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 Baháʼís, 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 Baháʼí 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 film1990 The March Marcus Brown The Care of Time Lampeter TV film 1995 Sidney's Chair Sidney Poitier Short film2005 Born with Two Mothers Lindon TV film Manderlay Mark 2009 Perfect Jacques Short 2011 You Instead The Prophet2012 National Theatre Live: The Comedy of Errors Aegeon 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 2023 The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry Rex 2026 The Surgeon
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" A Quiet Conspiracy US Lieutenant Mini-series Screen Two Clyde Episode: "Defrosting the Fridge"1990 Bergerac John Tetteh Episode: "A True Detective" TECX Joseph Akashte Episode: "Needle in a Haystack" The Gravy Train Duke Mini-series 1991 Chancer Cyril Recurring role, 5 episodes1993 Jeeves and Wooster Coneybear Recurring role, 3 episodes All or Nothing at All Andrew Mini-series1994 Space Precinct John Kane Episodes: "Welcome to Demeter City" & "The Snake" The All New Alexei Sayle Show Various roles Episode: "Series 1, Episode 4" 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" Homeland Billy Episode: "Long Time Coming"2016 Midsomer Murders Dr Isaac Vernon Episode: "Habeas Corpus" Shield 5 Yorke Web-series, exclusive to Instagram 2018 Mrs Wilson Bert Mini-series 2023 The Castaways Jack Mini-series 2025 Prime TargetProfessor 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 Tour1986–1987 Macbeth Bloody Sergant/Scottish Doctor Royal Shakespeare Theatre – Stratford-upon-Avon, Tyne Theatre – Newcastle upon Tyne & Barbican Centre – London with Royal Shakespeare Company World's Apart Borras The Other Place – Stratford-upon-Avon, Gulbenkian Studio – Newcastle upon Tyne & Barbican Centre – London with Royal Shakespeare Company Flight Albert Hamadziripi The Other Place – Stratford-upon-Avon, Gulbenkian Studio – Newcastle upon Tyne & Barbican Centre – London with Royal Shakespeare Company The Two Noble Kinsmen Bavian/The Executioner Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon & People's Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne with Royal Shakespeare Company1987 The Great White Hope The Pastor Mermaid Theatre, London with Royal Shakespeare Company 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, Manchester2001–2002 Twelfth Night Antonio Royal Shakespeare Theatre – Stratford-upon-Avon, Theatre Royal – Newcastle upon Tyne & Barbican Centre – London with Royal Shakespeare Company 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 Company2006 The Winter's Tale Camillo Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon with Royal Shakespeare Company Pericles Gower Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon with Royal Shakespeare Company 2007 The Last Confession Bernardin Gantin Theatre Royal Haymarket, London & Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester2008 King Lear Earl of Gloucester Shakespeare's Globe, London The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui Dogsborough Lyric Theatre, London The Jew of Malta Barabas Hall for Cornwall, Truro2009 The Tempest Prospero Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, London Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Doctor Baugh Novello Theatre, London2010 Elektra Paedagogus Young Vic, London 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 tour2013 A Thousand Miles of History Gerard Basquiat The Bussey Building, London 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, London2017 The Tempest Gonzalo Barbican Centre, London with Royal Shakespeare Company William Wordsworth George Beaumont Theatre by the Lake, Keswick with English Touring Theatre Mother Christmas Peter Hampstead Theatre, London2018 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 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
External links Full CV on Agent's website
References