Joe Cole

A familiar face to fans of his period series "Peaky Blinders" (Netflix, 2013-), Joe Cole was born in London in 1988. He enjoyed performing in school plays, and was able to take his interest to the next level when his drama teacher suggested he join the National Youth Theatre. There, Cole met director Rikki Beadle-Blair. Because Beadle-Blair was the only industry professional that he knew, Cole began regularly emailing him, eventually convincing the director to cast him in a one-off off-West End show he was producing. With his foot solidly in the door, Cole elected to skip attending University and focused on acting entirely.

He began booking roles on shows like "Holby City" (BBC, 1999-) and "Skins" (E4, 2007-2013), and co-starred in a West End production of "School Season" in 2011. Cole's big break came in 2013, when he was cast on "Peaky Blinders" as John Shelby. Cole even helped his brother Finn secure a role on the series as Michael Gray, impressed by his sibling's mastery of the character and accent. Film roles would follow, as Cole appeared in the dramedy "Long Way Down" (2014) in 2014, followed the next year by a role as a punk musician who has witnessed a murder in the thriller "Green Room" (2015).