Joe Armstrong (actor)
| Joe Armstrong | |
|---|---|
 Joe Armstrong in 2010 |
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| Born | 7 October 1978  London, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1998–present |
Joe Armstrong (born 7 October 1978, London, England[1]) is an English actor. He played Allan A Dale in the BBC series Robin Hood. He plays Hotspur in the forthcoming BBC production of Henry IV, Part 1 and he will appear in the film Closer to the Moon by Nae Caranfil. His theatre work includes the DC Moore play The Empire and the 2011 revival of Flare Path.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Joe Armstrong is the son of actor Alun Armstrong. He is the middle of three brothers.[2] He attended Elliott School in Putney from 1993 to 1997.[3] 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.[4]
[edit] Career
[edit] Television
Armstrong had a small role in the 2003 ITV mini-series Between the Sheets starring his father Alun Armstrong. In the 2004 BBC movie Passer By, he played one of two men accused of assaulting a woman on a train. Other television credits include Blackpool (2004), Rose and Maloney (2005), Party Animals (2007) and The Whistleblowers (2007).
Armstrong has guest starred in several television crime dramas. In the 2004 Waking the Dead episode "Fugue States," he played 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." He has also appeared in episodes of The Bill (2003 and 2005), Midsomer Murders (2004), The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (2006) and The Last Detective (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.[5]
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 was in the two-part BBC drama A Passionate Woman, as the husband of a woman who has an affair with a man she cannot forget. His father Alun Armstrong played the older version of his character.
In 2011, Armstrong guest starred in the BBC series Hustle, and he joined the cast of the BBC One Daytime drama Land Girls for its third series.[6] He appeared in the BBC drama Public Enemies starring Daniel Mays and Anna Friel in January 2012.[7]
Armstrong plays Hotspur in Richard Eyre's production of Henry IV, Part 1 for BBC2's Shakespeare Season in 2012. The television film also stars Jeremy Irons as Henry IV, Tom Hiddleston as Prince Hal and Alun Armstrong as Hotspur's father, the Earl of Northumberland.[8]
[edit] Theatre
Performing with the National Youth Theatre, Armstrong's roles included Gerry Evans in Dancing at Lughnasa in 1998[9] and Lieutenant Stedna in They Shoot Horses, Don't They? in 2000.[10] He also played Wackford Squeers in Nicholas Nickleby.[2]
In 2003, Armstrong had the dual roles of Adam and Jeff in Protection by Fin Kennedy at the Soho Theatre.[11] He appeared in How Love Is Spelt by Chloe Moss at the Bush Theatre in 2004[12] and in A Night at the Dogs by Matt Charman at the Soho Theatre in 2005.[13]
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.[14] Armstrong was nominated for a Stage Award for Best Actor.[15]
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."[16] In preparation for the role, Armstrong and other cast members met with soldiers who had served in Afghanistan.[17] The play had a six-week run at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs in the Royal Court Theatre from March to May 2010[18] followed by two weeks at the Drum Theatre in the Theatre Royal, Plymouth in May.[19]
In 2011, Armstrong played RAF tail gunner Dusty Miller in Terence Rattigan's World War II drama Flare Path. The critically acclaimed revival directed by Trevor Nunn ran from March to June at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.[20][21]
[edit] 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.[22]
He will appear in the forthcoming film Closer to the Moon, also starring Harry Lloyd, Vera Farmiga and Mark Strong, filming in Bucharest in the autumn of 2011. The film is about the bank robbery allegedly committed by the Ioanid Gang in 1959 Romania. Armstrong's character Razvan is based on the journalist Haralambie Obedeanu who was one of the accused.[23][24]
[edit] Radio
Armstrong performed in the BBC radio plays Girl from Mars in 2008[25] and Hitched in 2010,[26] and he read the story Gifts by Garry Kilworth as part of a Christmas radio program.[27]
In 2011, he co-starred with Richard Briers and Edna Doré in the Radio 4 drama A Shoebox of Snow.[28] Armstrong reprised his role in DC Moore's The Empire for a BBC Radio 3 production.[29] He performs in Tim Loane's office comedy Ruthless on Radio 4 in January 2012.[30]
[edit] Screen and stage credits
[edit] Television and film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Between the Sheets | Richard Lloyd | TV mini-series: Episode 1 |
| 2003 | The Bill | Fraser Howie | Series 19, Episode 30: #105 |
| 2004 | Passer By | Tinley | Television film |
| 2004 | 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" |
| 2004 | Blackpool | Mark Reed | TV mini-series: Episodes 1, 2 and 4 |
| 2005 | The Bill | Lenny Bartle | Series 21, Episode 101: #374 |
| 2005 | Rose and Maloney | Max Roche | Series 2, Episode 3 |
| 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" |
| 2006-2009 | Robin Hood | Allan A Dale | Series 1–3: 38 episodes |
| 2007 | 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) |
| 2011 | Hustle | Joe Ryan | Series 7, Episode 2: "Old Sparks Come New" |
| 2011 | Land Girls | Danny Sparks | Series 3 |
| 2012 | Public Enemies | Ben Somers | 3-part television drama |
| 2012 | Closer to the Moon | Razvan | Film |
| 2012 | Henry IV, Part 1 | Hotspur | Television film |
[edit] Theatre
| Year | Play | Playwright | Role | Theatre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Dancing at Lughnasa | Brian Friel | Gerry Evans | George Square Theatre, Edinburgh Arts 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 | Adam Jeff |
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 | |
| 2009 | Orphans | Dennis Kelly | Liam | Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh Birmingham Repertory Theatre Soho Theatre, London |
Nominated: Stage Award for Best Actor |
| 2010 | The Empire | DC Moore | Gary | Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, London Drum Theatre, Plymouth |
|
| 2011 | Flare Path | Terence Rattigan | Sergeant Dusty Miller | Theatre Royal Haymarket, London |
[edit] References
- ^ "Joe Armstrong Fansite - Biography". http://www.joearmstrong.org/biography.html. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ "Some Notable Elliott Pupils", The Elliottonian Web Site. Retrieved 2011-01-29.
- ^ "University of Bristol Theatre Collection". Retrieved 2011-01-29.
- ^ "Robin Hood Revealed", BBC Press Office, 3 April 2006. Retrieved 2001-01-29.
- ^ "Cast announced for third series of Land Girls", BBC Press Office, 16 June 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ "BBC One Public Enemies". http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0196wrt. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
- ^ "Cultural Olympiad 2012: Shakespeare's History Plays", BBC Media Centre, 24 November 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-24.
- ^ Hemming, Sarah, Review of Dancing at Lughnasa, Financial Times, 9 September 1998.
- ^ "They Shoot Horses, Don't They", Swing Time, September 2000. Retrieved 2011-01-29.
- ^ Fisher, Philip, Review of Protection, The British Theatre Guide, 2003. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
- ^ Sierz, Aleks, Review of How Love Is Spelt, The Stage, 4 October 2004. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
- ^ Neill, Heather, Review of A Night at the Dogs, What's On Stage, 13 April 2005. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
- ^ "Paines Plough Past Productions", Retrieved 2011-01-27.
- ^ "2009 Nominees", The Stage Edinburgh. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
- ^ Taylor, Paul, "The Empire, Theatre Upstairs, London", The Independent, 20 April 2010. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
- ^ "A Clash of Cultures Provide Drama in the Theatre of War", Western Morning News, 14 May 2010. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
- ^ "The Empire at the Royal Court Theatre". Retrieved 2011-01-27.
- ^ "The Empire", Theatre Royal and Drum Theatre Plymouth. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
- ^ 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, June 11, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-14.
- ^ "Coming Up, Series 2, Episode 2, Service", Channel 4. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
- ^ Sauciuc, Gloria, "Closer to the Moon, by Nae Caranfil, is filming from September 5", Cinemagia (Romanian), 2 September 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
- ^ Raup, Jordan, "Vera Farmiga and Mark Strong Get Closer to the Moon", The Film Stage, August 9, 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
- ^ "Afternoon Play - Girl from Mars", BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 2001-01-30.
- ^ "Afternoon Play - Hitched", BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
- ^ "Twas the Night Before Christmas", BBC Radio 7. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
- ^ "Afternoon Play - A Shoebox of Snow", BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
- ^ "The Wire - The Empire", BBC Radio 3. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
- ^ "Ruthless on BBC Radio 4". http://digiguide.tv/programme-details/BBC+Radio+4/9+January+2012/10:45/Ruthless/Comedy/. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
