Biography
Joe Armstrong was born in London on 7th October 1978. His father is the veteran stage and screen actor Alun Armstrong, and the two bear a striking resemblance. They have worked together on Between the Sheets and A Ticket Too Far. Joe has two brothers, and in a 2006 interview, Alun gave a little glimpse into their childhood, "Yeah, I have three sons, and when they were very young I used to pick them up from school. I was working in the theatre at the time so I had some free time, which allowed me to spend more time with the boys. My wife was also working so it gave her a break if I could look after them as well. I was the only man in the babysitting circle, which was full of working mothers. We all did one day a week, where we would pick all the kids up. Every Monday I would have 14 kids round for tea!" ("Alun Armstrong on the Girls Who Came to Stay", Memorable TV, 14 April 2006 )
Joe attended the Elliot School in Putney from 1993-1997, and from there he went to Bristol University. During his university days, Joe appeared in several Bristol University and National Youth Theatre productions, and went on to perform at the Soho and Bush Theatres in London. He had guest spots in several well-known tv shows as well as roles in mini series and short films. In 2006 Joe got his big break when he landed a part in the BBC production of Robin Hood as Allan a Dale, the character for which he is most well-known. This fall Joe has been seen on UK tv screens in both the second series of Robin Hood and an episode of ITV's The Whistleblowers.
Joe on acting:
A 2002 interview with Alun Armstrong said, "His three sons are all studying drama. But they all say they won't act because they'd never be as good as their dad" ("Making of Thenadier", Sri Lanka's Sunday Times, 3 March 2002) Joe's fans are all glad he changed his mind!
In a 2006 letter to Eli of RH2006, Joe wrote, "I wasn't sure that I wanted to be an actor until my late teens. It was a profession I had always been aware of and exposed to, but only after enjoying Drama lessons at school did I begin to consider the possibility seriously. The fact I didn't want to end up in a 9-5 may be more significant though."
Note: IMDB includes 2 actors named Joe Armstrong. Our Joe is listed as Joe Armstrong (II), not to be confused with Joe Armstrong (I), a former miner turned musician and actor.