Joseph Michael Cole (born 28 November 1988) is an English actor. He gained prominence through his role in the BBC series Peaky Blinders (2014–2017) and received a British Academy Television Award nomination for his performance in the Black Mirror episode "Hang the DJ" (2017). He has since starred in the Channel 4 series Pure (2019), the Sky Atlantic series Gangs of London (2020–2025), the ITV series The Ipcress File (2022) and the BBC series Nightsleeper (2024).
Cole won a British Independent Film Award for his performance in A Prayer Before Dawn (2017). His other films include Secret in Their Eyes (2015) and Against the Ice (2022).
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Early life and education
The oldest of five boys, Joe Cole was born 28 November 1988 and grew up in Kingston upon Thames in London. His younger brother is actor Finn Cole, who starred alongside him in Peaky Blinders.
He attended Hollyfield Secondary School in Surbiton.
Career
Cole's acting career began when he was accepted into the National Youth Theatre. He obtained his first roles in a one-night show in the West End, on The Bill and Holby City, and then in roles on stage at the Bush Theatre's sell-out School Season. In the 2010s, he wrote a comedy series with Matt Lucas.
From 2013 to 2017, Cole starred as John Shelby in the historical crime drama Peaky Blinders. In 2017, he starred in a season 4 episode of Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror, earning a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor.
For his role as Billy Moore in A Prayer Before Dawn, Cole won Best Actor at the 2018 British Independent Film Awards.
