | death_place = | othername = | occupation = Actor| yearsactive = 1998–present| spouse = | partner = | parents = Alun Armstrong (father)| website = | awards =}}Joe Armstrong (born 7 October 1978) is an English actor. His television roles include Allan A Dale in three series of Robin Hood, Hotspur in Henry IV, Part I, Ashley Cowgill in Happy Valley and Bairstow in The Village. On stage, he played the lead role in D. C. Moore’s The Empire and appeared in the 2011 revival of Flare Path. He co-starred with Maxine Peake in Miss Julie at the Royal Exchange and with Louise Brealey in a touring production of Constellations.

Early life

Armstrong was born and raised in London, the son of Sue (née Bairstow) and actor Alun Armstrong. He has an older brother, Tom, and a younger brother, Dan, who was in the band Clock Opera.Hayes, Martha. “My Family Business: The New Tricks star on the advantages of sharing a role with son Joe in BBC1’s A Passionate Woman”, TV Times, 10–16 April 2010. He attended Elliott School in Putney from 1993 to 1997.“Some Notable Elliott Pupils”, The Elliottonian Web Site. Retrieved 2011-01-29. He then studied at the University of Bristol, where he acted in The Brecht Project—a collection of scenes from the works of Bertolt Brecht—in 1998 and Women Beware Women in 1999.“University of Bristol Theatre Collection”. Retrieved 2011-01-29. He is a fan of AFC Wimbledon.“The History Boys”, Glamour, August 2012, p. 93.

Career

Television

Joe Armstrong’s first television role was a bit part in a 2003 episode of The Bill, followed by a brief appearance in the ITV mini-series Between the Sheets starring his father Alun Armstrong. In the 2004 BBC film Passer By, he had a supporting role as one of two men accused of assaulting a woman on a train. He guest starred in the 2004 Waking the Dead episode “Fugue States” as a young man who reappears with amnesia after being abducted as a child. Also in 2004, he played the son of a murdered farmer in the Foyle’s War episode “They Fought in the Fields.“Other television credits include guest spots in Midsomer Murders (2004), Blackpool (2004), Rose and Maloney (2005), another episode of The Bill (2005), The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (2006), Party Animals (2007), The Last Detective (2007) and The Whistleblowers (2007).In 2006, Armstrong was cast in the BBC series Robin Hood as Allan—based on the legendary figure Alan-a-Dale—who joins Robin’s band of outlaws in Sherwood Forest. Allan later becomes allied with the sympathetic villain Guy of Gisborne but has a change of heart and rejoins his friends. Armstrong appeared in all three series from 2006 to 2009. The series was filmed on location in and around Budapest.”Robin Hood Revealed”, BBC Press Office, 3 April 2006. Retrieved 2001-01-29.Armstrong portrayed Norman Heatley in the 2009 BBC Four film Breaking the Mould about the team who turned penicillin into a viable medicine. In 2010, he co-starred with Billie Piper in the two-part drama A Passionate Woman as the husband of a woman who has an affair. His father Alun Armstrong played the older version of his character.He guest starred in an episode of Hustle in 2011, and he was a regular cast member in the third series of Land Girls.“Cast announced for third series of Land Girls”, BBC Press Office, 16 June 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-16. He appeared in Public Enemies starring Daniel Mays and Anna Friel in 2012.WEB,www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0196wrt, BBC One Public Enemies, 2011-12-20, Armstrong played Hotspur in Richard Eyre’s 2012 production of Henry IV, Part I—one of four films in the BBC Two Shakespeare cycle The Hollow Crown. He employed a Geordie accent for the role. Jeremy Irons played Henry IV, with Tom Hiddleston as Prince Hal and Alun Armstrong as Hotspur’s father, the Earl of Northumberland.PRESS RELEASE, Cast confirmed for BBC Two’s cycle of Shakespeare films,www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/shakespeare-cast.html, BBC Drama Publicity, 2011-11-24, 2012-07-20,www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/shakespeare-cast.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20120101060938www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/shakespeare-cast.html,">web.archive.org/web/20120101060938www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/shakespeare-cast.html, 1 January 2012, dead, In the 2013 drama The Village, depicting life in a Derbyshire village in the early 20th century, he played Stephen Bairstow, a detective scarred by his experiences at the Front in World War I.”The Village Press Pack”, BBC Press Office, 19 March 2013, p. 8. Retrieved 2013-03-19. The character was originally a minor one, but writer Peter Moffat expanded the role because he was impressed with Armstrong.The Village Press Pack, p. 31. He reprised his role in the second series in 2014.WEB,www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2014/the-village-filming.html, Filming starts on second series of BBC One’s The Village, BBC Media Centre, 28 March 2014, 29 March 2014, Armstrong played drug dealer-turned-kidnapper Ashley Cowgill in Sally Wainwright’s 2014 crime drama Happy Valley, starring Sarah Lancashire.Bremner, Jade. “Last Tango in Halifax actress Sarah Lancashire begins shooting new crime drama in Yorkshire”, Radio Times, 11 December 2013. Retrieved 2013-12-11. In December 2016 he also appeared as William Allison in Wainwright’s To Walk Invisible, a television biopic about the lives of the Bronte family.{{Citation|title=To Walk Invisible: The Bronte Sisters (TV Movie 2016)|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5594080/fullcredits|accessdate=2018-01-23}}In 2016, he appeared in “Hated in the Nation”, an episode of the anthology series Black Mirror. In 2018, he appeared as series regular Gildas in Britannia, Jez Butterworth’s historical drama about the Roman conquest of Britain.{{Citation|title=Britannia|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5932548/|others=David Morrissey, Kelly Reilly, Nikolaj Lie Kaas|accessdate=2018-01-23}} The following year he played Samuel Washington in the BBC/HBO co-production Gentleman Jack, written by Sally Wainwright.WEB, BBC One - Gentleman Jack - Samuel Washington,www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/1kbbmPPS9kXD4LkWLCKyKJ1/samuel-washington, BBC Online, 20 May 2021, In 2023, Armstrong appeared in the Harlan Coben Netflix adaptation of ‘Fool Me Once’ as Alexander Dosman, ex-boyfriend of Claire Walker and father to their son Louis.

Theatre

Performing with the National Youth Theatre, Armstrong’s roles included Gerry Evans in Dancing at Lughnasa in 1998Hemming, Sarah. Review of Dancing at Lughnasa, Financial Times, 9 September 1998. and Lieutenant Stedna in They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? in 2000.”They Shoot Horses, Don’t They”, Swing Time, September 2000. Retrieved 2011-01-29. He also played Wackford Squeers in Nicholas Nickleby.In 2003, Armstrong had the dual roles of Adam and Jeff in Protection by Fin Kennedy at the Soho Theatre.Fisher, Philip. Review of Protection, The British Theatre Guide, 2003. Retrieved 2011-01-30. He appeared in How Love Is Spelt by Chloe Moss at the Bush Theatre in 2004Sierz, Aleks. Review of How Love Is Spelt, The Stage, 4 October 2004. Retrieved 2011-01-30. and in A Night at the Dogs by Matt Charman at the Soho Theatre in 2005.Neill, Heather. Review of A Night at the Dogs {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616205431www.whatsonstage.com/reviews/theatre/london/E8821113392583/Night+at+the+Dogs.html |date=16 June 2011 }}, What’s On Stage, 13 April 2005. Retrieved 2011-01-30.At the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2009, he played Liam in the Dennis Kelly play Orphans. The play premiered at the Traverse Theatre in August and then moved to the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in September and the Soho Theatre in London in October.“Paines Plough Past Productions” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213050145www.painesplough.com/past-productions/2009/orphans |date=13 December 2010 }}, Retrieved 2011-01-27. Armstrong was nominated for a Stage Award for Best Actor.“2009 Nominees” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090926214755ed.thestage.co.uk/awards/2009-nominees |date=26 September 2009 }}, The Stage Edinburgh. Retrieved 2011-01-30.In the DC Moore play The Empire, Armstrong starred as Gary, a Lance Corporal in Afghanistan guarding an injured prisoner who claims to be British. Paul Taylor of The Independent wrote: “Gary ... veers between seething anger and low-key sarcasm, an oscillation superbly conveyed by excellent Joe Armstrong.“Taylor, Paul. ”The Empire, Theatre Upstairs, London”, The Independent, 20 April 2010. Retrieved 2011-02-28. In preparation for the role, Armstrong and other cast members met with soldiers who had served in Afghanistan.“A Clash of Cultures Provide Drama in the Theatre of War”{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Western Morning News, 14 May 2010. Retrieved 2015-08-21. The play had a six-week run at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs in the Royal Court Theatre from March to May 2010”The Empire at the Royal Court Theatre”. Retrieved 2011-01-27. followed by two weeks at the Drum Theatre in the Theatre Royal, Plymouth in May.”The Empire” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101201163417theatreroyal.com/prod-productions_details.asp?pid=1652 |date=1 December 2010 }}, Theatre Royal and Drum Theatre Plymouth. Retrieved 2011-01-30.Armstrong played RAF tail gunner Dusty Miller in Terence Rattigan’s World War II drama Flare Path in 2011. The critically acclaimed revival directed by Trevor Nunn ran from March to June at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.Marlowe, Sam. ”Flare Path, Theatre Royal Haymarket”, The Arts Desk, 14 March 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-14.”Flare Path Closes at the Theatre Royal Haymarket”, Broadway World, 11 June 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-14.In 2012, he played Jean in Miss Julie opposite Maxine Peake in the title role at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. Armstrong described the role as one of his most challenging because of the need to make his character’s sudden changes in mood believable.Armstrong, Joe. After Show Discussion, Royal Exchange, Manchester, 9 May 2012. Alfred Hickling of The Guardian remarked that “Joe Armstrong’s Jean ... flips back and forth between brute arrogance and fawning servility with the casual manner of tossing a coin.“Hickling, Alfred. ”Miss Julie â€“ review”, The Guardian, 17 April 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-03.In a 2013 production of Harold Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter at The Print Room, Armstrong played Gus alongside Clive Wood as Ben.“Plays Cast: Glover’s Dumb Waiter, Arcola Home and Adult Supervision”, What’s On Stage, 25 September 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-25. Matt Trueman of The Telegraph called Wood and Armstrong “two perfect Pinterians,“Trueman, Matt. ”The Dumb Waiter, The Print Room, review”, The Telegraph, 1 November 2013. Retrieved 2013-12-11. and Fiona Mountford of The Evening Standard wrote, “Armstrong, always an actor of easy geniality, flourishes in particular with this short, sharp, light-footed humour.“Mountford, Fiona. ”The Dumb Waiter, Print Room, theatre review”, Evening Standard, 29 October 2013. Retrieved 2013-12-11.Armstrong co-starred with Louise Brealey in the 2015 touring production of Constellations.Bannister, Rosie. Cast Announced for Tour of Constellations, What’s On Stage, 30 March 2015. Retrieved 2015-05-15.

Film

In 2006, Armstrong was in two short films: A Ticket Too Far and Service. The latter was part of the Coming Up series on Channel 4.“Coming Up, Series 2, Episode 2, Service”, Channel 4. Retrieved 2011-01-30.He appears in Nae Caranfil’s film Closer to the Moon, also starring Vera Farmiga, Mark Strong and Harry Lloyd, which was filmed in Bucharest in the autumn of 2011 and was released in Romania in 2014. The film is about the bank robbery allegedly committed by the Ioanid Gang in 1959 Romania. Armstrong’s character Răzvan is based on the journalist Haralambie Obedeanu who was one of the accused.Sauciuc, Gloria. ”Closer to the Moon, by Nae Caranfil, is filming from September 5”, Cinemagia (Romanian), 2 September 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-13.In 2017 Armstrong appeared in Joe Wright’s war drama Darkest Hour, his major studio debut.{{Citation|title=Darkest Hour (2017)|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4555426/fullcredits|accessdate=2018-01-23}}

Radio

Armstrong performed in the BBC radio plays Girl from Mars in 2008“Afternoon Play - Girl from Mars”, BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 2001-01-30. and Hitched in 2010,“Afternoon Play - Hitched”, BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 2011-01-30. and he read the story Gifts by Garry Kilworth as part of a Christmas radio programme.“Twas the Night Before Christmas”, BBC Radio 7. Retrieved 2011-01-30. In 2011, he co-starred with Richard Briers and Edna Doré in the Radio 4 drama A Shoebox of Snow.“Afternoon Play - A Shoebox of Snow”, BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 2011-09-13. Armstrong reprised his role in DC Moore’s The Empire for a BBC Radio 3 production.“The Wire - The Empire”, BBC Radio 3. Retrieved 2011-10-21. He was in the radio serial Ruthless by Tim Loane on Radio 4 in 2012.“15 Minute Drama - Ruthless”, BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 2013-09-25. In 2013, he played Sergei in a Radio 4 adaptation of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk,“Afternoon Drama - Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk”, BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 2013-09-25. and he appeared in the series The Corrupted by G. F. Newman.“GF Newman’s The Corrupted”, BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 2013-12-11. He performed in the drama Ghosts of Heathrow in 2014“Afternoon Drama: Ghosts of Heathrow”, BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 2015-05-15. and in adaptations of The Bone Clocks,“Book at Bedtime: The Bone Clocks”, BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 2015-05-15. The Book Of Strange New Things“15 Minute Drama: The Book of Strange New Things”, BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 2015-05-15. and The Trial.“Drama on 3: The Process”, BBC Radio 3. Retrieved 2015-05-15.

Screen and stage credits

Television and film

{| class=“wikitable sortable”! style="background:#B0C4DE;” | Year! style="background:#B0C4DE;” | Title! style="background:#B0C4DE;” | Role! style="background:#B0C4DE;” class=“unsortable” | Notes| 2003| The Bill| Fraser Howie| Series 19, Episode 30: #105| 2003Between the Sheets (TV series)>Between the Sheets| Richard Lloyd| TV mini-series: Episode 1| 2004Passer By (film)>Passer By| Tinley| Television film| 2004Waking the Dead (TV series)>Waking the Dead| Jason Murphy| Series 4, Episodes 5–6: “Fugue States”| 2004| Midsomer Murders| David Cooke| Series 8, Episode 2: “Dead in the Water”| 2004| Foyle’s War| Tom Jackson| Series 3, Episode 3: “They Fought in the Fields”| 2004Blackpool (TV serial)>Blackpool| Mark Reed| TV mini-series: Episodes 1, 2 and 4| 2005| Rose and Maloney| Max Roche| Series 2, Episode 3| 2005| The Bill| Lenny Bartle| Series 21, Episode 101: #374| 2006| A Ticket Too Far| Ray| Short| 2006| The Inspector Lynley Mysteries| Darren| Series 5, Episode 3: “Chinese Walls”| 2006| Coming Up| Danny| Short; Series 2, Episode 2: “Service”| 2006 - 09Robin Hood (2006 TV series)>Robin HoodRobin Hood (2006 TV series) characters#Allan A Dale>Allan A Dale| Series 1–3: 38 episodes| 2007Party Animals (TV series)>Party Animals| D.C. Harmison| Series 1, Episode 6| 2007| The Last Detective| Chas| Series 4, Episode 1: “Once Upon a Time on the Westway”| 2007| The Whistleblowers| Fleck| Series 1, Episode 4: “Fit for Purpose”| 2009| Breaking the Mould| Norman Heatley| Television film| 2010| A Passionate Woman| Donald| Television film (Part 1)| 2011Hustle (TV series)>Hustle| Joe Ryan| Series 7, Episode 2: “Old Sparks Come New”| 2011Land Girls (TV series)>Land Girls| Danny Sparks| Series 3| 2012Public Enemies (TV series)>Public Enemies| Ben Somers| 3-part television drama| 2012Henry IV, Part I and Part II (film series)>Henry IV, Part IHenry Percy (Hotspur)>Hotspur| Television film| 2013 - 14The Village (2013 TV series)>The Village| Stephen Bairstow| Television series| 2014| Closer to the Moon| Răzvan| Film| 2014 Happy Valley (TV series)>Happy Valley| Ashley Cowgill| Series 1: 6 episodes| 2016| Black Mirror| Nick Shelton| Episode: “Hated in the Nation”|2016|To Walk Invisible|William Allison|Television film|2017Darkest Hour (film)>Darkest Hour|John Evans|Film|2018Britannia (TV series)>Britannia|Gildas|Television series|2019Gentleman Jack (TV series)>Gentleman Jack|Samuel Washington|Television series| 2023The Bay (TV series)>The Bay| Dean Metcalf| Series 4| 2023Fool Me Once (TV series)>Fool Me Once| Alexander Dosman| Miniseries: 4 episodes“>

Theatre{| class“wikitable sortable”

! style="background:#B0C4DE;” | Year! style="background:#B0C4DE;” | Play! style="background:#B0C4DE;” | Playwright! style="background:#B0C4DE;” | Role! style="background:#B0C4DE;” | Theatre! style="background:#B0C4DE;” | Notes| 1998| Dancing at Lughnasa| Brian Friel| Gerry Evans| George Square Theatre, EdinburghArts Theatre, London| National Youth Theatre| 2000| They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?| Ray Herman| Lieutenant Stedna| Apollo Theatre, London| National Youth Theatre| 2003| Protection| Fin Kennedy| AdamJeff| Soho Theatre, London| | 2004| How Love Is Spelt| Chloe Moss| Joe| Bush Theatre, London| | 2005| A Night at the Dogs| Matt Charman| Danny| Soho Theatre, London| | 2009Orphans (Dennis Kelly play)>Orphans| Dennis Kelly| Liam| Traverse Theatre, EdinburghBirmingham Repertory TheatreSoho Theatre, LondonStage Awards for Acting Excellence>Stage Award for Best Actor| 2010The Empire (play)>The EmpireD. C. Moore>DC Moore| GaryJerwood Theatre Upstairs, LondonTheatre Royal, Plymouth>Drum Theatre, Plymouth| | 2011| Flare Path| Terence Rattigan| Sergeant Dusty Miller| Theatre Royal Haymarket, London| | 2012| Miss Julie| August Strindberg| JeanRoyal Exchange, Manchester>Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester| | 2013| The Dumb Waiter| Harold Pinter| GusPrint Room (theatre)>The Print Room, LondonWORK=OFFWESTEND.COM, 26 January 2014, | 2015Constellations (play)>Constellations| Nick Payne| Roland| Touring production| | 2015| Husbands & SonsD. H. Lawrence>D H Lawrence| Luther GascoigneRoyal National Theatre>National Theatre, London and Royal Exchange, Manchester| | 2019| Rutherford and Son| Githa Sowerby| Martin| National Theatre, London|

References

{{Reflist|2}}

External links

• {{IMDb name|1006297|Joe Armstrong}}
• The Roles of Joe Armstrong {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111014020540joe-armstrong.net/ |date=14 October 2011 }}

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