Background

Joseph Maxwell Dempsie, professionally known as Joe Dempsie, was born on the 22nd of June, 1987 in Liverpool. However, his parents, Gretta and Jim Dempsie, relocated to Nottingham when he was just 4 months old. So Joe ended up growing up in West Bridgford, a town in Nottingham.

Joe has a younger sister, Lauren Dempsie who suffers from Cerebral Palsy, a condition which has left her almost incapacitated. The actor now supports charities and raises awareness about the health disorder.

Education

Joe realized he wanted to be an actor from an early age and when his parents found out about his passion, they got him enrolled at the Central Junior Television Workshop in Nottingham. It was at this Television Workshop that Joe received training as an actor and honed his skills. As a young child, he also attended the West Bridgford School in Nottingham.

Career

Starting his acting career in the year 2000, Joe Dempsie started out with small roles on TV series and films. His first TV role was in the British drama series, Peak Practice. After that, he went on to make guest appearances on other series such as Born and Bred, Sweet Medicine, and Doctors. Portraying the character of Chris Miles, Joe starred in the teen comedy-drama series, Skins from 2007 to 2008.

Later in 2008, the actor featured in an episode of Doctor Who, as well as Merlin. He also made an appearance in the British variety show, Friday Night Project. The following year, he appeared in the British sports drama film, The Damned United alongside Michael Sheen. Joe got his breakthrough when he joined the cast of the HBO series, Game of Thrones in 2011. His outstanding performance in the series was able to land him a spot in the limelight. He has been portraying the role of Gendry in GOT since 2011 to date.

Asides from the GOT series, the actor has equally starred in other notable series and films including The Fades, Accused, The Gamechangers, Deep State, Dark River, This is England ’86 and its sequels, This is England ’88, This is England ’90, and many more. In addition, Dempsie has done voiceovers for Sky One Network and has also appeared in an advert for Clearasil, among others.

Achievements

• 

  The British movie star, Joe Dempsie became quite significant and popular in the movie industry after portraying the character of Chris Miles in E4’s comedy-drama, "Skins"(2007-2008). It was, however, his role as Gendry in the much-talked-about HBO television series "Game of Thrones" that shot him to global limelight. The brilliant actor has been active in the Hollywood industry for over a decade and has appeared in a handful of blockbuster movies and TV series.

Works

More photos

• movie

  • Blitz

    (A tough cop (Jason Statham, "Crank") and his sidekick (Pa...)

    2011
  • Dark River

    (Following the death of her father, Alice (Ruth Wilson) re...)

    2017
  • The Damned United

    (From the Academy Award-nominated writer of The Queen and ...)

    2009
  • One for the Road

    (One for the Road follows Jimmy, Paul, Richard and Mark wh...)

    2003
  • Monsters: Dark Continent

    (Ten years on from the events of "Monsters", and the 'Infe...)

    2014

• TV series

  • Skins Season 2

    (Six months after the conclusion of the first season, Tony...)

    2008
  • Game of Thrones

    (Nine noble families fight for control over the mythical l...)

    2011
  • Skins Season 1

    (Skins is a wild ride through the lives of a group of high...)

    2007

Views

Quotations: "Casting young people is always so difficult, and they got it so right in 'Game of Thrones.' All the young actors are amazingly talented and so professional."

"HBO spent a huge amount of money on 'Game Of Thrones,' and it won't be able to keep spending the money if it can't make it back from people watching it legitimately. It will have an effect on the quality of the programme."

"I still don't get stopped about anything else anywhere near as much as 'Skins.' The remarkable thing that I've noticed is how far that show has traveled: it's aired all over the world."

"I'm a big fan of unflinching drama and bold drama. If you shy away from dark subject matters, there's only certain places for TV drama to go. If there are shows that can break through that and be brave, those are the shows that I personally enjoy watching. I try and do work that I would watch."

"I admire actors that consistently challenge themselves and play a wide range of different roles. Every actor has a reason for being an actor... it's boring to play the same person over and over again. People like Daniel Day-Lewis, who completely transform time and time again, I look up to."

"America has always fascinated me; it's a country where you can make it from one side to the other with no money, by hook or by crook."

"Concept is what makes actors raise their game."

"When I was cast as Gendry, I didn't have any of the physical attributes the part required. I was astounded that I got the role, to be honest."

"Audiences in every medium are becoming far more savvy. No one goes to watch a Tom Cruise movie any more just because it's starring Tom Cruise."

"I'm the kind of person who, if I can't get something right, I get quite frustrated with myself."

Personality

Dempsie is a keen Nottingham Forest football fan and attends many home and away matches, he appeared on the UK Saturday morning football show Soccer AM wearing a Nottingham Forest football shirt. He is also a fan of the scotland national football team.

Physical Characteristics: Height - 5 ft 7½ in (171.5 cm)

Weight - 72 kg (158.5 lbs)

Hair color - dark brown

Eye color - blue

Distinctive Features: chiseled facial features, sports a goatee

Interests

• Artists

  Acting idols: Mark Rylance, Michael Sheen, and Paddy Considine

• Sport & Clubs

  Football

• Athletes

  Nottingham Forest, Scotland national football team

• Music & Bands

  Kanye West

Connections

Joe Dempsie is single.

Sister:

Lauren Dempsie

She suffers from Cerebral Palsy, a condition which has left her almost incapacitated. The actor now supports charities and raises awareness about the health disorder.

colleague:

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Maisie Williams

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Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

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Lena Headey

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References

• Billie Piper, Steve Pemberton, Joe Dempsie - January 25, 2008 Doctor Who Magazine Issue #396
• Article Magazine Issue 03 - Joe Dempsie cover 2014