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Joseph Mawle

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Joseph Mawle
Mawle in Shell 2012
Born (1974-03-21) 21 March 1974 (age 50)
Alma materBristol Old Vic Theatre School
OccupationActor
Years active1998–present

Joseph Daniel Turner Mawle (born 21 March 1974) is an English actor. Mawle is best known for his roles as Benjen Stark in Game of Thrones, Shell's dad in Shell (2012), Detective Inspector Jedediah Shine in Ripper Street, Firebrace in Birdsong, Jesus Christ in The Passion, Odysseus in Troy: Fall of a City (2018), and Adar in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022).

Early life

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Mawle was born in Oxford, England. He grew up in a Victorian manor house on a farm outside Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire. He is one of three children from a family with a history of nine generations of farming in Warwickshire. His mother was a teacher. His father Richard still farms the land.[1]

He attended the Croft prep school on the outskirts of Stratford-upon-Avon, where he was diagnosed as severely dyslexic; consequently, he went from the ages of 13 to 16 to a boarding school for special needs. Mawle left the school at 16 to become an actor but contracted labyrinthitis, leaving him 70 per cent hearing-impaired in the upper register and with tinnitus. He persuaded the director of the local college at Stratford-upon-Avon to let him study for a BTEC in performing arts while doing an assortment of jobs such as fitness instructor and dishwasher.[2]

He did some acting for the Box Clever Theatre Company and in his own production of Solo Hamlet. He won a scholarship to study at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.[2]

Career

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Mawle graduated from Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in 2002, in the same year he appeared in TV adverts for Guinness. He left in 2002, with no agent, and worked as an assistant in a special needs school. He landed his first major role in a 2003 production of Troilus and Cressida, playing Troilus for Shakespeare at the Tobacco factory, worked at the Nuffield Theatre, Southampton, in Hamlet, and in the Royal Exchange, Manchester's production of Antony and Cleopatra in 2005.

It was his performance in the television film Soundproof (2006), wherein a deaf actor was needed for the lead role, that made his biggest impact. Mawle was nominated for the RTS Breakthrough on Screen Award, and director Ed Coulthard won the BAFTA for best director in 2007.

Mawle has appeared in a number of subsequent British television productions, including Dunkirk, winner of the Huw Wheldon BAFTA Award for Factual Drama, and Adrian Shergold's Persuasion (2007) and Channel 4's gay drama Clapham Junction, in the role of Tim. Time Out said, "Mawle and Treadaway put in Bafta-winning efforts". In 2008, Mawle starred as Jesus in the BBC/HBO Films miniseries of The Passion,[3] and as a guest star in the Foyle's War "Broken Souls" episode.

In 2008, he returned to the theatre in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, at the Almeida Theatre, directed by Rupert Goold. He was listed for Outstanding Newcomer by the Evening Standard Theatre Awards and nominated for WhatsOnStage Theatre Choice Awards for Best Newcomer for his performance as Judas.

In 2009, he featured in multiple films: James Marsh's Nineteen Eighty (part of the Red Riding Trilogy), Philip Ridley's Heartless,[4] and Dominic Savage's Freefall opposite Dominic Cooper and Aidan Gillen. On television that year, he starred in episode 4 of Jimmy McGovern's The Street.[5]

In 2010, Mawle featured in artist David Austen's End of Love and in the short film Sometimes The Moon Is Velvet, which toured festivals. He also appeared in Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, the BBC drama Five Daughters, Dominic Savage's Dive, and Made in Dagenham starring Sally Hawkins. In 2011, he starred as Gerald Crich alongside Rosamund Pike as Crich's lover Gudrun Brangwen, in the BBC Four television adaptation of Women in Love.[6]

Also in 2011, he was featured in The Horrible Crowes' music video for their debut single "Behold the Hurricane"[7][8] and joined the HBO series Game of Thrones as Benjen Stark.[9] Mawle appeared in the pilot episode and returned to the role in Season 6.[10]

Mawle appeared in several projects in 2012, including the Working Title production of Sebastian Faulks' acclaimed novel Birdsong,[11] the Bruce Willis film The Cold Light of Day,[12] the Tim Burton-produced film Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, and the independent British film Shell.[13]

2013 saw Mawle portray Stephen Beaumont in The Tunnel,[14] and Detective Inspector Jedediah Shine on Ripper Street.[15] Mawle had a lead role in the horror film The Hallow.[16]

In October 2019, Mawle joined the cast of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Amazon Prime Video: he was one of the first actors to join the project, and his involvement was later confirmed by Amazon themselves in early 2020. He played the central antagonist "Adar", a fallen Elf who became the first Uruk, father of the Orcs.[17] In December 2022, it was revealed that the role of Adar would be recast for season two of the series, with Sam Hazeldine taking over the role and Mawle confirming on Twitter that he would not return.[18][19]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2004 Dunkirk Lt. Ian Cox TV film
2006 Soundproof Dean Whittingham TV film
The Secret Life of Mrs. Beeton Fred TV film
2007 Persuasion Harry Harville TV film
Clapham Junction Tim TV film
2008 Lezione 21 Musician Drama
2009 Red Riding 1980 Peter Sutcliffe / The Yorkshire Ripper TV film
Freefall Jim TV film
After Tomorrow James Short
Heartless Papa B Drama/Fantasy/Horror
2010 Sometimes the Moon is Velvet Jack Short
Dive Gary TV film
Deathless Max Serloom Short
Made in Dagenham Gordon Comedy/Drama/History
2011 The Awakening Edward Judd Drama/Horror/Mystery
2012 The Cold Light of Day Gorman Action/Thriller
Birdsong Jake Firebrace TV film
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Thomas Lincoln Action/Fantasy/Horror
Shell Pete Drama
2013 Half of a Yellow Sun Richard Drama/Romance
2014 Twelve Stuart Short/Drama
2015 The Hallow Adam Hitchens Fantasy/Horror/Thriller
In the Heart of the Sea Benjamin Lawrence Action/Adventure/Biography
Kill your friends James Trellick Horror/Thriller/Drama
2016 Trial Original Aaron Short/Action/Sci-Fi
2018 Spoon Fed Dan Short
2019 Land's End Michael Short
Mr Jones George Orwell Biography/Drama/Thriller

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1998 Merlin Village Man Miniseries
2002 Sir Gadabout: The Worst Knight in the Land Sir Tificate
2006 Silent Witness Adrian Burney Episode: "Schism", two parts
Dalziel and Pascoe Charlie Barron Episode: "The Cave Woman", two parts
2007 HolbyBlue Simon Jenkins Episode: "Simon Jenkins"
2008 Foyle's War Fred Dawson Episode: "Broken Souls"
The Passion Jesus 4 episodes, miniseries
2009 Free Agents 1 episode
The Street Keiran 1 episode
Waking the Dead Stefan Koscinski Episode: "Substitute", two parts
Merlin Alvarr Series 2, episode 11: "The Witch's Quickening"
2010 Five Daughters Tom Stephens 3 episodes
Agatha Christie's Poirot Antonio Foscarelli Episode: "Murder on the Orient Express"
2011 Women in Love Gerald Crich 2-part episode
2011, 2016–2017 Game of Thrones Benjen Stark 6 episodes
2013 The Tunnel Stephen Beaumont
2013, 2016 Ripper Street Det. Insp. Jedediah Shine
2015 Sense8 Nyx
2018 Troy: Fall of a City Odysseus
2019 MotherFatherSon Scott Ruskin
2022 The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Adar Season 1
2023 1923 Captain Shipley Season 1, episodes 6 and 7
2024 Mary & George Sir Walter Raleigh Season 1, episode 5

Theatre

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References

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  1. ^ Laws, Roz (3 August 2009). "Dyslexic deaf actor Joseph Mawle is top of his game". Birmingham Post. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  2. ^ a b Jardine, Cassandra (14 March 2008). "Joseph Mawle: Playing Jesus". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  3. ^ Jardine, Cassandra. "Joseph Mawle: Playing Jesus". Telegraph. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  4. ^ "Lionsgate UK Tests 'Heartless' on Multiple Platforms". Bloody Disgusting. 29 January 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  5. ^ Laws, Roz (2 August 2009). "Dyslexic deaf actor Joseph Mawle is top of his game". Birmingham Post. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  6. ^ Kenny, Ursula (19 March 2011). "Joseph Mawle: 'I've played some despicable characters'". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  7. ^ The Horrible Crowes – "Behold the Hurricane"
  8. ^ Music video for The Horrible Crowes' "Behold the Hurricane"
  9. ^ "Joseph Mawle on Benjen Stark, Sean Bean & Kit Harington". flicksandthecity.com. 15 November 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  10. ^ "Game of Thrones Recap: Season 6, Episode 6, "Blood of My Blood"". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 29 September 2016."Game of Thrones Recap: Season 6, Episode 6, "Blood of My Blood"". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Joseph Mawle: Interview". guru.bafta.org. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  12. ^ "The Marvels of Joseph Mawle". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  13. ^ Wilkinson, Amber (5 November 2012). "Game of Thrones star Joseph Mawle reveals challenges he faced filming new movie in Scottish Highlands". Daily Record. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  14. ^ "Joseph Mawle Talks The Tunnel". flicksandthecity.com. 8 January 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  15. ^ "IndieLondon: Joseph Mawle and Damien Molony join Ripper Street - Your London Reviews". indielondon.co.uk. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  16. ^ "HCF Exclusive Interview with Corin Hardy and Joseph Mawle on The Hallow #Grimmfest2015". horrorcultfilms.co.uk. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  17. ^ Nellie Andreeva (21 October 2019). "'The Lord Of The Rings': Joseph Mawle To Star In Amazon Series". Deadline. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  18. ^ Chitwood, Adam (1 December 2022). "'Rings of Power' Recasts Orc Villain Role Adar for Season 2 as Additional New Cast Members Revealed". Yahoo.com. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  19. ^ Petski, Denise (1 December 2022). "'Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power' Recasts Adar With Sam Hazeldine, Adds 6 More Actors For Season 2". Deadline. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
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