British actor and author (born 1964)
Paterson Davis Joseph
(born 22 June 1964)
[1]
[3]
is a British actor and author. He was announced as Chancellor of
Oxford Brookes University
in October 2022.
Joseph appeared in the
Royal Shakespeare Company
(RSC) productions of
King Lear
and
Love's Labour's Lost
in 1990. On television he is best known for his roles in
Casualty
(1997?1998), as Alan Johnson in
Channel 4
sitcom
Peep Show
(2003?2015),
Green Wing
(2004?2006),
Survivors
(2008?2010),
Boy Meets Girl
(2009), as DI Wes Layton in
Law & Order: UK
(2013?2014), as Holy Wayne in
The Leftovers
(2014?15), as DCI Mark Maxwell in
Safe House
(2015?2017), and as
Connor Mason
in
Timeless
(2016?2018). His film roles include
The Beach
(2000),
Greenfingers
(2001),
Æon Flux
(2005),
The Other Man
(2008) and
Wonka
(2023).
Joseph is also a writer, and his 2022 debut novel
The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho
won the
2023 Christopher Bland Prize
awarded by the
Royal Society of Literature
.
Early life
[
edit
]
Joseph was born on 22 June 1964 in
Willesden Green
, Middlesex, to parents from
Saint Lucia
.
[4]
He attended
Cardinal Hinsley
R.C. High School in north-west London, a predominantly
Irish Catholic
school. He has described himself as a "terrible bunker" while at school, opting to spend the best part of two years in the local public library instead.
[5]
He worked briefly as a catering assistant at a hospital, before deciding to pursue acting as a profession. Joseph first trained at the Studio '68 of Theatre Arts, London (South Kensington Library), from 1983 to 1985 with
Robert Henderson
. He later attended the
London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
(LAMDA), before going on to perform for the
Royal Shakespeare Company
and
The Royal National Theatre
.
[6]
Career
[
edit
]
Theatre
[
edit
]
In 1991, Joseph won second prize in the
Ian Charleson Awards
, for his 1990 performances of Oswald in
King Lear
, Dumaine in
Love's Labour's Lost
, and the Marquis de Mota in
The Last Days of Don Juan
, all at the
Royal Shakespeare Company
.
[7]
In 1992 he starred as Richard Henry in
Blues for Mister Charlie
by
James Baldwin
, directed by
Greg Hersov
at the
Royal Exchange, Manchester
.
Joseph's theatre credits include the title role in
Othello
at the
Royal Exchange, Manchester
, as well as parts in
Henry IV
,
King Lear
, and
Hamlet
for a performance in
New York City
.
[8]
In 2012 he played
Brutus
in a performance by the
RSC
of
Julius Caesar
set in Africa. In 2004 he undertook a project, filmed for Channel 4 in a documentary entitled
My Shakespeare
, to direct a version of
Romeo & Juliet
, using 20 young non-actors from the deprived
Harlesden
area of London.
[9]
In 2006, he became a patron of
OffWestEnd.com
, a listings site for theatre outside the mainstream.
[10]
Other stage appearances in 2006 and 2007 include the leads in
The Royal Hunt of the Sun
and
The Emperor Jones
at the
Olivier Theatre
, London.
[11]
[12]
In 2015,
Sancho: An Act of Remembrance
, a solo play written and performed by Joseph and based on the life of
Ignatius Sancho
, was staged in Oxford and Birmingham, and toured in the US starting in October.
[13]
[14]
[15]
In late 2019 and early 2020, Joseph starred as
Ebenezer Scrooge
at the
Old Vic Theatre
in London in their production of
A Christmas Carol
.
Television
[
edit
]
He has played many roles in British television programmes, both drama and comedy. These include Reuben in
William and Mary
, alongside
Martin Clunes
; Mark Grace in
Casualty
; the Marquis de Carabas in
Neverwhere
; Alan Johnson in
Peep Show
; Lyndon Jones in
Green Wing
; and Shorty in the first episode of
Jericho
.
Joseph also appeared in the acclaimed drama
Sex Traffic
(2004), in the 2005 TV version of
Kwame Kwei-Armah
's acclaimed play
Elmina's Kitchen
and in the
Doctor Who
episodes "
Bad Wolf
" and "
The Parting of the Ways
" as Rodrick, a contestant on a futuristic version of
The Weakest Link
game show. He has also appeared in various supporting roles in
Dead Ringers
.
[16]
In 2006, he appeared in the television sketch show
That Mitchell and Webb Look
, in which he played Simon, a contestant on the game show
Numberwang
.
[8]
In 2007, Joseph played Space Marshall Clarke in two series of the
BBC
sci-fi sitcom
Hyperdrive
, and was Benjamin Maddox in the BBC drama series
Jekyll
. Joseph also provided the voice of K.O. Joe in
Chop Socky Chooks
.
From 2008 to 2010, Joseph played Greg Preston in
Survivors
, the BBC remake of the 1970s science-fiction drama of the same name. Also in 2008, Joseph appeared as former hitman Patrick Finch in Series 1, Episode 5 of
The Fixer
.
Joseph played DI Wes Layton in
Law & Order: UK
from 2013 to 2014.
He played the messianic "Holy Wayne" Gilchrest on the original
HBO
dramatic series
The Leftovers
, which began airing in 2014, and General Arnold Gaines on
You, Me and the Apocalypse
.
He took up the main role of
Connor Mason
in the television series
Timeless
, which ended in 2018.
[17]
In 2020, Joseph played the part of
Home Secretary
Kamal Hadley in the series of
Noughts + Crosses
.
[18]
As voice actor, Joseph provided the narration for the
National Geographic
series
Mega Cities
from 2005 to 2011,
Wild Russia
in 2009 and the
BBC Two
documentary
Inside Obama's White House
in 2016.
[19]
He played Tyler in the
BBC Switch
film
Rules of Love
in 2010.
Film
[
edit
]
Joseph's first feature film role was as Benbay in
Jim Sheridan
's
In the Name of the Father
.
In 2000, Joseph appeared as Keaty in
Danny Boyle
's adventure drama film
The Beach
, which starred
Leonardo DiCaprio
. In the same year, he also appeared in
The Long Run
and
Greenfingers
.
In 2005, he portrayed Giroux in the science-fiction action film
Æon Flux
, which starred
Charlize Theron
. Then in 2008 he played a supporting role in
The Other Man
, opposite
Liam Neeson
and
Antonio Banderas
.
Joseph appears as villain
Arthur Slugworth
, part of an ensemble cast in the 2023 musical fantasy film
Wonka
, directed by
Paul King
.
[20]
Joseph has also appeared in several
short films
, including
Stop the World
, directed by
Richard Leaf
. He
voiced
the character of Victor in the 2023 drama short film
Bet Your Bottom Dollar
[21]
produced by British-Canadian filmmaker
Jonathan Tammuz
.
Voice work
[
edit
]
In 2011, Joseph returned to
Doctor Who
, where he appeared in the audio drama
Earth Aid
, playing Victor Espinosa.
[22]
In November 2016 he played the title role in the
BBC
radio adaptation of the short story by
Neil Gaiman
,
How the Marquis Got His Coat Back
. Joseph had previously played the part of the
Marquis de Carabas
in the 1996 BBC TV six-part drama
Neverwhere
. He played the role of Colonel Arbuthnott in the
Audible
production of
Murder on the Orient Express
.
Joseph read the
BBC Radio 4
abridgement of
George Lamming
's 1953 debut novel
In the Castle of My Skin
first broadcast in December 2020.
[23]
Lectures
[
edit
]
Joseph has delivered such keynote public lectures as the Memorial 2007 Annual Lecture at the
Institute of Commonwealth Studies
[24]
and at
Lancaster University
.
[25]
Writing
[
edit
]
In October 2022, Joseph's debut novel
The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho
was released, published by Dialogue Books.
[26]
The book charts the life of
Charles Ignatius Sancho
through fictionalised diary entries, letters and commentary. Writing in
The New York Times
, reviewer
Thomas Mallon
concluded: "With the conjuring tricks of historical fiction, Joseph has taken an actual man and, two and a half centuries later, made him as thoroughly himself, and as fully present, as he was the first time round."
[27]
The novel was shortlisted for the 2023
Jhalak Prize
,
[28]
and won the 2023
RSL Christopher Bland Prize
.
[29]
[30]
Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University
[
edit
]
In October 2022, Joseph was announced as the next Chancellor of
Oxford Brookes University
[31]
[32]
(previous holders of the role including
Helena Kennedy
,
Jon Snow
,
Shami Chakrabarti
and
Katherine Grainger
) and was officially installed in May 2023.
[33]
[34]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Joseph lived in the
Loire Valley
, France, with his French wife Emmanuelle and their son, before moving back to his native London.
[35]
[36]
[37]
[38]
Joseph supports the
Brazil national football team
.
[39]
Filmography
[
edit
]
Television
[
edit
]
Key
†
|
Denotes works that have not yet been released
|
Film
[
edit
]
Key
†
|
Denotes works that have not yet been released
|
Stage
[
edit
]
Year
|
Play
|
Role
|
Venue
|
Notes
|
1987?88
|
Raping the Gold
|
Leon
|
Bush Theatre
|
|
1988-89
|
The Tempest
|
Adrian
|
Donmar Warehouse
|
|
1989
|
Whale
|
1st Inuit Lover
|
Lyttelton Theatre, National Theatre
|
|
Soloman & the Big Cat
|
Soloman
|
The Young Vic
|
|
1990
|
The Last Days of Don Juan
|
Marquis de Mota
|
Swan Theatre
|
Press performance; second prize in the
Ian Charleson Awards
|
Troilus and Cressida
|
Patroclus
|
Press performance
|
King Lear
|
Oswald
|
Royal Shakespeare Theatre
|
Second prize in the Ian Charleson Awards
|
Love's Labour's Lost
|
Dumaine
|
1990-91
|
The Last Days of Don Juan
|
Marquis de Mota
|
Barbican Theatre
|
|
Love's Labour's Lost
|
Dumaine
|
|
King Lear
|
Oswald
|
|
1991
|
King Lear
|
Theatre Royal, Newcastle
|
Press performance
|
The Last Days of Don Juan
|
Marquis de Mota
|
Newcastle Playhouse
|
Love's Labour's Lost
|
Dumaine
|
|
Troilus and Cressida
|
Patroclus
|
Press performance
|
Love's Labour's Lost
|
Dumaine
|
Barbican Theatre
|
The Last Days of Don Juan
|
Marquis de Mota
|
Pit London
|
King Lear
|
Oswald
|
Barbican Theatre
|
Troilus and Cressida
|
Troilus
|
Pit London
|
Taking over Troilus from
Ralph Fiennes
; press performance
|
The Pretenders
|
Haakon
|
Press performance
|
1991?92
|
The Pretenders
|
Barbican Theatre
|
|
1992
|
The Recruiting Officer
|
Mr Worthy
|
Olivier Theatre
|
|
Blues for Mister Charlie
|
Richard Henry
|
Royal Exchange, Manchester
|
|
1995
|
Hamlet
|
Horatio
|
Hackney Empire
and
Belasco Theatre
|
|
1996?97
|
Henry IV
Part I
and
Part II
|
Henry Percy / Pistol
|
Theatre Royal, Bath
and
The Old Vic
|
UK tour
|
2000
|
A Doll's House
|
Torvald
|
Ambassadors Theatre, London
|
|
2001
|
Les Blancs
|
Tshembe Matoseh
|
Royal Exchange, Manchester
|
Best Actor, Barclays TMA Awards 2001
|
2002
|
Othello
|
Othello
|
Royal Exchange, Manchester
|
|
2003
|
Elmina's Kitchen
|
Deli
|
Cottesloe Theatre
|
|
2005
|
The Emperor Jones
|
Brutus Jones, Emperor
|
Gate Theatre
|
|
2006
|
The Royal Hunt of the Sun
|
Atahualpa
|
Olivier Theatre
|
|
2007
|
The Emperor Jones
|
Brutus Jones, Emperor
|
|
Saint Joan
|
Cauchon
|
|
2012
|
Julius Caesar
|
Brutus
|
Royal Shakespeare Theatre
|
Set in
Africa
; live recording performance by
RSC
|
2015
|
Sancho: An Act of Remembrance
|
Charles Ignatius Sancho
|
Oxford
,
Birmingham
and
US
tour
|
A one-man show conceived, written and performed by himself
|
2019-20
|
A Christmas Carol
|
Ebenezer Scrooge
|
The Old Vic
|
|
Audio and radio
[
edit
]
Accolades
[
edit
]
Year
|
Body
|
Award
|
Nominated work
|
Result
|
Ref
|
2023
|
EdiPlay International Film Festival, Paris
|
Best Supporting Actor
|
Bet Your Bottom Dollar
|
Won
|
[41]
|
2024
|
New York Movie Awards
|
Gold Award - Actor
|
Won
|
[42]
|
Paris Film Awards
|
Silver Award - Actor
|
Won
|
[43]
|
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"FreeBMD Entry Info"
.
- ^
"Paterson Joseph ? People ? Royal Opera House"
.
www.roh.org.uk
.
- ^
"LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies (Library of Congress)"
.
id.loc.gov
.
- ^
"My life in travel: Paterson Joseph"
.
Independent.co.uk
. 5 September 2008.
- ^
"Paterson Joseph - Doctor Who Guide"
.
guide.doctorwhonews.net
. Doctor Who Guide
. Retrieved
14 November
2022
.
- ^
Joseph, Paterson.
"Paterson Joseph: Film and TV actor"
.
speakersforschools.org
. Speakers for Schools
. Retrieved
16 November
2022
.
- ^
"Timely tributes for a new generation of actors",
Sunday Times
, 13 January 1991.
- ^
a
b
"Paterson Joseph"
. BBC
. Retrieved
3 January
2009
.
- ^
Rampton, James (22 December 2004).
"Baz and the Bard"
.
The Independent
. London
. Retrieved
2 January
2009
.
[
dead link
]
- ^
"Patron ? Paterson Joseph"
.
OffWestEnd.com
. Archived from
the original
on 9 August 2016
. Retrieved
25 January
2009
.
- ^
Billington, Michael
(13 April 2006).
"
The Royal Hunt of the Sun
, National, London"
.
The Guardian
. UK
. Retrieved
25 January
2009
.
- ^
Nightingale, Benedict
(30 August 2007).
"The Emperor Jones"
.
The Times
. London: Times Newspapers
. Retrieved
25 January
2009
.
- ^
Hemley, Matthew (15 July 2015).
"Paterson Joseph one-man show to play UK ahead of US tour"
.
The Stage
.
- ^
Joseph, Paterson (14 September 2015).
"Paterson Joseph on Sancho: The First Black Briton to Vote"
.
The Guardian
.
- ^
"Leon Levy BAM Digital Archive: Production: Sancho: An Act of Remembrance [2015f.01270]"
.
levyarchive.bam.org
.
- ^
"That Mitchell and Webb Look"
(Press release). BBC. 29 August 2006
. Retrieved
25 January
2009
.
- ^
a
b
Fienberg, Daniel (30 September 2016).
"
'Timeless': TV Review"
.
Hollywood Reporter
.
- ^
"Noughts + Crosses (2020? ) Full Cast & Crew"
. IMDb.
- ^
"BBC Two - Inside Obama's White House"
.
BBC
. 17 March 2016
. Retrieved
19 March
2016
.
- ^
"Paterson Joseph - Contributor Biography"
.
www.dialoguebooks.co.uk
. 27 December 2022
. Retrieved
27 December
2022
.
- ^
Grobar, Matt (29 November 2022).
"Paterson Joseph Boards Indie Drama 'Bet Your Bottom Dollar' From Director Brandon Ashplant"
.
Deadline Hollywood
. Retrieved
22 December
2022
.
- ^
"2.06 Doctor Who: Earth Aid"
.
Big Finish
.
- ^
"In the Castle of My Skin by George Lamming"
. BBC Radio 4
. Retrieved
1 January
2021
.
- ^
"Memorial 2007 Annual Lecture ? Seeing is Believing: Memorial as Story (with images)"
. Institute of Commonwealth Studies. 28 September 2023
. Retrieved
13 November
2023
.
- ^
"Lancaster University Public Lecture series welcomes actor and author Paterson Joseph"
. 23 October 2023
. Retrieved
13 November
2023
.
- ^
Pulley, Natasha (7 October 2022).
"The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho by Paterson Joseph review ? a Georgian Black Briton"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
7 October
2022
.
- ^
Mallon, Thomas (11 April 2023).
"The Picaresque Life of an 18th-Century Black English Polymath"
.
The New York Times
.
- ^
"Jhalak Prize 2023 shortlists announced"
. Books+Publishing. 20 April 2023
. Retrieved
1 June
2023
.
- ^
"Paterson Joseph Wins the 2023 RSL Christopher Bland Prize"
.
The Royal Society of Literature
. 8 June 2023
. Retrieved
12 June
2023
.
- ^
"Chancellor of Oxford Brookes, Paterson Joseph, wins prestigious 2023 RSL Christopher Bland Prize"
. Oxford Brookes University. 8 June 2023
. Retrieved
13 November
2023
.
- ^
"Actor Paterson Joseph announced as the next Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University"
. Oxford Brookes University. 11 October 2022
. Retrieved
12 June
2023
.
- ^
"Paterson Joseph to become Oxford Brookes University chancellor"
.
BBC News
. 12 October 2022
. Retrieved
13 November
2023
.
- ^
"Actor and author Paterson Joseph installed as Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University"
. Oxford Brookes University. 25 May 2023
. Retrieved
13 November
2023
.
- ^
"Actor Paterson Joseph installed as Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University"
.
ITV News
. 25 May 2023.
- ^
Deacon, Michael (21 April 2009).
"Interview: Paterson Joseph on Boy Meets Girl"
.
The Daily Telegraph
. London
. Retrieved
21 May
2010
.
- ^
Laws, Roz (10 January 2010).
"Survivors star Paterson Joseph on chips, coal mines and cycling"
.
birminghammail
. Retrieved
16 July
2017
.
- ^
"Sky 1 - Sky.com"
.
sky.com
.
- ^
Greenstreet, Rosanna (29 February 2020).
"Interview | Paterson Joseph: 'The worst thing anyone's said to me? You're thick'
"
.
The Guardian
.
- ^
"Paterson Joseph Talks About Racism in Football | Dear Lovejoy Podcast"
. 4 July 2018.
Archived
from the original on 21 December 2021 – via YouTube.
- ^
"Programme Information: Hustle"
.
BBC Media Centre
. London. January 2012.
- ^
"EdiPlay International Film Awards"
.
epliff.com
. Retrieved
21 February
2024
.
- ^
"New York Movie Awards"
.
newyorkmovieawards.com
. Retrieved
21 February
2024
.
- ^
"Paris Film Awards"
.
parisfilmawards.net
. Retrieved
5 June
2024
.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
Organisation
| | |
---|
Campuses
| |
---|
Faculties and schools
| |
---|
Student life
| |
---|
Other
| |
---|
|
|
---|
International
| |
---|
National
| |
---|
Artists
| |
---|