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

Joseph Mydell
Born1955 (age 68–69)
OccupationActor

Early life

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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.[1]

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).[citation needed]

Career

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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,[2] then at another one in Dayton, Ohio that summer,[3] and later in November at the University Park campus of the Pennsylvania State University.[4] 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

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Film

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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
The Care of Time Lampeter TV film
1995 Sidney's Chair Sidney Poitier Short film
2005 Born with Two Mothers Lindon TV film
Manderlay Mark
2009 Perfect Jacques Short
2011 You Instead The Prophet
2012 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

Television

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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 episodes
1993 Jeeves and Wooster Coneybear Recurring role, 3 episodes
All or Nothing at All Andrew Mini-series
1994 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
TBA Prime Target Upcoming miniseries

Stage

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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 TheatreStratford-upon-Avon, Tyne TheatreNewcastle upon Tyne & Barbican CentreLondon with Royal Shakespeare Company
World's Apart Borras The Other PlaceStratford-upon-Avon, Gulbenkian StudioNewcastle upon Tyne & Barbican CentreLondon with Royal Shakespeare Company
Flight Albert Hamadziripi The Other PlaceStratford-upon-Avon, Gulbenkian StudioNewcastle upon Tyne & Barbican CentreLondon 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 Company
1987 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 PlaceStratford-upon-Avon, Barbican CentreLondon & Brooklyn Academy of MusicNew 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 TheatreStratford-upon-Avon, Theatre RoyalNewcastle upon Tyne & Barbican CentreLondon 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 Company
2006 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, Chichester
2008 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, Truro
2009 The Tempest Prospero Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, London
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Doctor Baugh Novello Theatre, London
2010 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 tour
2013 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, London
2017 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, London
2018 Hamlet Polonius The LowrySalford, Theatre RoyalPlymouth, New TheatreKingston upon Hull, Northern StageNewcastle upon Tyne, Royal & DerngateNorthampton, Hackney EmpireLondon & 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
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References

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  1. ^ "Baha'is participate in march on Montgomery". Baha'i News. June 1965. p. 13. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  2. ^ "Nashville YOW conference – Seven declare". National Bahá'í Review. No. 19. July 1969. p. 14. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  3. ^ Catherine Martindale (August 18, 1969). "Blacks, Whites grope, then unite -- in Baha'i". The Journal Herald. Dayton, Ohio. p. 26. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  4. ^ "Baha'i Week continues with teach-in tonight" (PDF). The Daily Collegian. University Park, PA. November 14, 1969. p. 4. Retrieved November 5, 2020.