# Joseph Mydell

Joseph Mydell (born 1955) is an American screen and stage actor.

## Early life

Mydell was born in Savannah, Georgia. He attended West Savannah elementary school, Tompkins High School (class of 1963), and Morehouse College (1964–65), where he met Martin Luther King when King spoke at his alma mater after receiving the Nobel Prize for Peace. Inspired by King, and the call of Bahá'ís, Mydell participated in the (probably third) Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965.
He continued his education at the New York University, School of the Arts(B.F.A., 1970; M.F.A., 1974) City University of New York (CUNY Ph. D Theatre studies, 1976–1979).

## Career

Mydell trained as an actor, working with Dr. Baldwin Burroughs and the Atlanta Morehouse Spelman Players in Shakespeare”s The Tempest, and Trials of Brother Jero by Wole Soyinka. In 1969 he co-performed a play, Who is America, at the US Bahá'í national convention, the first "Youth for the World" conference in Nashville, Tennessee, then at another one in Dayton, Ohio that summer, and later in November at the University Park campus of the Pennsylvania State University. At NYU, he was trained by Lloyd Richards, Olympia Dukakis and Kristin Linklater, and directed by Andre Gregory. His professional career began in New York with the New York Shakespeare Festival and Lincoln Center theatre. He got his Equity card understudying Clevon Little off- Broadway. He also worked at Seattle Repertory theatre and for the National Endowment for the Arts in their touring production of "For All Times".
He traveled to England in 1979 to research his one-man show on Paul Laurence Dunbar, "Lyrics of the Hearthside", which he developed while studying for a Ph.D in theatre.
In 1980 he won a Fringe First and Best One-Man Show award at the Edinburgh Festival. The United States Information Service sponsored an African tour of his show. He later began work with Royal Shakespeare Company, and has continued his association with them for over 30 years. He has also worked extensively at The Royal National theatre.

## Filmography
### Film

Key :
| † | Denotes productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1988 | Beryl Markham: A Shadow on the Sun | Kibii | TV film |
| 1989 | Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: A Caribbean Mystery | Inspector Weston | TV film |
| 1990 | The March | Marcus Brown | |
| 1990 | The Care of Time | Lampeter | TV film |
| 1995 | Sidney's Chair | Sidney Poitier | Short film |
| 2005 | Born with Two Mothers | Lindon | TV film |
| 2005 | Manderlay | Mark | |
| 2009 | Perfect | Jacques | Short |
| 2011 | You Instead | The Prophet | |
| 2012 | National Theatre Live: The Comedy of Errors | Aegeon | |
| 2012 | Julius Caesar | Casca | TV film |
| 2013 | Columbite Tantalite | Old Sese | Short film |
| 2015 | Woman in Gold | Judge Clarence | |
| 2016 | Richard III | Lord Stanley | |
| 2017 | Royal Shakespeare Company: The Tempest | Gonzalo | |
| 2019 | National Theatre Live: The Tragedy of King Richard the Second | John of Gaunt | |
| 2020 | Dolapo Is Fine | Dad | Short film |
| 2022 | The Eternal Daughter | Bill | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1985 | American Playhouse | Johnson | Episode: "Displaced Person" |
| 1988 | CBS Summer Playhouse | Peter | Episode: "My Africa" |
| 1989 | Boon | Winston Hammond | Episode: "Banbury Blue" |
| 1989 | A Quiet Conspiracy | US Lieutenant | Mini-series |
| 1989 | Screen Two | Clyde | Episode: "Defrosting the Fridge" |
| 1990 | Bergerac | John Tetteh | Episode: "A True Detective" |
| 1990 | TECX | Joseph Akashte | Episode: "Needle in a Haystack" |
| 1990 | The Gravy Train | Duke | Mini-series |
| 1991 | Chancer | Cyril | Recurring role, 5 episodes |
| 1993 | Jeeves and Wooster | Coneybear | Recurring role, 3 episodes |
| 1993 | All or Nothing at All | Andrew | Mini-series |
| 1994 | Space Precinct | John Kane | Episodes: "Welcome to Demeter City" & "The Snake" |
| 1994 | The All New Alexei Sayle Show | Various roles | Episode: "Series 1, Episode 4" |
| 1994 | Scarlett | Jerome | Mini-series |
| 1995 | Space Precinct | Officer Lionel Carson | Series regular |
| 2001 | The Bill | Mr Ames | Episode: "Return of the Hunter" |
| 2003 | Dinotopia | Doctor | 2 episodes |
| 2005 | Doctors | Vince Wood | Episode: "A Wolf at the Door" |
| 2007 | Trial & Retribution | Matt Turner | Episode: "Paradise Lost" |
| 2010 | Holby City | Robin Knight | Episode: "Dandelions" |
| 2011 | Death in Paradise | Hotel Manager | Episode: "Wicked Wedding Night" |
| 2014 | The Missing | Minister | Episode: "Till Death" |
| 2014 | Homeland | Billy | Episode: "Long Time Coming" |
| 2016 | Midsomer Murders | Dr Isaac Vernon | Episode: "Habeas Corpus" |
| 2016 | Shield 5 | Yorke | Web-series, exclusive to Instagram |
| 2018 | Mrs Wilson | Bert | Mini-series |
| 2025 | Prime Target | Professor Raymond Osborne | Series regular |

### Stage

| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes |
| 1985 | The Price of Experience | | Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh | |
| 1986 | Lyrics of the Hearthside | All roles | Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon & Royal National Theatre, London | One-man show, also USA, Germany and Denmark Tour |
| 1986–1987 | Macbeth | Bloody Sergant/Scottish Doctor | Royal Shakespeare Theatre – Stratford-upon-Avon, Tyne Theatre – Newcastle upon Tyne & Barbican Centre – London | with Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 1986–1987 | World's Apart | Borras | The Other Place – Stratford-upon-Avon, Gulbenkian Studio – Newcastle upon Tyne & Barbican Centre – London | with Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 1986–1987 | Flight | Albert Hamadziripi | The Other Place – Stratford-upon-Avon, Gulbenkian Studio – Newcastle upon Tyne & Barbican Centre – London | with Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 1986–1987 | The Two Noble Kinsmen | Bavian/The Executioner | Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon & People's Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne | with Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 1987 | The Great White Hope | The Pastor | Mermaid Theatre, London | with Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 1987 | They Shoot Horses, Don't They? | Cal Holliday | Mermaid Theatre, London | with Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 1990 | The Boys Next Door | Lucien P. Smith | Hampstead Theatre, London & Comedy Theatre, London | |
| 1991 | As You Like It | Duke Frederick | Crucible Theatre, Sheffield | |
| 1992–1994 | Angels in America | Belize/Mr. Lies | Cottesloe Theatre, London | |
| 1993 | The Treatment | | Royal Court Theatre, London |
| 1994–1995 | Alice's Adventures Underground | Mad Hatter | Cottesloe Theatre, London | |
| 1996–1998 | Everyman | Everyman | The Other Place – Stratford-upon-Avon, Barbican Centre – London & Brooklyn Academy of Music – New York City | with Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 1998 | The Mysteries | Satan/Lazarus | Barbican Centre, London | with Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 2000 | As You Like It | Duke Frederick/Corin | Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester | |
| 2001–2002 | Twelfth Night | Antonio | Royal Shakespeare Theatre – Stratford-upon-Avon, Theatre Royal – Newcastle upon Tyne & Barbican Centre – London | with Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 2001–2002 | The Prisoner's Dilemma | Patterson Davis | The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon & Barbican Centre, London | with Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 2002 | Medea | Aegeus | Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York City | also, US tour |
| 2003 | Edmond | Preacher | Olivier Theatre, London | |
| 2004 | Anna in the Tropics | Santiago | Hampstead Theatre, London | |
| 2005–2006 | Breakfast with Mugabe | Robert Mugabe | Soho Theatre, London & Duchess Theatre, London | with Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 2006 | The Winter's Tale | Camillo | Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon | with Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 2006 | Pericles | Gower | Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon | with Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 2007 | The Last Confession | Bernardin Gantin | Theatre Royal Haymarket, London & Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester | |
| 2008 | King Lear | Earl of Gloucester | Shakespeare's Globe, London | |
| 2008 | The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui | Dogsborough | Lyric Theatre, London | |
| 2008 | The Jew of Malta | Barabas | Hall for Cornwall, Truro | |
| 2009 | The Tempest | Prospero | Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, London | |
| 2009 | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | Doctor Baugh | Novello Theatre, London | |
| 2010 | Elektra | Paedagogus | Young Vic, London | |
| 2010 | Hamlet | Player King | Crucible Theatre, Sheffield | |
| 2011 | The Comedy of Errors | Aegeon | Olivier Theatre, London | |
| 2012 | Julius Caesar | Casca | Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon | also, UK & USA tour |
| 2013 | A Thousand Miles of History | Gerard Basquiat | The Bussey Building, London | |
| 2013 | A Season in the Congo | Kala Lubu | Young Vic, London | |
| 2014 | The Crucible | Thomas Danforth | West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds | |
| 2015 | Evening at the Talkhouse | Bill | Dorfman Theatre, London | |
| 2016 | Richard III | Stanley | Almeida Theatre, London | |
| 2017 | The Tempest | Gonzalo | Barbican Centre, London | with Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 2017 | William Wordsworth | George Beaumont | Theatre by the Lake, Keswick | with English Touring Theatre |
| 2017 | Mother Christmas | Peter | Hampstead Theatre, London | |
| 2018 | Hamlet | Polonius | The Lowry – Salford, Theatre Royal – Plymouth, New Theatre – Kingston upon Hull, Northern Stage – Newcastle upon Tyne, Royal & Derngate – Northampton, Hackney Empire – London & Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. | with Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 2018 | The Tragedy of King Richard the Second | John of Gaunt | Almeida Theatre, London | |
| 2019 | Death of a Salesman | Ben Loman | Young Vic, London & Piccadilly Theatre, London | |
| 2020 | The Visit | The Reverend | Olivier Theatre, London | |